I'm stripping down a 350 in pretty good condition. Cleanign and hone is all it will need from what I see. Usually shop will hot tank and replace the cam brgs and freeze plugs. One local place shot peens them and bakes them in a oven. Anyone use this method, I would be concerned about the media still being in the block and getting into the oil afterwards? Also for a rehone do you guys use a hand drill ball hone or have a shop torque plate and machine hone?
Thanks,
Gary

 

I have always had mine hot tanked. I also would be afraid tha tsome of the media would be lft in the block. I have seen some use a ball hone just to rough up the cylinder walls. For the extra few bucks I have always had it done on a machine.

 

I always hot tanked and had the engine shop install brass freeze plugs and cam bearings. When I got it home I would rewash with soapy water, paint and start the assembly. I typically used moly rings and honed it my self with a three finger honing tool attached to a drill. Gotta be careful to hone a nice cross patch. NOW, these were no 7,000 RPM screamers, 5-6,000 rpms max and I had no problems with reliability over 100K in miles. I did make sure the cylinder bores were not out of round and piston sides to bore clearances were within specs and the block-head surface did not need to be resurfaced.

I'm sure the peen and bake method has its pros and cons but I don't know anyone who has had this done.

Good Luck with the rebuild, you'll learn a lot.

 

I will say one thing. Never trust the shop to fully clean the block out.
I did once, and it turns out that there was a bunch of grit left in the oil passages.
My bearings didn't like it.
Pressure washer and compressed air after machining or tanking - IMO.

 

I agree with the hot tanking, brass freeze plugs, machine plate honing and of course magnafluxing for cracks before anything extensive begins.

But I got broke from "just needing honing" years ago. If this is a numbers matching engine, a high performance engine or even a mule engine for my truck I would go the extra two feet and have it bored .020 over to assure that there is no out of roundness, taper, wear spot or anything to create a problem either now or down the road a few miles. Remember, it needs rebuilding, that usually results from wear of components. It is a good time to go ahead and buy the next step of kit with pistons and have it bored. Every engine I ever had that I got bit on was one I tried to save a couple of bucks on by not boring it. Jim

 

THIS IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE EVER MAKE IMO

The shop tells you it is clean -

You should see the crud that you can get out of it after it comes back from the machine shop. It would scare the crap out of you.

I like to take the block down all the way before I take it to the shop. Strip it down and chase all the threads then make a quick stop at the local DIY car wash where I use the high pressure wand to blow out the loose crud in the passageways. It is easier to see problems early this way. I let the shop install the cam bearings but I do all the drive plugs myself. Do the car wash thing on the way home from the machine shop again after they do the machining to blow out the chips that are still in there. Spray the block down immediately with a mixture of kerosene and ATF to prevent rusting. I have a large rubbermaid tub that I put the block into for the last bath before assembly. It gets scrubbed with engine cleaning brushes and what ever laundry soap I have around. There are STILL small filings in the bottom of the tub after the block comes out! You can not clean it too much.

No need for any fancy torque plates when doing a re-ring job. You just remove the glaze enough to seal the new rings. A ball hone works for this or a cheap 3 stone rental job will work fine. Follow this with a scotchbrite pad and WD-40 for a quick hand polishing. The hone by itself will leave the bores a little too rough so the scotchbrite smooths it a bit.

The torque plate is used to simulate the final shape that the cylinder walls would look like if the head was torqued in place. If you are using a used bore and only busting the glaze, the torque plate is not needed as you will not be reshaping the walls like you would with an overbore job. The amount of material removed by breaking the glaze is so small it is not possible to measure with shop tools.

-Mark.

 

Thanks for feedback guys. This motor is in very good shape,
(55k miles),it didn't need a rebuild but since I'm going through everything else I broke it down.The walls are good there was no ridge, little sludge or rust in the water jackets. My thinking was for a good cleaning,re-ring,brg's and replace the cam. I have brand new WP S/R torquers w 67cc chambers to pop on too. I think I'll stay with the conventional hot tanking vs the shot peening. This is a number matching block so it won't be decked and all original parts not reused will be bagged for storage. Next question what do you use to protect parts long term from rust? We used to use comsmoline but who knows if that is still around? WD40 will dry out over time,what about a grease?
Thanks,

Gary

 

Gary, I have been using white lithium grease in a spray can for that. It will dry out some after a while, but retains the film of white lithium and when you go to use the part it wipes off with an oily rag.

 

WD-40 will evaporate. PB Blaster is a little better for protection but no way is it close to Cosmoline which is the best. You can get Cosmoline from www.rickscamaros.com under P/N "COS-1" for $8.95 for the aerosol can. I am sure you can find it other places but I deal a lot with Rick's. Chassis grease works. Fresh off the car in a bag on the shelf is pretty good all by itself if the coolant is dried out first.

-Mark.

 

i can't find my woodworking catalogs, but they have a spray for the machined surfaces on joiners and tablesaws that you can use to prevent rust, i don't know if it would work for your application or not. Its available at woodworkers warehouse i'll search on line and edit the post if I find a link...
not exactly what i had in mind , i'll keep looking..

http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/search.exe?BP=1

part # 132-152 TOP-SAVER SYSTEM under chemicals


product description

"TopSaver™ removes rust and corrosion from metal surfaces like power tool tables and prevents rust from returning 5 times longer than other surface treatments:


Simply apply using pump spray applicator and "massage" into surface using abrasive pads to remove rust and corrosion.
Wipe clean, reapply and buff - waterless formula contains no silicones or Teflon®.
Regular use significantly reduces sliding friction and binding and repels dust and moisture. Will not build up, even after several applications, and will not stain wood.
8 oz. bottle of TopSaver™ fluid, pair of latex free disposable gloves, coarse and ultra fine abrasive pads, cotton shop cloths and instructions included."


this is the produt i was thinking of

"Chemicals - Lubricants

BOESHIELD® SPRAY ON PRODUCTS PROTECT TOOLS, REMOVE RUST AND STAINS

Aerosol Boeshield Spray ...plus other(s)





Click for Larger Image BOESHIELD® SPRAY ON PRODUCTS PROTECT TOOLS, REMOVE RUST AND STAINS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

821-322 - Odorless BOESHIELD T-9® is a mixture of solvents, oils and, most importantly, a wax that remains as a barrier after the other components have evaporated. It penetrates, loosens rusted parts, displaces moisture, then dries forming a waterproof lubricant that protects metals for months. Safe for use on most paints, plastics and vinyls. Ozone safe.


901-858 - RUST FREE™ is a mildly acidic solution that removes rust and stains. Simply spray on and rinse off. Try it on steel, cast iron, stainless steel, fiberglass, chrome, tile, porcelain, vinyl and cloth. Handy pump dispenser.
Buy both and save!

TO HELP COMPLETE YOUR PROJECT, MAY WE SUGGEST:


Can-Gun® - 926-775."

 

Good ideas guys, I like the white grease idea- easy to buy and use. I have used chassis grease in the past with success,it's just messy. I'll shoot some pictures of the block and parts too to show you what I'm talking about.
Thanks,
Gary

 

Here are some current pic's


Crank just wiped down.


Pistons,as they came out and after I cleaned one up with a lighlt scrapping and scotchbrite


Piston skirt

Bore

 

To follow up, until I radius the block edges I'm not going to hto tank or pressure wash it yet. I rigged up the engine tilter to suspend the block over the parts wash tank and cleaned most of the dirt and oil off. I took the time to weight it too
Gary