8BA Bottom Scraper Ring Gap???

[crazycasey]

Hello,

I'm getting ready to stick a 1949 Ford 8BA together. This will be a mild performance "street flathead". The block is bored 0.125" over (3-5/16") and I have new Egge 4-ring pistons and Hastings cast rings.

I gapped my top ring at 0.015" (they were between 0.009" and 0.010" out of the box). The number two rings all checked at 0.012" out of the box so I left them alone, and the bottom oil control rings (4th groove) are all at 0.010" out of the box.

I called Hastings and they said "all rings should have been 0.012" out of the box. I told them what I found for out of the box measurements and the tech suggested opening the top ring up to 0.012" and leaving the bottom ring alone, since it's in the oil and doesn't get hot. They said if the bottom ring butts it won't matter, but he just didn't seem super confident in his answer...

Is 0.010" too tight for that bottom ring? The reason I don't just take it to 0.012" is that it seems like a pain in the butt to debur because of the shape of the scraper. I CANNOT leave it out, as some of you recommend, because I have balanced the rotating assembly with it included.

Thanks for the advice! I know I'm probably over thinking this, but this is my first flathead, and I like to be meticulous when I put engines together.