Dingleberry or stone block

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Princess Valiant

A.K.A. Rainy Day Auto
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which do you guys prefer and why

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Dingleberries. More uniform, scratches less deep than the stone flex hone. My two cents, Rani.
 
It depends on how much material you need to remove. The stone type is quicker and more aggressive. I've always liked the ball hone, because it's pretty difficult to remove too much material.
 
Ball hone especially for re-ringing the bore.
If you need more than this... time for the professionals in my humble opinion.
 
The two stroke small engine builders use only the flex hone.
Supposed to leave a better finish to seat the rings.
 
I used the stone hone on a 318 I was trying to save and I didnt like it. If you just want a cross hatch use the dingle berry hone.
 
One more vote for the dingleberry hone here.
Another piece of advice that I will give is to keep it well lubricated during the honing process, and only remove enough material to achieve a good bore finish.
 
2 different tools. The stone hone can remove material if you use it right. It can also provide a crosshatch if done properly. The stone or bead hone just provides a crosshatch. Boring bar, rigid hone, stone hone in that order.

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Two Things!
  1. The dingleberry (ball hone) is easier because the cross hatches that all look for are easily obtained.
  2. With the stone hone doesn't come so easy, but doesn't mean it's not better. What makes it more difficult is most times if the cylinder is out-of-roundness the stone hone will expose that, and requires a little more time/skill to get the cross-hatch.
 
If your re-honing a block and its out of the car I can't stress how important it is to have it power honed with two torque plates. We get honed blocks here all the time that is evident they were honed without torque plates. You can see every bulge from the head bolts when run and the rings didn't seat. Its never the oil ring its usually the compression ring and it causes motors to run hot when the top compression ring isn't seated. Every motor that gets done here gets torque plates, Harley's , Subaru's, Hondas, V-8's , Diesels, all motors while line bored , bored or honed. and if we don't have the plates he makes them from 2 1/2 inch aluminum plate we have in stock. He has cabinets of plates made for this reason. Here he is making a set for Subaru apposed boxer

 
2 different tools. The stone hone can remove material if you use it right. It can also provide a crosshatch if done properly. The stone or bead hone just provides a crosshatch. Boring bar, rigid hone, stone hone in that order.

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Now that's a hone! For use with a slow 3/4 inch drill. That will straighten and round out a cylinder. But not for a 90 pound female.
 
Are you planning on re-ringing your engine? Are you going to use cast or moly rings?
The ball hone for a re-ringer and a mix of whatever you like , some people like varsol and trans fluid mixed but you will get several opinions about this.
 
My vote's also for the dingleberries for a home clean-up/ glaze breaker job.
They don't call the other one the "three fingers of death" for nothin'...of course some folks can screw up anything and will still blame the tool!




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I like the straight hone because I've been burned using the ball hones they don't show a low spot in a cylinder wall that will allow oil to pass thru , so straight hone first to check bore then ball hone if I'm doing it at home
 
I agree with posts #6 and #11. It depends on what quality are you looking for. Ball brush looks real nice, they minimally try to hour glass a cyl when going in and out. They do not straighten the cyl wall out. Work real nice for dragster/funny car engines when doing between round cyl maintenance.
Straight stone will let you know that it needs to go to the shop.
 
It depends on how much material you need to remove. The stone type is quicker and more aggressive. I've always liked the ball hone, because it's pretty difficult to remove too much material.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^

If you just need to prep the surface, the dingleberry wont change the bore geometry.

If the bore isn’t straight and/or round you can used the rigid hone.

Just make sure you are DAMN good with snap gauges and a mic or you have a bore gauge because with a fixed hone you can remove a good bit of material in short order.

And you need to over stroke the fixed hone so you don’t barrel shape the bore (make the center bigger than the top and bottom of the bore).
 
That's not a engine hone, This is a engine hone. And there is the torque plates for the boxer he is making above. If your building old briggs or a engine you really don't care if it performs then use whatever is in your hand. To do it right take it and have it honed to true size. You can control the bore size and make every cylinder the same with no taper. Note two stones and two scrapers to keep it square. Once you ruin your block you'll be boring it.

Using a drill makes em look good but hows it measure top to bottom. I did what your about to do several times years back with some pretty good and bad results and I thought I was an expert. My son showed me the difference. I realized how wrong I was. Even file fitting the rings there is a new method. My son builds a lot of race motors when . I went down to take pictures of the hone I told him why. He looked at me and laughed

He asked me if your a local member near by? I asked Why? He said give it a while someone will be boring it.

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That's not a engine hone, This is a engine hone. And there is the torque plates for the boxer he is making above. If your building old briggs or a engine you really don't care if it performs then use whatever is in your hand. To do it right take it and have it honed to true size. You can control the bore size and make every cylinder the same with no taper. Note two stones and two scrapers to keep it square. Once you ruin your block you'll be boring it.

Using a drill makes em look good but hows it measure top to bottom. I did what your about to do several times years back with some pretty good and bad results and I thought I was an expert. My son showed me the difference. I realized how wrong I was. Even file fitting the rings there is a new method. My son builds a lot of race motors when . I went down to take pictures of the hone I told him why. He looked at me and laughed

He asked me if your a local member near by? I asked Why? He said give it a while someone will be boring it.

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What’s your point??? All of the hones shown have a place if you know what you are doing.

Not every block needs get the plates put on and put up in the hone.

Don’t make it more complicated than it is.

FWIW, Im updating my top rings and I will be dingleberry honing it.

I’m sure I’ll be down 75 horsepower.
 
Throw that stone into yer favorite Black & Decker.
Crank it on Hi, and let er have it !!!!!!! Up and down, up and down. Yee-Haaaaa. Slam her back in that Hurst shifted pistol griped Superbird and your off to the races. Woooooo-Hoooooo !!!

Sorry...Was just dreaming for a minute.

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What’s your point??? All of the hones shown have a place if you know what you are doing.

Not every block needs get the plates put on and put up in the hone.

Don’t make it more complicated than it is.

FWIW, Im updating my top rings and I will be dingleberry honing it.

I’m sure I’ll be down 75 horsepower.
Dont you know by now, he has the best tools, the best equipment, the best shop, the best cars, the best parts inventory, and the best kid ever. His way is the ONLY way. Guy is a internet hero in his own mind...post after post of "look at this new tool" look at this car I bought out from under a guy, ect ect
 
What’s your point??? All of the hones shown have a place if you know what you are doing.

Not every block needs get the plates put on and put up in the hone.

Don’t make it more complicated than it is.

FWIW, Im updating my top rings and I will be dingleberry honing it.

I’m sure I’ll be down 75 horsepower.

I believe he is rebuilding his old motor

For a refresh on a recently built motor hand hone it. for another season

For a rebuild on a worn motor power hone it to size and get file fit rings.

I have never see a worn engine that wasn't tapered. New rings going in and out of the lands wear them out pretty quick. Also the top ring the important one never seals right. And you never know because it will never smoke. Just lack power be hard to tune, start or get good plug readings. Every motor that leaves here has to be perfect or he won't do it.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^

If you just need to prep the surface, the dingleberry wont change the bore geometry.

If the bore isn’t straight and/or round you can used the rigid hone.

Just make sure you are DAMN good with snap gauges and a mic or you have a bore gauge because with a fixed hone you can remove a good bit of material in short order.

And you need to over stroke the fixed hone so you don’t barrel shape the bore (make the center bigger than the top and bottom of the bore).

Yup and that's the advantage to using the dingleberry first, because you can SEE if the bore is our of round if you are missing any cross hatch marks...or if the are lighter in one area than another.
 
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