Quote Originally Posted by techinspector1 View Post
...fill the space above the piston with clothesline rope fed through the spark plug hole. Roll the piston back up to shmush (technical term ) the rope up against the valve heads and remove the springs...
I've heard this trick before and know folks that have been successful at it but I have also heard there can be risk of cutting the rope if it manages to get caught by a valve or coiled too much below the plug hole... something to think about. The shop air approach is "safer" in my opinion.

-Chris