To hone or not to hone, that is my question!

[Glenwood]

Hey guys,
I stumbled upon a 1970 440 that. The motor is in exceptional condition with all of the cylinders showing minimal wear and no rust, considering it was shelved as a spare motor for the last ten years. My dial indicator tells me that the bore and taper are good and is within specs that shouldn't require boring. I'm happy with that as I'd like to reuse the flat top pistons. I'm thinking of removing the pistons and crank, hone the cylinders and put it back together with new stock bearings and a new mild cam.
I have a set of recently rebuilt 906 heads to use and may use the stock dual plane that came with it. The carb is still in question as I have an assortment of 600 holleys and a 750 dblpumper. I'm wondering if this is a reasonable path to take or are there some pitfalls I'm not thinking about. It would be nice to avoid the extra costs of hot tanking and replacing cam bearings, etc., but would the crank need some attention such as polishing? All thoughts are welcome.

 

[mentor70]

if you can see a good cross hatch in the bores, with no shinny spots, pits or grooves, just get some new rings and go for it.

 

[69Bee]

I would do this:

1) Have the block stripped and cleaned (I charge $65)
2) Dingleberry the cylinders only. Does not change bore geometry like a ridged hone will (I charge $20)
3) Install new cam bearings (I charge $30)
4) install new freeze/pipe plugs ( I charge $15)
5) Clean and polish crank (I charge $15/$25)

So for a $170 investment (plus parts), you will have a proper block and crank ready for the "Krylon Overhaul". Don't short change yourself, and do this at a minimum. If the cylinders are not addressed, the rings will not seat. If the crank is not addressed, the bearing life will be shortened, and it is possible that the motor could have the original cam bearings...

 

[Glenwood]

I would do this:

1) Have the block stripped and cleaned (I charge $65)
2) Dingleberry the cylinders only. Does not change bore geometry like a ridged hone will (I charge $20)
3) Install new cam bearings (I charge $30)
4) install new freeze/pipe plugs ( I charge $15)
5) Clean and polish crank (I charge $15/$25)

So for a $170 investment (plus parts), you will have a proper block and crank ready for the "Krylon Overhaul". Don't short change yourself, and do this at a minimum. If the cylinders are not addressed, the rings will not seat. If the crank is not addressed, the bearing life will be shortened, and it is possible that the motor could have the original cam bearings...

Thanks, this is exactly the info I was looking for. Now to find someone in my area that I can trust!