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Owned it for 25 years, used it on maybe 5 motors.
Used it one time to get the pistons out of a slant 6, paid for itself that day.

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Use a flap wheel in a die grinder

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You can do more harm than good

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You should be able to rent one...Just use your own judgement/patience/be conservative

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Do not use a ridge reamer

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Make sure you follow the directions for your reamer and they'll work as intended.

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There are just too many ways to screw up a block with a ridge reamer

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Ridge Reamer should be called "block screwing up machine"

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Any ridge that too deep to cleanup with a hone job, likely needs an overbore anyhow

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SAME ONE I USED AND RUINED MY BLOCK

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I've always used it

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Ridge Reamer should be called "block screwing up machine" I have never ever seen a ring broke from "running into the ridge" just hone the thing, add some cheap rings and away you go--never a problem--do not use a ridge reamer--they are a stone age tool--just get a shop to hone the block , Wash the heck out of it and go--it will be just fine. Run the reamer, Bell out the top of the bore and you have a junker until you bore it and then many can't be saved from the massive attack done by the well meaning back yard builder ( I admire All back yard builders and have great respect for their efforts, as they usually do just fine) as long as they do not borrow a ridge reamer

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I bought a 70 440 HP block that was standard bore , some donkey went at it with a ridge reamer. I didn't find out how bad it was till time to bore it , started with .030 , one cylinder the cutter didn't even touch the cylinder in one area til about 2" down the bore , next was about 3/4" , he got better as he went along... ended having to bore it .040 , except the one cylinder that didn't clean up till .075 ... that one got a sleeve

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Wow, the big problem I've seen in all these responses, is the use of pistons with higher ring location than the pistons that came out. That can't fly at all. that case NEEDED a bore job.

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Wow, the big problem I've seen in all these responses, is the use of pistons with higher ring location than the pistons that came out. That can't fly at all. that case NEEDED a bore job.

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I have the same ridge reamer that Challenger 1 has. On a re-ring job, I've always used it. In my cases typically I am re-using the pistons so the upper ring position is the same. I'll cut until I just reach the end of the ridge, then stop. Where I have seen people get into trouble is they start cutting the ridge out, get in a hurry, don't watch where they are going, and end up cutting into the upper ring travel area. Then you are screwed. As to 'belling' the bore with a ridge reamer, IMHO as long as it's above the top ring travel area and you didn't get carried away (looks like a funnel), who cares?

Now something that's other than a simple re-ring, well that's another matter entirely.

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I, ummm... appreciate the responses, guys. Thanks.

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I, ummm... appreciate the responses, guys. Thanks.

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I'm talking about the reamer posted by Challenger1, which has a rubber shoe on bottom of the cutter what sets it to be angled like this / ... MAYBE ANOTHER KIND OF REAMER, able to make the cut totally vertical won't get you in troubles, and will need just to hone after the cut.

IMHO my mistake was on buy and use THAT reamer, at least without take care of the shoe. Maybe if I was removed the shoe, story was to be diff.

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If I am looking at it right that piece at the bottom has to be like that to make the part expand out to the size of the bore .

This is why only a trained professional should be using one ...

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I, ummm... appreciate the responses, guys. Thanks.

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I'm talking about the reamer posted by Challenger1, which has a rubber shoe on bottom of the cutter what sets it to be angled like this / ... MAYBE ANOTHER KIND OF REAMER, able to make the cut totally vertical won't get you in troubles, and will need just to hone after the cut.

IMHO my mistake was on buy and use THAT reamer, at least without take care of the shoe. Maybe if I was removed the shoe, story was to be diff.

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If I am looking at it right that piece at the bottom has to be like that to make the part expand out to the size of the bore .

This is why only a trained professional should be using one ...

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Step by step,
how would be the best way
to use a rotary tool
to remove a ridge,
and what would be the ideal
flap or grinding wheel
to use in the tool?

Should one try to totally remove the ridge,
or just remove emough material to allow the piston rings to compress and pass over a reduced ridge?

Should one strive to keep
the centerline of the rotary tool parallel to the line of the bore, or should the rotary tool be held at an angle
to grind the original ridge
into a shallow ramp shape?

Since saving the block from damage
that forces an overbore is much desired,
At what level of material removal
should one stop for safety's sake?

Perhaps a shim of a few thousandths thickness
could be held just below the ridge
to keep the rotary tool wheel from accidently
cutting too deep
or too far down?

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Your joking right ? The ridge reamer tool is the only way to do it, other than taking the block to the machine shop. The questions you have asked and if your block needs work done to it you had better have someone else do it. JMO

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Here's a pic of the one I've used since 1977. I actually bought it from JC Whitney, mail order. It's a KH 209 model.

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. Either way it's not the tools fault.

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