Then install the upper scraper using the same technique.  Once again, position the butt of the scraper rings at least 30° away from the butt of the expander.  You also want the butt of the upper scraper ring about 180°away from the butt of the lower scraper.

When you install the 2nd ring and the top ring, it’s always best to use a ring expander to prevent distorting the rings.  The expander tool has a stop that can be set so that you don’t expand the ring too far.

Install one wrist pin circlip in the piston.  Be careful not to distort the clip.  Wiseco uses wire clips, I assume they are made from spring steel.  I like to get them started in the groove and then use my fingernail to pop the free end into the bore.  Don’t get too aggressive with these clips.  You don’t want to deform the clip and end up with it flying out at 6500 rpm.  Here you see the clip started in the groove with the free end just peeking out.  All it takes from here is a little help from your thumbnail to pop the clip right into the bore & groove.

Apply a generous amount of assembly lubricant to the wrist pin and the bores in the rod and piston.  Place the piston onto the rod and slip the wrist pin through the rod & piston.  The arrow on the top of the piston must face forward.  Pack the crankcase opening with clean rags and install the other circlip.  The clean rags are there to prevent the clip from falling into the crankcase if it gets away from you.  Things happen.

Place a proper piston support between the crankcase and the piston.  The piston must be properly supported in order to install the cylinder over the piston & rings.  Sorry, this is a picture of a stock piston, but you get the idea.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but this simple applicator works great, and I absolutely love this readily available Permatex product.  It comes in Black or Grey, stays wet for a long time to make assembly a breeze, and stands up well to the rigors of an air-cooled engine.

You can see from this photo that the sealant squeeze out into the oil feed is miniscule.  When it’s time to plant the cylinder onto the crankcase, I apply another coat of sealant to the underside of the gasket rather than the top of the case.  That way, if any little bits of crud fall during the install, they won’t get stuck in wet sealant and I can brush the crud away just before I bring the cylinder all the way down.

Stagger the ring gaps as described in the Wiseco instructions, while taking into consideration what I pointed out about the cylinder relief.  Make sure the two alignment dowels are installed in the crankcase.  Lubricate the cylinder, piston, and rings with a generous amount of clean engine oil.  Cinch up your rings in the ring compressor (opening toward the rear).  Apply a thin uniform coat of sealant to the underside of the gasket.  Double check that everything is ready, then install the cylinder over the piston & rings.  Remove the ring compressor and piston support, then bring home the jug.
 
You will notice that I have left the dowel out in this demonstration photo.  Can’t even follow my own directions.  Don’t make this mistake.  Make sure both dowels are in place before you start to install the cylinder.

I sprayed a nice even coat on the head gasket.  You can’t even tell the sealant is on there since it’s the same color as the gasket.