Experience with burnishing lifter bores?

[Uncle Bob]

I recently had a block done including honing the lifter bores, and noticed a few lifters that are sticking a little bit when spinning the cam with no other valve train parts. I've already put the bottom end in, so honing, grinding, etc is out unless I take it all back apart so I can clean it out.

I found these burnishing balls that are supposed to fix that problem without requiring a tear down because they don't remove material, they reshape it.

I talked to the machinist, who had no experience with them but suggested I work a lifter in the bore with the cam out because sometimes that works the "catch" out. While I was doing that, I noticed this and wondered if that is going to keep me from using the burnishing ball for fear of cracking the lifter bore.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Lefty71]

I always use them. For the most part, they are NOT going to be super hard to pull thru, since the hole is supposed to be really close to perfect already anyway. I have really good success with them (lifters always spin after use), but I've never tried the situation you describe. In your shoes, i'd give them a shot. Here they are, at a better price than Hughes;

LBB-CR1 | .906

 

[Uncle Bob]

Thanks.

I tried to find one of these, but no luck

 

[Uncle Bob]

Here's the reason I didn't already order the tool from Goodson. Look at the shipping rates and expected delivery. Paying next day air on Tuesday gets the part to you on Friday. A machinist confirmed, they're definitely slow to process and ship.

I understand, they're a big industrial supplier, things work the way they do for a reason.

Price is high because I don't own a decent slide hammer and haven't been able to borrow one either. So it's a little cheaper to buy the pieces from Goodson. Or it would be if they'd put my order in the mail the same day I place it.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Thinking about this some more, I think if worst comes to worst, I can pull it through from the bottom of that one hole, to keep the pressure off from starting it off the thin area. If I can get it threaded onto the slide hammer by holding it through the valley window.

There are 4 troublesome bores, and that's just one of them anyway. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[pittsburghracer]

Here's the reason I didn't already order the tool from Goodson. Look at the shipping rates and expected delivery. Paying next day air on Tuesday gets the part to you on Friday. A machinist confirmed, they're definitely slow to process and ship.

View attachment 1716124838

I understand, they're a big industrial supplier, things work the way they do for a reason.

Price is high because I don't own a decent slide hammer and haven't been able to borrow one either. So it's a little cheaper to buy the pieces from Goodson. Or it would be if they'd put my order in the mail the same day I place it.

I’ve ordered from Goodson a lot of times (the last two online) and I get my stuff so fast I can’t believe it. Late in the day orders were started on and responded to immediately.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I’ve ordered from Goodson a lot of times (the last two online) and I get my stuff so fast I can’t believe it. Late in the day orders were started on and responded to immediately.

I pressed buy on that cart after posting the screen shot - Hughes was out of them anyway. I tried them first because I knew I'd get it by Friday, but no joy.

I hope they get it in the mail soon, but it's not like I have a choice. I'm just thankful to be able to fix it this way, and hopeful that it's as simple as it seems.

 

[Mopar Sam]

Just for info purposes, that slide hammer also works with Goodson's dowel pin puller setup. I use the same hammer for both.

 

[Uncle Bob]

In the photo the slide hammer shaft just looks like a very long 1/2"-20 bolt (Hughes' site specified the thread size)

 

[MopaR&D]

Have you tried swapping lifters around between bores to see if they still hang up? There is usually a tolerance with the lifter diameter and the lifter bores in the block, last time I did a FT cam I had to do that with some of the lifters until they matched up with bores that allowed them to spin freely.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Have you tried swapping lifters around between bores to see if they still hang up? There is usually a tolerance with the lifter diameter and the lifter bores in the block, last time I did a FT cam I had to do that with some of the lifters until they matched up with bores that allowed them to spin freely.

To be honest, with today's concern over cam/lifter failures, I don't know why anyone would put a flat tappet engine together without using a burnishing ball. The small investment is worth the peace of mind.

Goodson shipped yesterday

FedEx tracking is sort of goofy though. It was in MN yesterday, tracking hasn't moved yet, but I'm going to receive it in WV by 2PM today. I paid for ground service too, not next day, 2-day or even 3-day.

 

[pittsburghracer]

I’m telling you they ship fast. Almost unbelievable fast.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I’m telling you they ship fast. Almost unbelievable fast.

Yes they had a shipping number assigned to it within an hour yesterday.

 

[MopaR&D]

To be honest, with today's concern over cam/lifter failures, I don't know why anyone would put a flat tappet engine together without using a burnishing ball. The small investment is worth the peace of mind.

Not a bad call, the last time I did a FT cam was 2008 lol. That engine had already been running though, it wasn't a full rebuild on an unknown-history block for instance.

 

[B3422w5]

Do whatever it takes to insure the lifters spin freely. That is a sure fire way to flatten a cam

 

[Uncle Bob]

Fedex now says it will be here tomorrow, and that it left MN and is in transit to Memphis. It's not going to make it to WV tomorrow either. I expect it Monday, so Friday will still make me happy if they can get it here.

 

[Bewy]

Maybe I am missing something? I am assuming this is a used block that gave 000s of trouble free miles of service. Why would lifter bores need burnishing when lifters haver been operating [ lifting & rotating ] without incident for 000s of miles.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Maybe I am missing something? I am assuming this is a used block that gave 000s of trouble free miles of service. Why would lifter bores need burnishing when lifters haver been operating [ lifting & rotating ] without incident for 000s of miles.

If that's the case, why do any of them fail to rotate?

You do you but I'm not going to take a chance of failure.

 

[Uncle Bob]

OK the tool is here and I see the ball is different on one end.

Does one end or the other of it need to go into the block? Is it as simple as put either end of the ball in the lifter bore, bang it through, then slide hammer it back out? (@pittsburghracer)

It seems like the rounded end would go to into the block from the top and the other end would butt up against the jam nut on the improvised slide hammer? In other words, put it on the end of the slide hammer in the opposite direction of the photo?

The only marking on it is the part number.

 

[Mopar Sam]

I put the flat end towards the hammer.

 

[Mopar Sam]

I like to put all little oil on it. Drive it through, and slide hammer back out.

 

[Uncle Bob]

OK, that's the way I was thinking it would go.

Thanks for the info.

 

[pittsburghracer]

OK the tool is here and I see the ball is different on one end.

View attachment 1716126350

Does one end or the other of it need to go into the block? Is it as simple as put either end of the ball in the lifter bore, bang it through, then slide hammer it back out? (@pittsburghracer)

It seems like the rounded end would go to into the block from the top and the other end would butt up against the jam nut on the improvised slide hammer? In other words, put it on the end of the slide hammer in the opposite direction of the photo?

The only marking on it is the part number.

Lol I’ve never touched one let alone use one. Sorry.

 

[Inertia]

I'm sticking with a few passes with a brake hone .

 

[Uncle Bob]

I'm sticking with a few passes with a brake hone .

I've already assembled the bottom end so can't do that. Also the machinist said they hone after shot peening the block. He also said he recently had to let a guy go so that guy might have slacked off on my job and not done a good job on the lifter bores.

I just now went out, chose a bore that isn't hanging up, stuck the ball in and pushed and it slid in to about the bottom. Then I had to push a little harder and it popped right out the bottom. I was able to just pull it back out.

So where I kept thinking I would be "banging it through" in reality it's going to be more like "tickling it through with a tiny little hammer"

There was something it kind of caught on but I wasn't looking to notice if it was the opening to the galley or not. I'll do the rest of them soon; there were 4 holes that were hanging up.

Like I have said all along, if it does nothing but give me peace of mind, it's worth the price.

I've got a 440 on deck to build too, and this fits BB, SB, or /6.