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Hi I have a Autolinea aluminium engine case that needs to be align bored. Since aluminium is a lot harder than a regular magnesium engine case, is there some special precausions to take when we shall align bore the alu case? Anyone here at the forum that has ever tried to align bore a alu case?

BR

Jens Kristian, Norway

I guess nobody here knows. I have yet to align bore myself. There are some people on the Samba who definitely know or would have some advice, but your mileage may vary over getting the advice you want. Have you checked there?
Maybe you should do it in multiple passes, taking less material each time? I did not think aluminium was that much different, but, if the tool is not robust, your best bet might be multiple passes.
I hope it goes well for you. Please report your results.

Have given EBB a call yet, Speed-Demon? Ebbt.no or something. He seems knowledgeable, and what he shows online looks good - give or take some attitude.

The cutter setup for (aluminum case) T4s is the same design as the mag case cutters, so it's a non issue.

I would have expected the aluminum to resist wear better than that.

Max

Max Welton wrote:I would have expected the aluminum to resist wear better than that.

Max

Good point, did the case beat out like a mag case, or is it just a sizing issue?

Align honing works on aluminum, if it's just a bearing OD size/crush issue.
(most good machine shops should be able to align hone, although it may not be cheap if you don't have a SBC)
New bearings are all over the place.