I finally got around to breaking down my '97 460.. That's a subject for a build thread I'm not gonna get into here... Anyhoo... I had to take the lifters out the bottom after taking out the crank and the camshaft... Sticky widgets don'tcha know.. So I'm gonna have to hit the lifter bores with a quick hone to ensure that new lifters are a good fit and will drop in without and stickying going on... I've down a search on here and can't find the answer to my query... What do you use for a lifter hone? I'm looking for something specific not just 'a brake cylinder hone'. I don't wanna go thru buying 3 or 4 different things to finally get something that works... So, your recommendations please???
Best hone for lifter bores??
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Hi .. the usually cause for lifter not coming out the top is the bottoms have been mushroomed from hard running, big cams, rocker springs to much pressure ECT. with no problem with the bore's
good luck take care be safe
tim
good luck take care be safe
tim
Oh this was a stock replacement cam, stock rockers, all that jazz... It came out of a F-350 work truck that has a looooot of idle time, too few oil changes and really dirty oil.. Smelled really burnt... They were varnished over really really bad... Instead of forcing them out the top and risking damage because of that I chose to do it from the bottom and still had a time of it working them out.. That's why my query about the lifter bore hone. I wanna make sure that the bores are good for new lifters when I go back together with it.. I'll mic em to be sure but I don't want any stickey widgets making a failed break-in on a new cam!!
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691 Posts
HI if they were just stuck with varnish i'd just clean them up with cleaner and a plastic brush .. if you hone the bores you take the chance of over honing and making the lifter sloppy
good luck take care be safe
tim
good luck take care be safe
tim
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608 Posts
Bad oil changes and sludgy will make it hard for old lifters to come out. If the new ones go right in, don't hone the bores. It's a very tight clearance so oil doesn't bleed off around the lifters. If you had a sludge ring around the bottom of the lifters, that was the problem.
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+1 to cleaning, measurement-matching and test-fitting for clearances. It sounds like you are doing a refresh, not a rebuild. Not a good option for an old and abused engine, IMO. Rebuilds typically get a caustic hot-tanking to remove cooling system scale, varnish, gums, paint, etc. Clean, clean. Then measuring everything for in/out of spec (blueprinting), and sizing replacement parts to the correct existing dimensions, or planned machining. Actually, that part of it is very satisfying for some of us. Have fun! 
Oh I plan on doing everything but the hot tank part of it. It's gnna get plenty of scrubbing and cleaning up!! I do plan on taking it to the car wash even to blow everything out good and clean!! As far as the lifter bores, all I was gnna do was just hit each bore only once or 2 times to break the glaze off of them. The cylinders will need it as well, the passenger side is completely smooth, the driver's side still has just a few marks left in them (strange I know?) So I'll hit them with a stone hone to make sure they are true, and if I can't get a good crosshatch that way I'll dingleball them for the rings... I've got the pistons soaking right now in some mean green to clean all the crudage off them. It's not getting a refresh, it's getting a rebuild and I'm gonna blueprint it as to the best of my abilities!
I've got 2 gallons of purple power to clean all the gunk off it with and 2 gallons of mineral spirits for fine cleaning (oil galley's, cam bearings, lifter bores..) and for deep cleaning cylinder bores after honing....
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