Line Boring & Honing

A horizontal boring bar with cutters mounted on it is inserted into the block and then centered in the main bearing or cam bearing bores with support bushings or fixturing. The bar is then turned and advanced to shave metal off the inside of the bores so the inside diameter (ID) of the bores can be resized to the desired dimensions (back to standard size or to oversize).

An alternate method for machining the bores is to use a line hone. A hone uses abrasive stones rather than cutters to remove metal. Line honing typically removes less stock and leaves a smoother finish than line boring, making it well suited for applications where only minimal stock removal is necessary or where a smoother bore finish is desired or required (as in overhead cam cylinder heads where the cam journals have no bearing shells or inserts).