Hoping that someone may have done a rebuild in the past and was able to source aftermarket piston rings somewhere that may be able to share some details. I'm at the point where I finally have everything back from the machine shop for the engine rebuild I'm doing on a 2001 steel lined XJR. I'm ordering parts for it and have stumbled upon the topic of rings - the steel lined blocks used part number JLM21635 which are seemingly obscenely expensive - a set for the engine is around $900-$1k and anywhere from 3-6 week lead time. I can also source from David Manners in the UK for around $1100 shipped via air. This still seems very expensive for what should be reasonably cheap parts, which leads me to this - has anyone that's rebuilt a 4.0 supercharged V8 found an aftermarket source such as Mahle, Hastings or Grant? I'm not trusting a new build to the $250 set on eBay where the seller can't provide any specifications or the manufacturer.

 

About 20 years ago I had a Nikasil block relined with steel liners.
I found some iron liner rings from BPI (British Parts International) when they were 'a thing'.
The Motorcars LTD was the retail section of the company but I was a client since the 1980s so I got wholesale pricing.

No idea if the parts are still available.

Motorcars LTD is not really the same as it was in the early days.

 

SNG Barratt also show aftermarket rings at reasonable price but they are "Special Order" which sometimes means not actually available.