Freeing up 'Frozen' 305 Pistons

[Nick]

For those stymied by frozen pistons, don't bother trying to beat them out with heat and various 'liquid-wrench-type concoctions. The aggravation and associated mechanical mayhem isn't worth it.

Disassemble the engine, remove the cylinder studs and mount the top case with cylinder and crank in a hydraulic press so that the cylinder bores are vertical . I used a wooden frame made of 2x4s, but whatever you make it of make it sturdy. In the days before go ahead and squirt some of your favorite anti-rust potion and heat things up with a torch, but it's still going to take a surprising amount of pressure to get the pistons to budge, as apparently the rings 'weld' themselves to the cylinder through electrolysis ( expert opinions welcome).

This particular CB engine had been sitting under my house for the past 25 years and no way was a little liquid wrench, heating and pounding gonna free it up! However, once apart, everything inside was in very good shape and looked to be a low-mileage engine.