How come you and the Wonderful 90’s always seem to come and go around the same time?? 
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The real question is why can’t they both just do the go away part?
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Sayvhat?
Thought cylinder honing was done by a precision machine.
Cylinder boring is done by a dedicated Cylinder Boring (Milling) machine, honing can be done by either, but mostly human, I have honed many many many engines over the years, as most any real engine builder has…
You can use the 3 finger stones method, but the stones can break off causing the cylinder to be damaged…
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Yes. Any precision engine building shop will use a honing machine, not a human hand, and use a couple/few different grits. A consistent cross-hatch angle and depth from the bottom to the top of the cylinder wall is important and you aren’t going to get that by hand. Honing by hand is fine for a backyard job or a top fuel dragster/funny car between rounds, but it’s not considered acceptable by any real engine builder.
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I beg to differ sir, worked for me, a Pro for 30+ years, still have the engine I built almost 30 years ago in my fun car and it is still fast… I know plenty of guys that have built engines the same way, I have also torn down engines I built 100,000 miles ago that still had good ring seal and not burning oil and had good compression…
I do agree that a machine can do a better job, but still very effective if done by hand by someone that KNOWS what they are doing… If I have to have the engine bored then I normally have them hone it also, but not 100% of the time…
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You’re entitled to your opinion of course. When I say “real” engine builder I mean a professional engine builder. I worked as an engine builder and attended the best engine-building school in the country (SAM). No professional engine shops are hand-honing bores. I don’t doubt your engines are still running strong and are holding compression. I was building engines for drag racers and they pay good money to get every ounce of performance out of it. There’s a big difference between building race engines and building a project engine at home.
A ball hone is best used to break the cylinder wall glaze for a new set of rings. A ball-hone won’t fix a bad bore, it will only follow the contours. So if the block was bored and honed with a torque plate, it won’t screw that up.
If you need things straightened out but aren’t removing much metal (0.001 or so), a 3 stone hone is the way to go. It has been a while but the last time I did an engine with a 3 stone hone, I adjusted my big drill to a slow speed so I could get a good cross-hatch pattern with a good in-and-back rhythm.
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I will respect that…
Are you looking for a second career? Engine building may suit a guy like you if you have some physical limitations… 
You’d be good at it.
Naw, 35+ years took it’s toll on my back, plus I have a neurological disease that both keep me from doing a lot of stuff anymore… I was grated 100% disability in 5 1/2 months (start to finish) with no lawyers involved the 1st time… That is unheard of in TN anyway, it normally takes about 2 years and at least the 2nd try… I’m on 30 mg Lortab daily plus another never blocker, as well as shots in my lower spin that last about 6 to 8 months, not to mention all the medications I’m on… lol
The last transmission I built took me a while to build correctly… I do have a friend needing me to build his 4.3L (slight mods), 700R4 (few mods) and maybe re-gear it 4x4, and I hope he leaves the t-case at home… lol
I am going to have to walk my buddy step by step how to cam (& degree it) my fun engine plus a few other mods in the wait, all parts are here… I will do as much as I can, and probably push myself way to far, when doing all the crap I have ready to go on the fun car… I am hoping to beat a NA 392 Scat Pack in the 1/8, if not a little 100 shot can be added and then should easily beat one… Time will tell…
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Ahh, got it. Best to you. Now I understand why you devote so much time to helping others on this forum. Keep it up. You’re one of the, if not the most helpful poster on this forum.
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Thank you for the kind words sir…
We have some very smart technicians/engineers (smarter than me) on here that are top tier and very helpful as well…
Interesting. My wife went through several years of severe, chronic back pain, and only in her late 30’s / early 40s. Her ortho doc said she had the back of a 60+ yr/old (three cheers for genetics, but she was adopted so we can only assume…)
Had a decompression surgery, followed by a spinal fusion. We were in dire straits for a while as we needed her income in addition to mine.
And with all of those medical records, and surgeries, and even having the lawyers, the judge decided she was just looking for pain meds the whole time. 
This is in VA, but I suspect it has a lot to do with the judge (or whatever) that you get.
And we didn’t even want it permanently! But there’s apparently no provision for “temporary.” When I asked local social service people, they referred me to the local food bank.
Sorry you’re not doing better.
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Very true. Some disability judges even reject the findings of specialized doctors SS assigned to review the case.
Then there is the Veterans Administration— by law, certain conditions are “presumed” to be caused by chemical exposure while on active duty. I have three of those conditions, V A denied two of them!
I know about those injections in the spine. Condition made it very painful to drive— ah got it back to driving a car!
Well, I never had to Drive anywhere to see a judge nor did I have a court date, so on my part no judge (not the awesome car) was involved on my case, unless it was behind the scene…
The only time I had to drive my 2009 Vibe/Matrix anywhere was to go see their Psychiatrists, I laughed at the 1st question they always ask, she didn’t find me amusing, her loss, cause I had jokes and sarcasm… lol… On secondhand, I was approved pretty quickly after seeing her…
keeping it somewhat car related
The judge was a several phone hearings, but we had to drive to be examined by their appointed specialists.