im trying to measure the bores on my block before i send it out to the shop, so i can give them more of an exact idea of what i want done. so ive got some questions if anyone can help me with them.

first off, im trying to do this probably with the wrong tools, but i dont have hundreds of dollars to buy stuff to use every once in a great while. so im trying to measure my bores w/ a snap guage and a set of calipers. i definately dont have, and dont know anyone with a 4inch mic. am i doing it right? what should i be using? is there a reasonably priced accurate bore guage out there?

second, what should i be using to measure the pistons? calipers arent accurate enough i dont think. the ones i have only go out to 3 decimals. thanks again.

 

Snap guages and calipers are not very accurate. see if the guy at the machine shop will let you watch as he uses a dial bore guage and Mike. Most will.

 

hey, i see you live in FL and everyone respects you on here, so where do i bring my H series block to get it honed. with no worries that is.

 

Where in FL?

 

im down in melbourne.

 

you should be using a 3-4" micrometer to measure the pistons.

You are trying to determine the parameters at which to hone the cylinder walls while still maintaining a "spec" PTW clearance correct?

I watched my buddy mmuller go through these steps however he had a bore gauge along with the properly sized calipers......you want these measurements to be precision. If they are not, then you are likely going to get a block returned that is equally as bad as your measurements

 

Not shure who is near Melborne, but I will check. Most shops will show you the numbers. If not go to another.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DonF &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Not shure who is near Melborne, but I will check. Most shops will show you the numbers. If not go to another.</TD></TR></TABLE>

trust me, im not worried about driving if i know im getting the right thing done. but before i do anything, i need to know that the pistons i have are going to work and that i wont need oversized instead of the standard bore. the calipers i have are just small enough that i cant measure the piston with any amount of accuracy. looks like im going to the school machine shop tomorrow and i can at least measure those, maybe they have a bore gauge?!. i guess it comes down to me needing to shell out the $$ if i want any piece of mind. can anyone reccommend a cheap bore gauge that will do the job?

 

Search around http://www.use-enco.com

 

wow! good call on that site. i was looking on ebay and googled it, but didnt find anything that caught my attention. im gonna order one of those cheapo ones tomorrow morning.

now for a newb question?? what do i need to do to make sure im exactly parallel to the cylinder when i take the measurement? and where would the more critical measurements be taken from, the bottom of the bore or in the middle? i want to be able to say hone this cylinder this much, this one this much, so on so on.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bluedlude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

trust me, im not worried about driving if i know im getting the right thing done. but before i do anything, i need to know that the pistons i have are going to work and that i wont need oversized instead of the standard bore. the calipers i have are just small enough that i cant measure the piston with any amount of accuracy. looks like im going to the school machine shop tomorrow and i can at least measure those, maybe they have a bore gauge?!. i guess it comes down to me needing to shell out the $$ if i want any piece of mind. can anyone reccommend a cheap bore gauge that will do the job?</TD></TR></TABLE>

i wouldnt see any reason that they wouldnt have the tools you need to get the job done. Plus you being a senior in the engineering program should give you allowance to direct use of any tools you needed.

 

Youll want to take 3 measurements, one at the top , one at the middle, and one at the bottom of the bore. This will give you your bore taper value.

To make sure youre exactly parallel to the centerline of the bore, well you really cant, its mostly feel. Get the gauge in the bore and rock it back and forth watching the gauge needle move to its highest spot. Occasionaly take a glance at the gauge in the bore to make sure youre not wildly off. It takes a bit of practice.

Do you know how to set up the gauge?

 

dude, for a tech school we have one of the shitiest machine shops ive ever seen. so they might not have the stuff i need at school. a community college i went to had a shop that was heaven on earth in comparison.

when i go to work on my project at school i always bring my own tools. i dont know man, borrowing tools is like borrowing a jock strap . and its not like im not going to be using them again. ive got every tool needed to completely rebuild a head, so now its on to the fun part .

my latest project is a 13 horse murray lawnmower. waiting for the valve stem seals to come in so i can put it back together. i ported and polished the head the other day, lol . short turn nothing, its a cliff. brick wall for a long turn. so i made a short turn. nothing crazy, just bored.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Combustion Contraption &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Search around http://www.use-enco.com</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks! Looks like I'm going to buy a few more tools.

 

Their shipping is real fast too.

I ordered some aluminum oxide cloth one day at like, 4pm, they shipped it at 8pm that same night. I got it in 2 days, and i didnt pay for express shipping.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Combustion Contraption &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Do you know how to set up the gauge?</TD></TR></TABLE>

i really dont, but im sure i could figure it out. ive got a book on blueprinting but i loaned it to a buddy, it might have something in there. but any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

OK everyone, i need your help. i borowwed a bore gauge from school and want to measure these suckers. my main question is, how is this thing measuring? im using a 3.4" barrel and its got the spring loaded thingamadoo on the other side. so the measurement is always going to be negative correct?

the dial has 0-25 then it goes back from 25-0. im just not sure quite how to read it i guess. a little help is needed.

 

bump in the afternoon

 

Ask your teacher. You may get extra points. A dial bore guage is one of the easiest tools to use. You do need to borrow a "mike" though.

 

i dont get extra points for being a dumb ***. but your saying i need to borrow a mic , you just told me how to do it.