To hone or not to hone...

I am currently doing new rings on my Z1 and I know it was mentioned to lightly hone my cylinders before hand. So I picked up a hone last night. But reading today some say not to hone when reringing a stock bore. Any clear direction?

I would hone. You need to hone the cylinders not just for a new surface for the rings to seat to. Honing will also show you any imperfections that the cylinders have. I used a straight stone hone once and found out that one of my cylinders were egg shaped so I had to bore:pinch: and get new pistons:sick:

I have never tried to do just rings.

measure your pistons and bores to make sure they usable before you get too far into it;)

you atleast use a berry brush hone to break the glaze and to put in the proper 40 to 45 degree crosshatch on the cylinder walls for proper oil retention and ring seating, it will run if you dont but that is proper procedure, but definitely check all clearances and make sure they are in spec.

If it's not glazed and there is no ridge at the top it does not need honing.

If the liners are shiny and slick like glass, you should hone enough to take shine off.

CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN !

any time you install new rings you need to hone the cyl, the cross hatch pattern helps the rings seat, you didnt mention what type of hone you have, and yes I would mic all the pistons and cyls up and down the bore along with side to side, make sure it is in spec

If you decide to hone, and want to save money, take some 220 sandpaper and cut a piece about half the circumference of the cylinder. Use your hand and hone it. Just keep turning it back and forth while moving it up and down. You'll see the pattern form the cross hatch. Flip the cylinder over and do the other end. It takes a few seconds and you won't see the the diff. between a machine shop and what you've done. All your doing is breaking the glaze here. It's fool proof and you will laugh when you see how nice it looks. This is all I've ever done and never had a set of rings not seat.

nads.com wrote:

If you decide to hone, and want to save money, take some 220 sandpaper and cut a piece about half the circumference of the cylinder. Use your hand and hone it. Just keep turning it back and forth while moving it up and down. You'll see the pattern form the cross hatch. Flip the cylinder over and do the other end. It takes a few seconds and you won't see the the diff. between a machine shop and what you've done. All your doing is breaking the glaze here. It's fool proof and you will laugh when you see how nice it looks. This is all I've ever done and never had a set of rings not seat.

there are a ton of ways to do something wrong and only one way to do it right, the purpose of honing is to make the cyl round and put the right cross hatch pattern and apply the right amount of polish to the bore for the rings to seat, Glaze breaking is a whole different story. I would not use my hand to break the glaze, you will have different pressure points from your hand and make the bore even more out of round and the walls will not be even from top to bottom

I have to egree with bsk on that one. Have you ever done body work using your hands and no block:pinch: :sick:

yes I have done that and I made you talk too. I must have special powers. :lol:

If everything spec's out OK ,
Just use a "FLEX HONE" so the rings will seat.
Honing has NOTHING to do with making the bores "round"
And a flex hone is almost "fool" proof.