1978 250 Piston Assembly Advise

[Kimble005]

Hi all. I was assembling my pistons today and may have run into an issue I need advise on. I heated up my existing rod and installed the pin in the piston and it ended up a little bit off center. Will this cause an issue? If so, how can I fix it without damaging the new parts? Thanks in advance for any help.

[AussieinNC]

I will assume you dont have access to a press and spacer plates...

Its a simple fix...

I would take the piston / rod assembly to an engine shop and have them press the pin deeper into the rod...from the pics, it only needs about 1/8" to 3/16" to center the rod on the pin in the opening.

I know a lot of shops never heat the rods, they just press the pin directly into the rod....WARNING....dont try that at home unless you are very experienced....

The rod should be centered in the opening in the piston and each end of the pin should be roughly flush with the pin bore in the piston skirt.

[Kimble005]

Thank you for your advise. I had it pressed to spec.