The Hole Story 
Your source for honing information from the industry leader




Sunnen Automotive News                MARCH  2014

 Sunnen's car guys takin' it to the track

  

There are guys who like cars and then there are true "car guys." 

 

Sunnen Director of Engineering Dave Rogers received his first set of Craftsman tools at age four so he could help his father work on hot rods in their home garage. 

 

Today he drag races a super-pro class 1977 Olds Cutlass originally purchased by his father. 

 

Sunnen's Mike Jacober, an MMT tool designer, spends his Saturday nights racing his 2004 Rocket chassis super late model car at Highland Speedway's quarter-mile clay-oval track in Highland, IL. 

 

Like Rogers, Mike got into cars and racing at a young age, following his father's lead. 

 

Get the "Hole Story" on the Sunnen racers and their cars HERE.

 Top 3 Questions from Engine Shops

 

Sunnen sales and application engineers like Bob Dolder get honing-related questions daily. According to Bob, here are the top three questions he gets from engine shops, followed by his typical responses:

 

Q: What are the best Rk, Rpk and Rvk numbers for an engine?

DOLDER: This question typically comes from our racing/performance engine customers and there is no cookie-cutter answer. The ring manufacturer's specs must be evaluated and questions regarding fuel (alcohol, methane or gasoline) and the engine block (is it race hardened, or a virgin block) must be answered. A proper evaluation of process, tooling and abrasives is then conducted, based on the specifics of each engine. Another key is access to an accurate profilometer. I always ask the customer if he has a good way to measure the bore finish...otherwise, it's a shot in the dark.

 

Q: What abrasives and tooling do I need to get the best ring seal?

DOLDER: This is also an "it depends" question. There are hundreds of abrasives and types of honing tools. Achieving the best seal is going to depend on the type of engine, as well as its application. 

 

For example, a V-6 passenger car engine requires customers with diamond hones to use a 320-grit diamond stone and a 150-grit brush for plateauing. Operators should run the diamonds to size and brush for 12 seconds. 

 

Using conventional abrasives on the same V-6 engine requires a 220-grit stone until there is 0.0003" of material to go, then finish to size with a 280-grit stone and plateau with a 400-grit for a few strokes. A 45-degree crosshatch angle is appropriate for both. 

 

To see Bob's recommendations for an alcohol-fueled engine, as well as the third most popular question, click HERE.

 

If you have a question for Bob, contact [email protected].

Save the date to tour Sunnen!

 

The next AERA Tech & Skills Conference will be held on Friday, May 16 at Sunnen. 
 
Visit www.aera.org for details.
 
 



Two New Engine Catalogs Now Available

Two new tooling/accessory catalogs for engine honing and rebuilding are now available. 
 
The honing catalog includes tooling, abrasives, gaging, fixturing, lubricants and accessories for honing engine blocks and components, while the engine rebuilding edition includes non-honing tools & accessories such as seat cutters, grinding wheels, pilots, surfacing tools and thermal cleaning equipment. 
 

The catalogs are free and can be ordered on the  Sunnen web site or by calling (800) 325.3670.

  


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Sunnen Products Company
7910 Manchester Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63143
314.781.2100