Cylinder Boring Bar Reccomendations

[InjectorService]

Does anyone have any cylinder boring equipment recomendations? Theres really noone that does it around me here. I keep seeing people talk about the Kwik-Way stuff, but I can't seem to find anything for slae here. Any reccomendations? Anyone have something for sale?

[oldschoolltv]

Kwik way is what I was handed down from my Grand father and it served him well and me well, the older ones you can still find on eBay. But are not cheap.

[oldschoolltv]

Wow I take that back I just did a search and slim Pickens

[David - WI]

Not cheap: https://allstates.com/kwik_way_borin...and_stands.htm

[FMP]

^^

[rock]

Love my Kwik Way stuff but as said, it ain't cheap. Mine has a FN and an FWS bar on an 054 table with air float. Purchased from original owner running a local machine shop. Their reputation had dwindled the last couple years before they shut down. I purchased several pieces of equipment and instantly discovered why their reputation had floundered. Total lack of maintenance and each and every piece had issues. FN bar (small bore) had a bad drive gear so I disassembled and replaced it. FWS had an air centering head which would only hit center within a foot or so. Replaced it with a new standard finger centering head which cost more than one can imagine. Now it all works correctly except I do not trust the air hold down on the air float so I don't use that function but center my bar bay hand and have attached hold downs to my mounting rod and blocks are no longer are able to move.
Had a local wanting to get into the machining business so I priced the machine out to him and he almost pooped when he seen what these things cost. Problem is many have the same issues mine had and you will not see said issues in a picture. The new head for the FWS bar was over $1500 if I remember correctly. Sharpening stones (I have one on each bar) were about $400 each. Mostly I use tool holders with changeable cutters but some of them, especially blind bores on small bar, are consumable so they will only last a specified time all dependent on amount of use and will cost several hundred dollars. This guy purchased a Van Norman which is a good bar just limited in what it can do (thru bores only).
Due to health reasons I shut down my shop a year or so ago. Sold almost all of the motors, a bazillion parts, and most of the boats. Several large pieces of equipment and lots of tooling also gone. Still have several large pieces, mostly from the cabinet shop, and a couple machine shop items including the boring machine to go.

Rock

[InjectorService]

It seems the consensus is that Kwik Way is the way to go. I've been looking, but they are tough to find. I did find a place that refurbishes them, they have a rebuilt FN, for $8100. Whats yours going for Rock?

[racervboat]

If your not in a hurry to buy kwik way would be my choice. 4 yrs ago i was looking all around and ebay then a craigslist posting popped up for a kwik way FW/VW ? for 2900.00.Was like new with the triangle table and two tool kits.When i got it home and took me awhile to figure out what i really had.Turns out just a handful of these were made in the mid 60's for vw bug motors hence the fw/vw each tool kit small and big each had it's own boring head that was interchangable small 2.2-2.8 big 2.8-5.5 small was for the vw main web to make it true again,big was to bore the cylinders .So i realized i had really bought two machines in one so now i can bore small motors and large motors with just the one machine.I even have the original manual and it shows a larger 3rd tool kit that was also an option for big deisel cylinders. So if your not in a hurry take your time one will come up for sale they always do i still look for deals on machines.
Mine was in a snowmobile shop and they were making custom sleeves,i should have bought the lathe also.They had a sunnen power hone also for 3500.00 chit it was more then the bar but it was 3 phase so i had to pass.

[rock]

Injectorservice sent pm.

Rock

[faztbullet]

Had a FN and highly recommend it...just keep grandkids away from "mike" as if dropped big$$$ to repair.

[racervboat]

Had a FN and highly recommend it...just keep grandkids away from "mike" as if dropped big$$$ to repair.

Who will repair them.I have one thats metric and needs repair?

[tcrabtree]

Who will repair them.I have one thats metric and needs repair?

Call Craig for KW parts.. 214-707-0984

[racervboat]

Call Craig for KW parts.. 214-707-0984

Thanks i have talked with them before but not about the mic.

[Chaz]

Thirty eight years ago I worked at a motorcycle shop that had a FW bar. I can't tell you how many 50 to 125cc cylinders I bored on that machine. We had a fixture to do 200cc Powrol kits for the 185s three wheelers. They made a lot of money with that little machine.



They also had a FN bar for doing 350 twins, 175 and up singles. It had a T-slot hold down, tri-pod table with a scissor jack. It would do 650 twins, but the small oval hole in the table would not do inline four cylinders without doing two holes, then set up on the other two. Only thing i could say I didn't like about that table.



I have a friend in Palm Beach that owns a FN bar that has never bored a cylinder. He uses his to fix the holes on the booms of heavy equipment. Funny to look up and see it hanging sideways off a crane or loader arm.
When I bought mine, I got a 054 single arm table. Manual T-slot clamp, air jack, V-8 size cut out and a block cart.

The wingnuts that had it before me used the table to change U-joints I just hit it with a wet-stone to flatten out the dings.
I didn't like the idea of having a steel bar hold the block in place, so I made 3 aluminum tubes, then finished it to my satisfaction by making bar bushing sets to fit 2.5, 3.0 Merc and 3.3 Yamaha blocks. Now blocks come up to the table base nice and even
I use a straight cutter to remove aluminum and cast in type sleeves. A dog leg cutter to do outboard blocks and a factory cutter to "top" replacement sleeves.



The factory parallel set works great on automotive blocks. Anything with an exhaust chest needs more rise. I didn't like having to balance aluminum blocks at the ends of the deck, so I made a set of bolt on risers. Again, for 2.5 , 3.0 and the big Yammie.





If you are going to get into doing plated cylinders, you will need to find a source for liquid nitrogen and a vessel (dewar) to handle it.





Diamond stones are $450 a set, you'll need three ...

Roughing, bottom pressure and finish.

You can use an old Safety Clean tank and pump. I did until I could find a power hone. i was looking for a Peterson because they are small. I found a Kwik-Way in Ohio, so I got in the truck and headed north. It's bigger than the Peterson, and only a little bit smaller than a Sunnen CV. I made room .. LOL
It won't line hone auto blocks, but was $30,000.00 cheaper, so I won't complain.

A boring bar will get you a straight hole, but the last .003 in the hone is where the magic of "ring seal" happens.





Good for whatever ails ya ...



I have a Kwik-way CVC-2 valve resurfacing machine as well. I got parts for it thru :

www.irontite.com

I asked him (Joe, I believe) about the demise of the boring bar. Trying to compete with China on an exact duplicate of their FN bar. The last straw was a shipment of casting's done in Mexico that were machined worse than if they came from China.
He did give me Craigs number, and said he has the rights to the name as well as all the parts. Craig told me that a "good" FN micrometer was worth $1000.00 , and that was ten years ago.
Not cheap to get into doing machine work. I told my wife that our son will be the one to make money with it, but it's a job he could care less about. So, I'll use it till I hitch a U-haul trailer to my hearse .. and bring it with me when I go ...

[InjectorService]

Thanks for all the info Chaz. Nice looking setup you got there.