Watch BRM’s 350 Chevy Engine Teardown Video

Brush Research Manufacturing (BRM) doesn't just make brushing tools. Our Los Angeles, California 
company uses them. Recently, BRM bought a 350 Chevy engine at a local junkyard. We mounted the engine block, started the teardown, and removed the headers. This YouTube video shows our progress, the first part of an engine rebuild that features BRM Flex-Hone® tools. Check out the condition of the engine block, and look at the cylinder wall surface finish. There was plenty of room for improvement.

Causes of Cylinder Wear

As last week’s blog entry explains, cylinder walls need a cross-hatch pattern of oil-retaining grooves for optimum lubrication. Over time, however, the reciprocating movement of the pistons polishes the walls or cylinder liners and imparts a glaze-like finish. This prevents oil from adhering properly, and causes the piston rings to “skate”. In addition to friction, engine cylinders wear because of corrosion, abrasion, and adhesion or scuffing – an engine problem that’s caused by inadequate lubrication.

As BRM’s engine teardown video shows, the V-8 block that we purchased required engine maintenance and cleaning. A series of grooves or “scratches” in the cylinder walls is still visible, but so is some minor corrosion and piston ring scuffing. To rebuild the engine then, we needed to improve the surface finish of the bores. For inner diameter (ID) deburring and surface finishing, the BRM Flex-Hone® is the industry standard. This flexible honing tool mounts in a handheld electric drill, and requires no special training.   

How Flexible Honing Works

Flex-Hone® tools feature abrasive balls that are permanently laminated to flexible nylon filaments. As the abrasive globules wear, fresh cutting particles are exposed. Flexible cylinder hones are also self-centering and self-aligning to the bore for consistent 360° surface finishing. Engine builders like BRM ball hones because they impart a uniform surface finish along the length of the entire cylinder.  By contrast, rigid hones can impart an uneven or unidirectional crosshatch.

Flex-Hone® tools also put little pressure on cylinder walls, which means these brushing tools won’t gouge out metal and cause torn or folded-over edges. Plus, since pressure against the cylinder wall is equalized, engine builders don’t have to worry about making cuts in both directions.  Honing stones are recommended for cylinder resizing, geometry correction, and heavy-duty material removal, but flexible cylinder hones are the right choice for cylinder wall deglazing and plateau finishing.     

Learn More at PRI 2014 (Booth #5511)

In our next YouTube video, BRM will show how Flex-Hone® tools surface-finished the cylinder walls in our Chevy 350 engine. In the meantime, we invite you to check out the 350 Engine Rebuild photo album on BRM’s Facebook page.  There are over 150 photographs there, including images of flexible cylinder hones and other brushing tools. As a full-line supplier with a global distribution network, BRM also provides automotive brushes, diesel tools, parts wash brushes, and more.

Do your tradeshow plans include a visit to PRI 2014 in Indianapolis next month? If so, visit BRM in Booth #5511 at the Indiana Convention Center and see Flex-Hone® tools, NamPower technology, and our full line of automotive surface finishing solutions. To arrange a meeting in advance, contact us. Our technical specialists are ready to answer your questions about surface preparation, parts cleaning, burr removal, and automotive surface finishing.