Grinding Engine Smooth

Have any of you guy's grinded your engine smooth to give it a more show look. If so how did you do it

 

think there are a few threads try a search,,lotta work no doubt

 

here is a link to one where he ground the block smooth

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148597&page=2

 

more patience than i have , but if done right it looks nice

 

Did it on a olds motor way back and used a die grinder to get the flshing off and sanded the easy stuff. Lot of work but it looks good.

 

Here's a how-to I did...step by step.
Enjoy! Hahahaha!



http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...highlight=painting+an+engine+the+show+car+way

 

Ask Bobby Alloway, he's into that stuff.

 

We did a flathead at Dan Webb's shop some 12 yrs ago. Lotsa work but man did it look nice.

 

Die grinder and lots of work.
BTW, here's a tip for you; Wear a dust mask and remember that it's there when you reach for the beer!

 

I'll make sure to remember that LOL.I should hopefully start this weekend and hopefully after 20-30 hours my engine will be completely smooth.

 

Here's the '56 265 I did for my roadster. It took a while, but I think the results are worth it.

 

Now that's Pretty. How long did it take you and what tools did you use

 

I'm sure Brian used the same tools I used in my how-to, there are lots you can use, some make it easier than others to do specific jobs.
You'll need a die grinder at the very least. With Carbide bits, sanding discs (2 and/or 3"), Roloc flap discs are a help, and cartridge rolls in varying grits.
A 4 1/2" grinder makes a lot of the job go faster, but be careful and selective with it's use. With it, you'll need flap discs, or sanding discs, and a grinding stone for fast removal.
A hand held belt sander is optional, but helps a lot, as does an air sander...for in between the 4 1/2" grinder work, and the die grinder work.

 

There was an old article in the JJ with a roadster that had a smoothed engine. But it didn't say how it was done.

I have looked but I don't know how to find the archive with the old JJ articles. Its a shame the early days of the JJ shouldn't get lost in cyberspace.

I smoothed an engine way back when. I used an angle grinder on the big areas first with a stone then woth a sanding disc. I used a die grinder in the tight spots and for the finer stuff.

It was a popular show rod trick in the '60s but I think that today it is more of a way to disguise a late motor in a period ride.

 

I did this a very very long time ago. A shit load of work, got myself filthy every night, two trips to the Dr. to get metal removed from my eyes (I wore goggles) and about 75 hours of blood sweat and tears. Was it worth it? Maybe, but never again. And, 20 30 hours will maybe get one side done,,,maybe.

My advice,,,if you like that look "a lot", go for it, but be patient.

 

Why not just spray the stock block heavily with a few coats of filling primer and then sand it smooth?

 

One thing it has to be ground to get the primer to stick (mechanical adhesion) and if it is sprayed to thick it will crack!

 

No Primer that's cheating

 

There is not shot cuts or easy way to do a block . If you get a 4 banger you will save some time but whatever you do , it will take a shit load of work to do it right ! Once you start there is no turning back . You might want to try on another block so you know what you are getting into . If you have the time it really looks great but a shit load of hard work !
BTW don't forget the heads , water pump and intake if stock .

RetroJim

 

Thanks Jim, I plan on grinding everything I want my engine to be a main focal point if not the main attention grabber on my truck.

I have a 350 I can practice on maybe I'll do that.

Would it be wise to buy a die grinder from HF or just dish out the $100+ for a main brand one.

 

Cheap will do.

 

When I ground my 327 block smooth and painted it, I found that it ran about 10 to 20 degrees hotter than just a regular block - I later tore it down and did a light sand blast to the block and repainted it - it did run cooler than all smooth and such. I used a whole slew of different size/grit sanding disc's - ranging from 3" down to 1" from 60 grit up to 360 grit.

 

Do smoothed out blocks run hotter than stock engines

 

I will go out on a limb here and say not a measurable difference. I remember my Dad and I doing a Y block and an FE, both ran normal temps. I think the problem lies where no one has torn a running engine down and smoothed and put the same internals right back in it. Something else from the rebuild more than likely raised the temps a bit. Steven.

 

if youre into it go ahead. I get sick of it just smoothing the valley. Generally just deburr casting flash to avoid tearing up my hands later.

 

The best bet is to throw the engine into a rock tumbler for a couple of days, it is a lot easier than grinding...

 

Really!!, and the worlds biggest rock tumbler is only 10 miles from my house!!

 

We are talking water-cooled engines here, not air-cooled. Smoothing it will not change the operating temperature.

If your cooling system is so marginal that smoothing could make a difference, I imagine your motor would be blowing steam each time you went up a hill.

 

Most engines have machined surfaces that things like the exhaust manifolds, water pump, oil pan, timing cover, and so on sit onto and what I did on mine to "flow" things out is to bolt these parts on the engine and then take a scratch awl and mark around the edges. I then took the bolt on part back off and worked this machined area around the bolted on part down some to flow it into the surrounding rough cast area's of the block. When it was time for trial assembly I put the gaskets on the engine and what hung out was marked and then I took a razor blade and trimmed down the gaskets so they didn't stick out when the engine was finally assembled.
I used burr bits on my die grinder, sanding rolls from a head porting kit, and some 2" and 3" roloc discs on an small air powered angle grinder. You can prime the block and sand it just like anything else to get it really slick.
On mine I used a urethane clear over the color and when it gets cleaned I can spray gumout on it and it cleans right up.

Jim