My new C5R block is at the machine shop now to be finish honed. But they just told me they need to take a little bit of material out of the top of the main webbing to allow the honing machine to hone the bottom of the cylinder sleeves. Has anyone else experienced this? He showed me where it needs some mateial taken out and why, but it seems really strange that GM would put out a block (that cost over $6K) and needs the main webbing ground down a little just to be able to hone the full cylinder.

Thanks,
Derrick

 

I would contact a vender on this board such as LPE,MTI, ect. They machine many of these blocks and could answer your question. You really want to make sure of something like that with a $6000+ block!

 

Derrick,

You do not have to remove material to hone...here's a list of the components we use...

Honing Procedures forC5R Blocks


* Honing Oil Sunnen MAN 845

* Speed & Feed CK-10 C & E Pulleys
CV-616 185 rpm 50 strokes per minute

Grit Procedure Stones Pressure
* Honing 1. Rough .003” from size C30-A25 Med - High
2. 220 To Size C30-*** Med – High
3. 280 1-2 Strokes C30-J65 Light
4. 400 2-3 Strokes C30-J85 Light

* Rehone 1. 220 3 Strokes C30-*** Med
2. 280 1-2 Strokes C30-J65 Light
3. 400 2-3 Strokes C30-J85 Light
^
Change prefix
To match your
Honing head.


* Shoe Assembly Technique
Titanium shoe on one side of honing head. Long CK3570, Short CK2570
Delron (hard nylon) attached to brass shoe holder trim to fit. CK3070 NY3X

*** Do Not use Bronze shoe***

* Fresh honing oil is critical !!!
* All supplies from Sunnen 800-772-2878

 

Not to highjack but, Charlie,
Any problem with .010 overbore on a C5R block?

 

Charlie, I don't know you, But giving him that precise information makes you the man. I wish I was near A & A. Need a branch in Pa. I think

 

Thanks Charlie. It sucks living in Hawaii, where there are no people familiar with anything but SB chevy's and Fords... I am going to give this info to the machine shop and see what they say. He was claiming that the head on his machine would hit the webbing and the grinding stones couldn't get the bottom of the cylinder. I may have him give you guys a call to get some "learning" on the proper ways to machine blocks if he doesn't inderstand the instructions you provided. And this guy is probably the best on the island too....

Thank you VERY much,
Derrick

P.S. I have the A&A supercharger kit installed on my car and will transfer it to the 427 when that goes in. What size pulley will give me 14-16 psi. The C5R will be at 9.0:1 CR and built for the boost.

 

No problem with .010.

Charlie

 

Derrick,

You are more than welcome. Give Andy a call on the pulley size, I am not sure of the sizing, but he will know.

Thanks,

Charlie

 

'

 

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo dont do it

Put it in a box and ship it to A&A.....seriously

 

Actually a lot of shops do exactly what you described and specifically there are some really good reasons to do it this way.
http://synergymotorsports.net/
1-510-796-3749 PST. California.

 

I agree, that is just cool.

 

Is the shop using Sunnen honing equipment; either a CK-10 or CV-616? If not, I would find another shop. You can call Sunnen Products Company in St. Louis and ask to be connected with the honing lab and ask their engineers about it. They can recommend tooling and a honing procedure for your LS-1 block. The honing lab can answer any questions about abrasive machining which is what honing is.

 

Yep, they are using the CK-10. Which sounds like a popular model, so I was really afraid to hear that this problem existed. It sounds like more than one shop does this though, so I'm not quite as worried. Although they are going to try Charlie's method above and see if it will work.

Thanks,
Derrick

 

This certainly is an option. A&A has become quite experienced with big bore engine block service and applications on the west coast. However, we do realize your frustration, being that you are not on the mainland. It is always expensive to ship heavy materials over seas. And, if your servicer is using the Sunnen CK-10, AND, will follow "Charlie's Method" posted above, you may very well have the success you are looking for. The best of luck to you. Keep us posted.

 

By the way, so does GM on every new LS7 build.

 

Make sure you check the rod clearance on the block (sleeves to be exact) In the future rember you can have motors built here in the lower 48 and shipped over to you.

Randy

 

You mean one of the upper 48 states right?

 

All aftermarket automotive machine shop tooling and machining will without exception be much different than factory tooling and machining methodology. When rehoning automotive engine blocks "in the field" there are two areas of concern your shop may be concerned about and it involves the physics of honing and mechanical clearance for the tooling. Number one is excess material at the bottom of the bore that was not removed during the factory boring process. This material would interfere with the rotation of a typical CK-10 or CV-616 honing head at the bottom of the stroke but would have been unnecessary to remove and not in the way at the factory because of the design of their CNC equipment. Number two is uneven cylinder length caused by the bottom of the bore skirt extending down further on one side than the other as measured with a ruler with a small hook on its end. This condition allows the hone to move slightly off center at the bottom of the stroke and results in out of round and hour-glass or barrel shaped cylinders. Any good machinist who knows how to hone with good results will want to undercut the area that extends down by .010 or so to produce an equal bore length all around before he mounts the block in the hone. This can be accomplished by several means involving either machining or hand grinding. By far the cleanest and most precise but the trickyist would be to offset a boring bar to remove .010 over bore size at the bottom down close to the main web. This will be an interrupted cut which will require an experienced machinist to do and it would be his responsibility to select or fashion the right shape bit to get good clean looking work. Hand grinding is the quickest easiest and most popular choice for most shops due to the work and expense involved in machining but I would want to know the guy's hand grinding looked better than amateur before I let him grind on my Corvette block.

Regards, Greg.

 

Interesting Greg.
Thanks