Bore or hone?

Hey ya'll,

So i was just cleaning up the block some getting ready to make a list of stuff for the machine shop to do on my block.
Here is what I am seeing in the cylinders and has me questioning getting it bored.

On the top of the cylinders ( i have not measured it yet ) there is a ridge that you can see and feel.
At the bottom there is no ridge or anything you can feel at all.

I do not have a bore gauge, but am going to put a ring in the cylinders and measure the gap to get an idea of the size of the bore and the ridge.

My question is, would you bore it any way? or just ridge ream it and then hone?

looking at the pistons and inspecting, there is no sign of wear or the piston skirts rubbing on the cylinders.
Also, the cross hatch is still visible on all cylinders.

Thanks yall

If your doing a budget rebuild you sure could cut the ridge out with a ridge reamer then use a hone or bottle brush type ball hone, install a set new rings and you'd be good to go. Without knowing how much cylinder wear though there is some risk as to how long it may last. Though if everything is still in really good condistion you might get from 75,000 to 100,000 miles of use too! Good luck

That is what I am thinking.
I am not a huge fan of reusing old worn out stuff, but the condition of the components are not that bad.
I will take some pictures and post them up in a little while.

Thanks bubba

Needs to be measured but I'd bet it's due for a .030 overbore. How many miles?
If you haven't ever used a ridge reamer there's a good chance to screw it up.

The car had 83,000 on the od when I bought it. The guy I bought it from was the second owner and has had it since 99.
He said his buddy that he bought it from never really drove it much and he had done some trips to LA from his place in Turlock. I think that is a 3 hour drive, but not sure on the miles.

Cliff, mic. the bore for taper. If it has a ridge there is a good chance you might have to bore it.
With forged pistons you might get away with a ridge removal & hone & you will get the proper clearance for forged pistons.
I bet you end up boring it out to .030" over. Bill

You are correct.

I used some paper to see if there was any out of roundness on the ring when it was in the bore.
It wasn't much of a gap but the paper slid between the cyl wall and ring.
I am just going to have them bore it .030 over.
Honestly, I think I am just going to go with speed pro pistons. i know the forged ones will free up a good bit of HP, but honestly I feel that will
be over kill. Do you guys feel for the price it is well worth it for a street/strip engine? I am trying to keep this build under $7,000.

JackFish":1tc9qjdn said:

Needs to be measured but I'd bet it's due for a .030 overbore. How many miles?
If you haven't ever used a ridge reamer there's a good chance to screw it up.

Click to expand...

yep, too many people make the mistake of cutting too deeply to speed up the process of removing the ridge.

Yes they do. My dad taught me how to use one when I was 11. I've used it on 4 engines before. The main thing that was getting me was the size of the lip at the top and lack of one on the bottom of the cylinders.

The bottom of the cylinder gets a lot more oil. Better to bore because the new rod bearings will push the piston up higher, and the new rings will have a sharper top; so sometimes the ridge breaks the new top ring. Or the ring land. If you do just go with a hone, do the top until you see fresh metal all around. But then your rings will be moving in and out of the grooves as the piston travels. You could install slightly oversize rings, but they have to be cut for the smallest bore, so you still lose compression at the top when they open up.

Chances are the holes are oval'd and like other's said at least .030" to round, probably 40 to be sure.

Have your machinist check for roundness and taper, and go with his recommendation on what to do.
You may get away with a 20 overbore instead of 30. Bore it out to what is required to true the cylinders equally.
If you plan on keeping the engine until the next rebuild, the more meat you have in the cylinders the more likely you
will be to overbore it again.

"...Also, the cross hatch is still visible on all cylinders…."

"...there is a ridge that you can see and feel…."

How can both exist in the same engine?
Isn't cross hatch "still visible" on a fresh motor and "a ridge" on a worn down one?
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