get a decent ring compressor

[grumpyvette]

BTW when you go to buy a ring compressor....this type works far better than the others

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=PRO-66766&N=700+115&autoview=sku
Proform 66766 $31

how they work is you clamp it around your piston and adjust it to that size before the rings are installed so the piston is a snug slide thru fit, then, install the rings, dip the rings and piston in clean oil, place the compressor over the cylinder on the block with the base firmly held against the block deck and push the piston into its much larger open enterance, as it slides thru the funnel like construction squeezes the rings into the grouves and they can,t spring back out untill they are in the bore, remember to line up the rod bolts and having them covered with the ends of a 3 ft long section or 3/8" fuel line to protect the crank journal is a good idea, having a ROD GUIDE TOOL you can use to guide and PULL THE PISTON INTO THE BORE WITH IS EVEN A BETTER IDEA

youll be surprised at how much easier they slide into the bore if you BOTH pull/guide and push the pistons into the cylinders rather than just beat them in with a hammer handle, it takes some practice but a few taps to get them moving with a fist, while pulling and guiding the rod into its journal is usually all that necessary with a well oiled piston and that type of ring compressor

 

[Tom Bryant]

I thought about buying one of those but decided to get a solid one instead since about everything I am doing lately is 4.030. The clamping one saves having to buy a seperate tool for each bore size and is a very good idea. The first time I used the solid one I could not believe how slick those pistons slid into the bores. No more broken rings for me.