Piston Ring concensus

[elslimdiablo]

Hello all,
My 77 GL started burning oil on #2 cyl. Compression test shows 150 psi on 2,3, and 4. #1 is at 162 psi. Followed up with a leak down. As expected #2 has a leak down rate of 12%. The rest are at 1%. Primary leak on #2 is into the crank case with a small amount leaking into the exhaust. I know that I should stick with Honda for the replacement rings, but is there another trustworthy manufacturer out there that is a little more reasonable on price and availability? The prices I find are all over the map and sometimes the availability is three sets in the size I'll probably need and four dozen of the size I don't need. Who do you guy use for your own engine parts? Thanks - Rob

[wingrider]

I used Hastings rings...

[elslimdiablo]

Just came across a couple of posts from Old Fogey about the Hastings rings. That looks like the way to go. I'm all for using the Honda brand (i.e. head gaskets) but sometimes I wonder if there is another quality part that can do the task as well without the $ tag. Thanks Wingrider.

[wingrider]

If you are interested, I have a set of chrome rings sitting here that I didn't use...

The headgasket debate is one that seems pretty sided. Most will recommend OEM for the HG's, but some have had decent luck with Veserah gaskets. In either case, the head and block need to be flat for either to be successful. Seems there have been a number of people that have used Veserah head gaskets, only to change them out for OEM at a later date due to failure.