Nikasil cylinder cleaning / honing / red scotch brite

[jimtweet]

I can’t read anymore. Hours and pages and keep coming back to red scotch brite pad.
My cylinders have 97k, still have perfect cross hatching. I took them up to a professional to see and he said no reason to do anything but some wd40 on a red scotch brite and run it up and down twisting it a few times.

I’ll be using JE pistons and rings if this makes a difference

[nocarrier]

Did you measure them for out of round and taper?

Make sure you clean the cylinders till a clean rag comes out without any residue on it.

I usually wash them with hot water and dawn dish soap.

Scotch brite is an abrasive and you don't want any of it hanging around.

[nocarrier]

Also,

Are you installing brand new pistons in old bores that haven't been replated and sized to the pistions?

Have you checked the clearance?

[Catorce]

What kind of build is this? If it's gonna just be a mild mannered driver, then by all means clean up and reuse. I have done so many times.

If, however, it's going to be a hot motor, I will either replate using millennium or US Chrome, or replace the cylinders altogether.

[Dpmulvan]

Originally Posted by jimtweet

I can’t read anymore. Hours and pages and keep coming back to red scotch brite pad.
My cylinders have 97k, still have perfect cross hatching. I took them up to a professional to see and he said no reason to do anything but some wd40 on a red scotch brite and run it up and down twisting it a few times.

I’ll be using JE pistons and rings if this makes a difference

Put them in soapy water and just very lightly scrub, you can also get scotchbrite round balls that go on a drill. As others said measure everythin out first. If all is good I see no reason to replate or buy new unless you have no budget.

[jimtweet]

[KTL]

Hatching is pretty visible but you can see the darkness indicates the ring material deposited. I would recommend the scotchbrite, super hot water (use long cuff thick rubber gloves) and dish soap like Dawn.

I know you said you read a lot. Hopefully you found this one. It was pretty good because Henry went above and beyond to prove his point.

do I need to hone this?

And you can't measure the bore with a set of calipers. Not even with a set of snap gauges (the things that expand and then you measure them with a micrometer) can you get it close enough. You need a solid quality bore gauge kit with a 0.0001" resolution dial indicator. Fowler makes a nice one but their dial indicator is only good to 0.0005" and that's not good enough when you're shooting for a gnat's arse crack sized clearance of 0.0015" between the piston skirt and bore.

[Tippy]

Ditto KTL.

Capilers were not even allowed for measuring any F15 engine I did.

[Trackrash]

I used a home made hone with red scotch brite pads. I ran each for about 30 seconds with my electric drill in a dawn solution. I carefully measured each of them before starting. This method works.

Did your machinist use a bore gauge or mic to check your cylinders?

[cgarr]

Originally Posted by Tippy

Ditto KTL.



Capilers were not even allowed for measuring any F15 engine I did.

And a good set of gage blocks or master setting ring to set the bore gage


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Catorce]

As a machine shop owner, I can tell you definitively that calipers measuring a bore like that are a no-no.

Just not accurate enough. Also, here is PLENTY of scuffing on that cylinder. If it was me, I'd be sending them off to Millennium to get re-nikasiled and finish bored. Will cost you 1K. They will come back perfect.

You don't want to redo this later.

[jimtweet]

Originally Posted by Catorce

As a machine shop owner, I can tell you definitively that calipers measuring a bore like that are a no-no.

Just not accurate enough. Also, here is PLENTY of scuffing on that cylinder. If it was me, I'd be sending them off to Millennium to get re-nikasiled and finish bored. Will cost you 1K. They will come back perfect.

You don't want to redo this later.

They are already packed up and spoke with Rod this morning

[Catorce]

Originally Posted by jimtweet

They are already packed up and spoke with Rod this morning

Attaboy!