To hone or not to hone

[Always war]

Hey guys! Just getting ready to install my rk tek Pistons in my 13 pro, and was wondering if I should hone the cylinders. Cylinders look great, so not sure if they should be honed or not. Any other suggestions on the install would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[garlic bear]

Yes I run a ball hone through every time I install new pistons..Make sure you get the right cross hatch when honeing

 

[mtncat1]

If you decide to hone it I wouldn't recommend a ball hone. run it down to your local small engine shop and have it honed with a rigid hone with diamond stones .

 

[indydan]

Honing

If you decide to hone it I wouldn't recommend a ball hone. run it down to your local small engine shop and have it honed with a rigid hone with diamond stones .

If you decide to hone it I wouldn't recommend a ball hone. run it down to your local small engine shop and have it honed with a rigid hone with diamond stones .

Ditto -

It isn't a bad idea to ask the machine shop if they have Diamond stones for plated cylinders & what grit they all have.

Car shops & small engine shops that are behind the times for plated cylinders will most often say they have the right stones because most believe they do because their boss told them what conventional stone to use........and there is NOT a conventional stone that works.

These stones are expensive, and many shops do not know plated cyls require special wear shoes & diamond, or will not spend the money.

conventional stones & ball hones will not work on plated cylinders, it will run but it will never give you full performance with poor ring cut in.

The vendor you bought the pistons from should supply you with the correct stone grit........then call Sunnen products and get the part number.

The part number will vary depending on the type holder the shop uses,

AN - is most common for most shops with old style sunnen holders.

And Polaris Mono cylinders should always be honed with a base & cylinder head torque plate installed torqued between 37 & 50 ft lbs depending if your motor is stock, or modified or has a turbo.

The Polaris Mono cylinder distorts between .0005 to .002 thou depending on what torque spec you use.

There is a bit of a learning curve with every motor, and this small block requires lots of little details to make it run hard.

Dan

 

[garlic bear]

Thanks indy dan learnt something

 

[indydan]

Thanks indy dan learnt something

No problem Bear, there was a day when I use a ball hone for just about everything.

It's a heck of a lot better then doing nothing at all.

 

[jakey-boy]

If you decide to hone it I wouldn't recommend a ball hone. run it down to your local small engine shop and have it honed with a rigid hone with diamond stones .

I disagree when I installed mine last year I had it done with a diamond hone. I ended up having some issues and in talking through those with Kelsey he told me he always recommended just using a ball hone on these installs. A diamond is excessive for what you need and if you end up with someone not fully qualified you could do more harm than good...

All you really need is the glazed knocked back a touch so the rings can seat and a ball hone is perfect. Now if you have a shop locally that has the correct hone and knows what they are doing that's a different story, I am sure it would be beneficial to have it done.

 

[Snodawg]

And now there is one more reason that I am glad I had my cylinder work done by Indy Dan. Top notch quality and top notch service. Good info, Dan, Thanks.

 

[Ski-Dont89]

im looking to hone my cylinders also before installing my rk tek pistons. just trying to knock the glaze back so the rings will seat good. looking at purchasing a flex hone which should do the trick well, my understanding is i need a 320 grit but i dont know what size i need to purchase? any info?

 

[Ult680]

I sent my cylinders out to Hanson race engines. Same day turn around and measures the cylinders and pistons. Good peace of mind for $50 shipped.

 

[hoov165x]

I disagree when I installed mine last year I had it done with a diamond hone. I ended up having some issues and in talking through those with Kelsey he told me he always recommended just using a ball hone on these installs. A diamond is excessive for what you need and if you end up with someone not fully qualified you could do more harm than good...

All you really need is the glazed knocked back a touch so the rings can seat and a ball hone is perfect. Now if you have a shop locally that has the correct hone and knows what they are doing that's a different story, I am sure it would be beneficial to have it done.

Bingo.

 

[mtncat1]

I disagree when I installed mine last year I had it done with a diamond hone. I ended up having some issues and in talking through those with Kelsey he told me he always recommended just using a ball hone on these installs. A diamond is excessive for what you need and if you end up with someone not fully qualified you could do more harm than good...

All you really need is the glazed knocked back a touch so the rings can seat and a ball hone is perfect. Now if you have a shop locally that has the correct hone and knows what they are doing that's a different story, I am sure it would be beneficial to have it done.

jake I never said to take it to some one who is not qualified. or to over do it with the hone . I have 30 years as a mechanic with 2 years of college so im not talking about a job I had done once or twice. a un damaged cylinder only needs a light hone job with the correct stones .the ridged hone is superior to either a ball hone or flex hone, the biggest problem with ball or flex hones is that you can crack or chip the cylinders around the skirts or ports. but hey you can do what ever makes you feel good about the job but you are taking a chance not using the correct tool.