I certianly appreciate with great humor the suggestion that I may have gone off half cocked. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> I also appreciate everyone's help in resolving this problem. Lots of tech boards just ignore you if you aren't within they're "circle of trust". <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gif" alt="" /> So many people have told me so many things to try and figure this one out, it's been a little confusing. I am unfortunately an HVAC tech, not a mechanic, (shadetree at best), and while I've done plenty of work on plenty of vehicles, I'm still learning as I go. Heck, even the instructions for the compression gauge told me that it was ring problems ONLY if the compression increased after adding oil to the cylinder. (Which it didn't, supposedly indicating a valve problem. Said so right in the instructions! Never listen to the instructions... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />) But in the end, Jim was right <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> and it was the rings after all. (and the piston, and the cylinder wall, etc.) I took the block to the local parts store for boring, and they are sending it off somewhere else, since all the machine shops in my area are booked for 3 weeks or more. Supposedly the parts store can get it done sooner, we'll see. I thought of doing the 4.0 head conversion but I've already bought (& installed) a 4.2 recon head. The MPI injection kit is just a little too rich for my blood, and my MC2100 does pretty good for me with the Ford TFI ignition. I've been thinking about an RV cam tho...anybody know a good place to order pistons online?