Refresh on a 302: Any Advice or build secrets?

[blykins]

Originally Posted by Jerry Clayton

Brent---there is a big differance in the way we build engines here in the shop and how we work on them at the races---
There is no way that I would bottle brush hone a cylinder here, but the bottle brush hone for use in the pits would be a lot better than the old drill driven Sunnen or Lisle hones that we used to use account of the bottle brush will not destroy the shape of the cylinder that is not supported with dek plates, etc!!

Doug is discussing a medium effort upgrading at his home garage( kinda like the pits) and I believe that (with the milage he has, a cylinder wall ridge could be a disqualifying problem),and as he goes along, he must be aware to keep in mind that at any turn of the wrench, it might develope into a remove the engine from the car scene----Changing cylinder heads or removing the oil pan to check bearings , oil pump change, etc are pretty minor to the complete machining of a complete new build with boring/honing cyl, decking, align hone---

Jerry, much agreed.

But for a first time effort, I just want him to do it right the first time so he doesn't have to do it again. If the only thing that's going to keep him from taking it to a machinist and having it done right is an extra hour of time and $100-125, then I would rather see him do it that way.

What if the cylinders aren't straight now and he doesn't have a bore gauge to check it? What if they're worn so badly or tapered so badly that it can be adding to his oil consumption issues? If he just throws a ball hone in there, he's only taking the glaze off the current bore condition. He's not repairing any issues. Unless he takes it in, or buys a mic and a bore mic to start checking cylinders, he'll have no way of knowing. See what I mean?

I hate to see him get the thing all the way together (and risk contaminating the oil with leftover debris from honing as well) and have to go back and do it again later.