Finaly

[Heo]

Finaly i had some time to use on my own toys.
Earlier i tore down my 64 PI 390 and it was in
misserable condition with scratced cylinders
bored 060.It was bored to thight, bent rods
bad crank.cam,etc,etc
So i tore down another 390 that leaked water
in the oil.Pressure tested it and found a crack
i welded.And it got some rust in some cylinders,
so i got my self a Sunnen portable hone to hone
out the rust to see if i had to bore it
Today i tested the hone on the PI block just to
test it and get a feel for it. And with a cyl cleaned
up i still have material to hone before im at max
piston clearance. So im able to save the block thats
original for the 64Galaxie
So i save that for later and build on the other block.
Its bored 030 but is not realy run after that beacuse
of the water issue.
So if the rust cleans up i can order a stroker kit with
030 pistons and line hone and deck the block
So tomorow i hope i have time to make a torque plate
so i can hone the cylinders and see if i can run it or
have to go 040 over

[BruceS]

Glad to hear of your progress!  Keep us posted on the build, with pictures if possible.  That Sunnen portable hone sounds interesting, as does the home-made torque plate.  Are you planning to go to 445 CID?

You might be able to drive that PI Galaxie yet this summer. 

Bruce

[cobracammer]

Yea, I am super interested in seeing pictures of the hone as well as your torque plate when its done! 

[Heo]

The portable hone sounds more advanced than it is.
Its just a head with two stones and and two guides
thats adjusted by ...kind of rack and pinion and
you drive it with a low rpm heavyduty drill
If you google Sunnen portablehone there is pics
Its the one to the far right

I am making the torque plate out of a 2 inch thick
steel plate Just a plate with holes in it machined flat
No machine shop around here got a torqueplate for
an FE. So as usual i have to do it by myself. Probably
better if i could find some cast iron in the right dimensions
but i figure a steel one is better than no one.
If someone know that a steel torqueplate is a big no no
please feel free to tell me

So now i have to get  someone to torch the holes
for the cylinders, so i can rig it up in the mill and
start drilling and milling
I realy like to machine things out of metal. Last week
i built a distributor drive, To instal a distributor with
built in advance on my Model A

[BruceS]

IMO the steel plate should be ok, as along as you cut the holes first and mill it flat as the last operation.  However others in the forum should have first-hand experience. 

Bruce

[Heo]

Yes laser or water or whatever i get hold of to rough cut the
cyl holes then arbore them in the mill and mill all sides flat.
Was thinking about using a cyl.head and arbore out the
chambers but i suspect it ends up to weak

And yes im planing 445cuin

[machoneman]

Take a look at the BHJ plates. Note that they and most other plate makers add a hollow steel tube or flat ground washers to move up each bolt/stud to replicate the height of bolt bosses in the actual cylinder head. Easy to do and if BHJ does it, it must make a difference.

I agree that a steel plate, ground flat, would work perfectly. 

http://www.bhjproducts.com/bhj_content/products/honingplates/hp_intro.php

[Heo]

Yes if you use the same headbolts when honing
you must use those to get the right height.

[cobracammer]

Im pretty sure when I had my block honed at the shop (like you said, they didn't have an FE torque plate), he ordered one from BHJ products.

[Heo]

The shops around here thats still i buissnes dont want to order
anything and absolutly nothing to machine a FE Block.
The possibility for them to machine another FE block is if i bulid another engine
So i have to bring my own plates if i want it torquehoned
And yes i can order plates from BHJ. But i like making stuff and i have the
tools an machines to do it so why not

[cobracammer]

Agree 100%  lol  Maybe if someone asks them (other than you) to work an FE block.... they can pay to rent your torque plate  LOL   

[Heo]

Or i buy there equipment when they have to close down
and do my own machining
There is not much work for them this days, most cars end
up in the scrapyards without even a valvejob during its
lifetime.
Just us crasy old fools that trye to repair junk that should
have ended up in the junkyard four times by now

[cobracammer]

Sweet, Sweet raw power junk  LOL

[Heo]

Monday i went to the next town. One hours drive away,( Yes its kind of
over populated here ) To buy a paintgun, And i drove past a machine
shop i had totaly forgot about. So i went in and talked with them.
And yes they had torque plates for FE and no problem they will
do the macining on my block, hone it  to .040 over, linehone and deck it
I got a tour of the shop and im impressed by there colections of machines
its the third generation of the same family who owns it now (since the 40s)
so they must be doing something right

[cobracammer]

Hey Heo....  Any update?