Good morning George,
Thank you for your reply.
There was a small carbon ridge at the top of the cylinders that we removed with honing stones (gently) prior to removing the pistons. I did not measure it but I would guess it was probably paper or double paper width.
We removed the pistons prior to measuring them or the cylinders. One thing I did not note in my original post was the cylinder measurements tapered to larger towards the top of the cylinder. Also not noted was when I removed the oil pan, there was a buildup of paste in the bottom that, when wiped on a piece of cardboard, had a silvery sheen. We suspect it to be aluminum?
Yes, there is a bit of piston rock/slop when inserted back into the cylinders. We also noted the gap on the rings was quite large (1/8" when measured in in the cylinder).
Not long after posting the original message I was told my friend found a 1955 235 to replace the 216. I replied to HotRod Lincoln's post above and mentioned the replacement 235 but I see my reply has not been approved as yet. I would hate to have someone feel I wasted their time. I see now that I can (and did) change the Thread Title to add RESOLVED so at least folks know. It would still be good for my own education to have others opinions continue.
Thanks again for responding!
Patrick
