I use a whetstone. Use as wide and as long as you can get and make sure it is fine. I also use them 2 at a time and use them to clean and resurface themselves. Mine are about 3" wide x 12" long.

 

What is the "grit" size of whetstone that you use ? Are there different grades ?
Does this procedure shed any grindings ? I'm not used to performing a job like
this without complete disassembly for cleanliness purposes . Any special tricks
to stop debris from getting the bores etc. ?
Any details would be appreciated and I'll take 45 years of experience any day .

Thanks

 

I use the green fiber 3M 2" discs.

 

I've read that you don't want to take any metal off though, and both of those will take some metal off, correct?

 

Yes. It takes a very small amount over a very large area when done right with a large stone. You see your high and low spots. That's the way I've done all my engines for the past 45 years without a problem.

 

The key is the FIBER discs, not the brown cookies. The fiber discs are not aggressive and will only really remove gasket material from steel and cast iron. The brown cookies are much too aggressive for the block surface. Green fiber is for steel/iron and the yellow is for aluminum.

 

 

Great, now I'm hungry! lol

I'll have to see how affordable a wetstone that size is....or see if the machine shop I'm using has an alternative.

 

Mine are like a 600-800 grit. I use a crosshatch pattern and lint free rags for clean up. Go in one direction, then when it is all clean cross and go in a second direction. This will show any high or low spots. I use 2 stones to keep the surfaces flat and clean by rubbing them together.

 

Interesting idea, this is probably better than using wet n dry sandpaper and wd40 . do you sand the block dry or are you using wd40?

 

I use wd40 or some kind of lubricant spray. Use 2 stones to keep them flat, true, and clean.

 

Thanks for the tips guys . This is really helpful .

 

I dropped off my heads at the machine shop and asked them for their advice. They've built quite a few motors and when they do work on a motor which doesn't have the block removed from the truck they recommend using a similar technique. Since I can't find any stones locally which are that big he said to go to a stone counter store and grab a piece of scrap since they make sure those pieces are perfectly flat and nearly a mirror finish. Do the goop with a brass or plastic scraper first to make sure everything is off and then use oil and then emery cloth to get a good surface. He recommended starting with around 260 grit and quickly move up to about 800. No need to go for a super fine finish as long as everything is flat. Of course he also stated that if there are any pits or gouges those can only be taken out by a machine, and even then it's not likely there would be enough tolerance to still get valve clearance without working on the pistons. So I got myself an 18" x 3" piece of granite for free today and will be working on the block hopefully tomorrow.

 

I also use the same whetstone or oilstone.
I find 6.0 needs the most work to obtain a worthy sealing surface

 

Well, worked on em for a while yesterday finally. For those who have done them before, would you mind taking a look at the pics and tell me what you think? I can run a brand new, clean razor blade over the surface right now and absolutely nothing gives any resistance, so I'm pretty sure they're smooth. As for being flat....the block I was using is almost as long as the deck, so it had better be! lol My only concern was these stains. I know it's normal to have some staining, but wasn't sure if this was something else, or what.

 

Looks good to me. I usually spend roughly 30 min per side. I also use a copper spray on the block. Permatex part 80697

 

As long as its flat that is the important thing. I run my fingernail over spots i question. I personally have never used any spray. I have always installed them dry. After i clean the surface, i use a lint free rag and brake clean until the rag does not pull anything else off the deck surface. Sometimes i go through a few cans.

 

Your pictures are "fair", I would use more elbow grease and clean up a bit more, you only want to do this once. That is why I like stones over paper and granite, as the paper tries to roll when you apply pressure.

 

I agree on the emery cloth. Had to be VERY careful to not let it bunch up and catch on any of the holes.

I too agree it could be cleaner, especially it looks like where it failed (the dirty spots between the fire ring and water jacket). Be meticulous. It will pay off. I wish i had taken pics of some of the ones i have done, i dont even have any of my own truck with clean deck surface :lookaround:

That's kinda what I was thinking, which is why I asked. Believe me, it will be flat and smooth. I was just concerned about the marks left. I know they say not to polish the darn thing, but wasn't sure how much staining was too much.

 

I too agree it could be cleaner, especially it looks like where it failed (the dirty spots between the fire ring and water jacket). Be meticulous. It will pay off. I wish i had taken pics of some of the ones i have done, i dont even have any of my own truck with clean deck surface :lookaround:

 

My opinion, not that it counts for much here, is most importantly removing high spots and checking for low spots between combustion chambers and around coolant passages. A lot of folks seem to get super ridiculous about overall flatness. I have been involved with machining for 35 years and believe me metals are very flexible and a few thousandths of twist or bow will certainly iron out in the head torquing sequence. If you examine your engine block you may find the deck is a touch high around the head bolt threads from the massive amount of torque used in these head bolts.