honing question

[Tuner]

I'm going to give it a go and just through the respective pistons and old rings in their respective bores and see what happens.

When looking at parts on Summit seems that the gasket sets are out of order for a number of months...Jesus...none of them seem to have any stock anymore

I don't now what is going on, perhaps covid, but so many parts of all sorts are unavailable, or in very short supply, the last few months, and it is getting worse every day, it is evident something strange is happening to interfere with production and distribution of all sorts of auto parts. This is probably affecting other industries too, but I see it more every day in auto related parts supply. This is like we have been living off our grain in storage and not planting a new crop. When the warehouse runs out of parts the new ones are not coming in to replace many things and the shelves are empty.

[Tuner]

The used rings and walls .... if everything is clean and smooth, absolutely free of any microscopic dirt or girt, it will be fine. If the engine is cleaned up and reassembled it will run as if it were never disassembled. How could it not?

If there is any rust a few passes with the 400 paper over a hone with water trickling through (like I described back ^^ a few pages) will shine the walls and you are good to go. Wash with soap and water in any case. An absolutely clean cylinder will quickly form surface rust, so dry it with compressed air and wipe with motor oil on a paper towel to prevent rust.

The worst problem with this is how an engine accumulates dirt when the parts sit around.

[BCjohnny]

The OPs cylinders are likely needing more than a 'refreshen' ...... but stick a hundred machinists in a room and ask the question about re-ring honing and you're likely to get at least a hundred different answers

Why would i ask a machinist about re-ringing an engine? If there are a hundred different answers, only one is the right answer. Why not ask the piston/ring manufacturer? Or a trained engineer?

TIC comment ...... and I already gave the grit values a manufacturer might suggest

There's just no absolute 'right' way to do it, just opinions

Well of course there is; the engineering solution; which should be based on physics and extensive testing, not opinion or mere limited experience.

The science of dynamic sealing has come a long way since the days of rough honing and letting the rings to wear in.

We had a brief description of a cylinder of unknown wear so anything more than opinion is moot ....... and while not knowing if the remaining was put to me, I've been honing to a reasonable level on decent equipment for three decades now

[Belgian1979]

Trust me the cilinder is worn and if this would be for prolonged use it would need to be bored to .030 oversize. The cyls have a ridge in them and a very noticable one.

[travis]

Trust me the cilinder is worn and if this would be for prolonged use it would need to be bored to .030 oversize. The cyls have a ridge in them and a very noticable one.

I’ve built more super dirt cheap “get you by” engines like this than I care to admit. I’d carefully cut the ridges, hone with a 220-240 grit hone, and fresh cast rings. None of them ever produced any visible exhaust smoke except a few with really bad cylinder walls would make a little smoke at higher rpms. I’d have the crank turned and a fresh valve job on whatever useable heads I could scrounge up, and usually a slightly bigger than stock cam. I could usually do one for under $500 including a little machine work and many outlasted the worn out car they was in.

[Belgian1979]

Trust me the cilinder is worn and if this would be for prolonged use it would need to be bored to .030 oversize. The cyls have a ridge in them and a very noticable one.

I’ve built more super dirt cheap “get you by” engines like this than I care to admit. I’d carefully cut the ridges, hone with a 220-240 grit hone, and fresh cast rings. None of them ever produced any visible exhaust smoke except a few with really bad cylinder walls would make a little smoke at higher rpms. I’d have the crank turned and a fresh valve job on whatever useable heads I could scrounge up, and usually a slightly bigger than stock cam. I could usually do one for under $500 including a little machine work and many outlasted the worn out car they was in.

Thanks Travis.
Have no experience with cutting the ridge (nor do I have the tools for it). I was planning on just putting the pistons in it.

[F-BIRD'88]

I like to driveway hone used cylinders like this using Canola oil as a honing fluid.. Its biodegradable, easy on the hands and a speed secret.. The big bubble bath/power wash clean up is essential.. You can even wet sand the decks using 180-240 grit wet-dry bodyshop sand paper on a sanding block.. Gets the decks nice and purdy.
Blow dry and wipe all machined surfaces with motor oil.
Before assembly clean the decks and main saddles with
laquer thinner.
Nice to check the connecting rod big end for spec to ensure bearing crush. Its either good or not good.

Oiled surfaces attract dust and dirt so bag it until assembly.

[hoodeng]

If the block has been stored unsealed even though inside a workshop and covered for fifteen years a fresh clean broken surface with appropriate finish will dispel all possibilities.

The choices for final bore finish has progressed from wet and dry wrapped around a portable hone [as quoted earlier] . I reckon i got my first sets of Sunnen 600 cork polishing thirty years ago, not long after i switched to Sunnen PHT, the trash that pours out of a 280 finished bore when PHT goes through it makes you know how badly contaminated engines are without finishing.

Still have unused boxes of MM33-C05 cork polishing on the shelf, not sure when i will ever get to use them but i can't bring myself to throw anything out with Sunnen printed on the box.

Cheers.

[HDBD]

I have a few boxes of them never used. Have you looked at the price?

[hoodeng]

Hows that! i reckon i paid a considerable amount of what they are priced at today.
Better get them out and use them up.

All considered, i think we pay for what we use these days considerably less comparatively to what we paid in years past.
I bought a 26" Sanyo colour TV in 75/76 for $750 a large chunk in those days, now you can get a pretty good 65" for around the same dollar price.

[allencr267]

Trust me ...have a ridge... ---very noticable...

Sorry, basics, Is it carbon or iron?

[Tuner]

Hows that! i reckon i paid a considerable amount of what they are priced at today.
Better get them out and use them up.

All considered, i think we pay for what we use these days considerably less comparatively to what we paid in years past.
I bought a 26" Sanyo colour TV in 75/76 for $750 a large chunk in those days, now you can get a pretty good 65" for around the same dollar price.

What cost $750 in 1975 would cost $3,813.01 in March 2021.
Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2020 and 1975,
they would cost you $750 and $142.66 respectively.

https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm