Maximizing Billet Hemi Engine Block Performance with Honing

Understanding Billet Hemi Engine Blocks

High performance Chrysler Hemi engines are known for their incredible horsepower output. This power comes from a combination of advanced engineering and durable parts that can withstand tremendous internal pressures and temperatures. One key component that plays a major role is the billet Hemi block.

What is a Billet Hemi Block?

A billet Hemi block is a custom engine block that has been CNC machined from a solid piece of aircraft grade aluminum or iron billet. This one-piece design offers strength and rigidity far beyond a standard cast iron or aluminum block.

Billet blocks allow for much thicker cylinder walls, bulkheads, and deck plates compared to production blocks. The additional strength and reinforcement minimizes distortion which improves ring seal and oil control at high RPMs.

Benefits of Billet Hemi Blocks

There are several key advantages that billet Hemi blocks provide for hardcore racing applications:

• Increased clamping force for head studs and main bearing cap studs
• Ability to safely contain higher cylinder pressures
• Improved oiling system designs
• More precise and consistent machining
• Higher RPM capability and resistance to cracking
• Greater design flexibility for displacement and deck height

These benefits translate into huge horsepower numbers while maintaining exceptional durability even under extreme loads.

Customization Options

Since billet blocks start from a raw solid form before machining, engine builders have enormous flexibility when it comes to custom engine specs. Some of the configurations offered include:

• Deck height
• Bore diameter and sleeve options
• Cylinder bank angle
• Lifter bore placement and size
• Camshaft tunnel positioning and diameter
• Motor mount design and locations
• Dry or wet sump oiling provisions
• Head stud size and design
• Balancing provisions and crankshaft configuration

This level of adjustability makes a billet Hemi block ideal for maximizing displacement or achieving the perfect exterior dimensions for engine swaps.

Honing Billet Hemi Blocks

While billet engine blocks offer tremendous innate strength, proper machining and prep work is still critical before final assembly. This includes a process known as honing.

What is Honing?

Honing is method of using abrasive stones to finish the inside walls of cylinder bores. It is typically one of the last operations performed after initial CNC boring and drilling of the billet material is complete.

Honing serves several important functions:

• Smooths and plates the cylinder wall surface
• Allows precise adjustment of bore diameter
• Creates a crosshatch pattern to retain oil for piston lubrication
• Breaks up glazing left from initial boring
• Stresses the metal to improve ring sealing

Specialized Honing Plates

Dedicated honing plates have been developed specifically for billet Hemi engine blocks. They integrate precision alignment features to ensure the abrasive stones are perfectly centered and aligned.

This specialized tooling combined with programmable electronic honing systems allow engine builders to expertly finish billet Hemi bores with exacting dimensions and surface quality needed for extreme racing reliability.

Honing Tips and Best Practices

Here are some top tips for professionally honing billet Hemi blocks:

• Always start honing with lower grit stones first before moving up to finer grits
• Use a low silicon honing oil to carry away debris
• Frequently clean the bore to prevent embedded particles
• Check bore diameter frequently with precision gauges
• Only remove 0.0005” or less material per stone change
• Deburr block and wash thoroughly after honing is complete

Properly finishing the cylinder bores is what transforms a rough billet Hemi block into a race-winning masterpiece. Honing plates and stones provide the means for expert engine builders to leverage the performance potential of these amazing billet blocks.

FAQs

What materials are used to make billet Hemi blocks?

Billet Hemi blocks are usually machined from solid pieces of aircraft grade aluminum or iron, though some exotic blends may also be used. Aluminum is lighter while cast iron is more durable under extreme power levels.

How much power can a billet Hemi produce?

With custom builds using a well-designed billet block combined with racing heads, aggressive cams, electronic fuel injection, and forced induction, four digit horsepower numbers over 1,000 hp are achievable.

Why are billet blocks better than cast blocks?

The one-piece construction of a billet block improves strength over a typical cast block. Billet blocks also allow for thicker cylinder walls and deck plates for added reinforcement. This enables them to contain higher cylinder pressures without distortion.

What type of racing uses billet Hemi blocks?

You will primarily see billet Hemi blocks used in classes like NHRA Pro Mod, X275, Ultra Street, Outlaw 10.5, and other high power, heads-up style racing leagues running supercharged, turbocharged, or nitrous oxide injected combinations.