JPOR: Piston removal

[Obi-Wan <bvh@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

You guys will get sick of me before I'm done with this project...

Once I've got the crankshaft removed from my 401 V8, is there any
reason why I can't remove the pistons from the bottom to check/replace
the rings?  The TSM says I have to remove them through the top, but
that assumes the crank is in place.

When removing through the top, the TSM says I need to ream out a
little ridge that's along the top of the cylinder bore before the
pistons will slide out.  What exactly is the "ridge reamer" they
talk about, and can I just do the same job with a Dremmel tool?

The TSM says to use a ring expander to install the compression rings
on the pistons.  What is this, and is it really necessary?

Similarly, it says to use a ring compressor to install the newly-ringed
pistons back into the cylinders.  What is this, and is it really
necessary?  Is it still necessary when installing pistons from the
bottom of the cylinder (see question #1)?

				-- Obi-Wan
				   '95.5 YJ, '77 Wag (under the knife)

-- 
Ben "Obi-Wan" Hollingsworth                                   obiwan@jedi.com
Many people don't understand this type of devotion; in fact some think of our
mindset as a sickness or as an aberration of the human mind. -- Rick Pewe
              Anybody want to buy a Jeep XJ Dana 44 rear axle?