Atomarc, thanks for the excellent reply. My hands aren't all as steady as I would like them to be these days. The upside down piston does sound like the trick. I'm going to be separating the pistons and rods anyway to balance them.
I found a taper gage, didn't know they existed, thanks again. It doesn't look like a precision tool. I may pick it up if the price is right. Part of the story is the 292 lg blk has 10k on a rebuild, and the comression didn't look good. Hopefully it's just from sitting for four years, and the rings are varnished up.
Larry
