block prep for new pistons

[Wayne Cox]

At 06:34 PM 10/24/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>If I am replacing the pistons in a low mileage sr20de what do I need to do
>to prep the block?  Do I need to have it honed or can I just slide in the
>new pistons and rings?

In the Old Days, bores used to wear a bunch.  But I think just about all
modern Asian engines utilize metallurgy and manufacturing techniques that
nearly eliminate cylinder bore wear.  I've seen like-new hone marks in a
74K mile SR20 and a 240K mile Toyota 4AGE, and that's pretty typical.  I
think if the marks are visible, and there's no damage you could just slap
in new pistons.  As with any quality engine build up, measuring the
clearances a couple or four times is a Good Idea.

>If I need to have it honed is this something I can do myself?

You can buy DIY hones, but they're best suited to lawn mower engines or a
grocery-getter.  Besides the hone you need a bore gauge -- figure $400 and
up for one in the 86mm range.

>If not can any good machine shop do it right or do I need to send it to JWT?

Any decent machine shop should have a Sunnen or C/K bore honing mill that
will produce much better results than a DIY job, probably for under $100 on
a 4 cylinder.

    -Wayne    '91 NX2k - '93 NK2k - '92 SE-R parts car