while i have everything torn down, i want to pull the #1 piston from the top and let a mechanic examine it and the rings on it. can i put it back in from the top? any special tools or tricks i need to know?

 

You will need a ring suppressor (compressor) in order to get the pistons and rings back in.
If I were you, I would go ahead and replace the rings anyway. And, I would get a honing stone that you put on a regular drill to hone the walls slightly before putting the piston back in. You can get those hones from just about any parts place. They have three gray stones on a device that fits in your drill.

 

Here is what I am talking about.

>>>Honing is a final finishing operation conducted on a surface, typically of an inside cylinder, such as of an automotive engine block. Abrasive stones are used to remove minute amounts of material in order to tighten the tolerance on cylindricity. Honing is a surface finish operation, not a gross geometry-modifying operation. Hones can be of the multiple pedal type or the brush type. Either type applies a slight, uniform pressure to a light abrasive that wipes over the entire surface. <<<<<

 

will do, thanks, joe