Sunnen engine honing 1949

[smclendon]

I still have that exact Sunnen hone set up. My grandfather bought it years ago. They honed model T blocks and used lard instead of any oil. I used it in the 70's to hone the block for my E/MP 1959 Corvette we drag raced with.

[Kingbee]

I still have that exact Sunnen hone set up. My grandfather bought it years ago. They honed model T blocks and used lard instead of any oil. I used it in the 70's to hone the block for my E/MP 1959 Corvette we drag raced with.

Cool story! When you you said E/MP Corvette it made me think of the "Pizza Man" E/MP Vette that ran out of Sioux Falls SD back in the day.

[Dave Koehler]

I still hone by hand - I have noticed my bores have less taper and out of round than the "proper" machines.

You can be proud of the accuracy you have learned to achieve while hand honing.

However, there's no need to accept crap work from job shops. Forty years ago, the base model Rottler and Sunnen power stroke machines would finish a round straight bore. If you're getting back junk, it's because the operator isn't taking care of his stones, coolant, or he's pushing too fast and hard. Don't pay for work which does not meet your standards.

Big yup. The only good thing about hand honing is that I learned how metal breathes / moves and I gained the arms of a weight lifter. Don't miss it.
I have often said those that learned how to make straight holes out of crap with an AN hand hone could produce miracles with a CK machine.
Those that can't are...well.......

[smclendon]

Kingbee, there is a picture in the December 1973 Car Craft magazine showing us honing a block with that hone.