Diamonds are a block's best friend for honing

Operator installs torque plate on the block before setup in the Sunnen SV-410 machine or CK-21 immediately to the right in photo.

Operator installs torque plate on the block before setup in the Sunnen SV-410 machine or CK-21 immediately to the right in photo.

The SV-410 features full-height/walk-in access doors and stainless steel enclosure to ease part load/unload and improve maintenance.

The SV-410 features full-height/walk-in access doors and stainless steel enclosure to ease part load/unload and improve maintenance.

The honing operator simply tells the control what block is in the fixture and what the oversize should be, then hits cycle start. The honing machine senses the size and knows what to do to produce the...

The honing operator simply tells the control what block is in the fixture and what the oversize should be, then hits cycle start. The honing machine senses the size and knows what to do to produce the finished bore while the operator tends the CK-21 machine.

Setup is simplified with a multi-axis hand wheel for fine-tuning vertical stroke, tool feed, column position and optional cradle position. The fully automated system indexes the tool from bore to bore...

Setup is simplified with a multi-axis hand wheel for fine-tuning vertical stroke, tool feed, column position and optional cradle position. The fully automated system indexes the tool from bore to bore and (for V-blocks) the servo fixture rolls the block for access to all cylinders, ending with a rollover of the block to dump oil/coolant.

Machinist Chris Webb does the final sequence on the torque plate as he sets up a Chevy small block for honing. White hones about 200 blocks per month for itself and others, including odd jobs like...

Machinist Chris Webb does the final sequence on the torque plate as he sets up a Chevy small block for honing. White hones about 200 blocks per month for itself and others, including odd jobs like compressors with 7-inch bores.

A patented full-bore profile display on the SV-10's con- trol shows a real-time cross section of the bore, which takes the guesswork out of removing taper.

A patented full-bore profile display on the SV-10's con- trol shows a real-time cross section of the bore, which takes the guesswork out of removing taper.

White Performance builds custom high-performance engines for street rod, circle track and marine applications. The company ships crate mo- tors all over the world.

White Performance builds custom high-performance engines for street rod, circle track and marine applications. The company ships crate mo- tors all over the world.

White Performance owner, Fred White, is a former drag racer with a full-service 16,000-square-foot shop and eight employees located in King- sport, Tennessee. Here he reviews a dyno test report at his...

White Performance owner, Fred White, is a former drag racer with a full-service 16,000-square-foot shop and eight employees located in King- sport, Tennessee. Here he reviews a dyno test report at his shop.

Webb uses a Sunnen tenth-reading dial bore gage for a quick check of his honing work.

Webb uses a Sunnen tenth-reading dial bore gage for a quick check of his honing work.

Sunnen DH diamond hone head provides multipoint abrasive contact on the bore and a cone-style feed system produces uniform feed pressure on the circumference of the tool for exceptional roundness...

Sunnen DH diamond hone head provides multipoint abrasive contact on the bore and a cone-style feed system produces uniform feed pressure on the circumference of the tool for exceptional roundness. White's original set of abrasives lasted 18 months.

White says the SV-10 essentially doubled his shop's honing capacity by cutting cycle time in half, while bore quality and dyno results improved immediately. Technicians here prepare an engine for a...

White says the SV-10 essentially doubled his shop's honing capacity by cutting cycle time in half, while bore quality and dyno results improved immediately. Technicians here prepare an engine for a dyno pull at White's shop.

White says horsepower and torque are up one to two percent on various engine packages his shop builds, and run-in time on the dyno has been reduced, since the company acquired the SV-10 machine and...

White says horsepower and torque are up one to two percent on various engine packages his shop builds, and run-in time on the dyno has been reduced, since the company acquired the SV-10 machine and diamond hone tooling.