Captain Nortons Cylinder Honing

So i was reading through captain nortons notes on cylinder honing in Vol 3, and it's stated in there how honing a bore to re-attain a cross hatch for new rings is essentially pointless. The only thing accomplished is creating new scratches which now have increased the diameter of the cylinder.

I have read many posts on ring break-in such as a course hone for cast iron rings, installed dry, and blasted from the get go, but this is new information to me. Everything i have read concerning a re-ring is to re-hone and bed them in.

I do NOT mean to create an argument, only a civilized discussion and other perspectives. Here is the link to the information above http://home.clara.net/captain.norton/cn ... tml#3.14.2

It's an interesting concept, ...dang, I just bought a new hone too!

When you think of it one of the main advantages of nikasil coated cylinders is the loss of HP robbing friction caused by the piston - cylinder motion. Nikasil cylinders are very smooth on the Ra scale and the rings have to be much harder too. The popularity of nikasil in all types of racing engines does support Capt. Norton's argument.

One has to consider the material your cylinders and rings are made of. The deep cross hatch "scratches" are necessary to hold oil in the cylinder for lubrication.

Ideally we would start out with surfaces that match a properly broken in set and with minimal clearances.

I always though the honing was to wear the rings so they could bed in to the shape of the bore. I don't hone but use 300 or 400 grit paper which I wrap around foam and twist into and out of the bore until the gloss has gone and the scratches are visible in a diamond pattern. Never had a oil burning issue after 15 odd of these exercises in different engines over the years including a Diesel Audi running 23:1 compression and oil jets swamping the underneath of the piston crown.

Well Kommando thats correct, but this is in the situation where you are re-ringing and engine that has already had a proper bore. You know someone pulls everything apart and "might as well" throw some new rings in where they're there. From what i've read it's not worth it to hone, just install new rings and go.

1/ assemble your piston ring &bore assemblies with light engine oil, never assemble dry as you will burn the rings & bores & stand a good chance of seizing your pistons. NEVER use assembly lubes on the rings as the friction modifiers in the lube may prevent the rings bedding in.
2/ honing,if your bores are in good condition you can get away without honing,espiecaly if you can still see the old hone marks in the bores and they appear to be correct, they should form about 120* cross hatch angle. If you have any scuffing or other minor damage you're better to hone the bores. Those spring loaded hones that auto stores sell are aload of total crap,they tend to chatter and produce a finish that is detrimental to preventing oil consumption. You're better to pay for a quality engine machine shop to machine hone your barrels for you, the finish should be with an AN500 [sunnen] stone or equivalent. It then needs to be cleaned and scrubed out with hot soapy water. Honing with thoose stones will remove about 1/2 to 3/4 of a thou-[0.0005''-0.00075''] probably not
enough to really worry about ,but yes it is removing more metal faster.
3/running in, hop on and ride don't thrash it, but dont nanna it either,accelerate hard then back off, that will suck some oil up to the rings and help cool them repeate for 20 miles or so ,avoid long periods of continuos high speeds for awhile, plain castiron rings may take about 600 miles to bed in chrome plated top rings about 1000.
Ihope that is of some help.

I have only my own experience to go by here on Nortons.
I have rebuilt a couple of engines that burned oil after honing them. I have owned a couple of factory new, or in one case near new, engines and they burned oil. I rebuilt one once in a hurry before a race with no hone and it burned oil. If they weren't burning oil they leaked oil.
My Hondas don't burn oil but neither do they have that pleasing thumping sound.

Cookie ,your hondas don't run 4-5 thou clearance either.