isotropic finishing

[sbcharlie]

I was wonder if many of you know or use this process on internal engine parts and transmission gears. there are two methods that are used to get a isotropic super finish . one way is with chemical process and the other is using as paste type formula.. interested to hear your thoughts. we offer this service at our shop. I'm not trying to pimp for work, just wanting to know your guys thoughts on this process. thanks sbc

[hondo383]

Rem finishing is more popular for gears/driveline... did
Trans gears and r/p on pavement late model we saw no gains on track or chassis dyno but parts do seem to look nicer after the same amount of laps..

do you have any data on gains or advantages to doing engine parts?

makes cranks easier to clean on freshens lol

[autogear]

We use it at work (the water-based system). We do all the M23-platform gearsets, mainshafts, sliders, forks. I've done R&P sets for locals as well. It will remove scratches, tool marks, etc. I imagine you could take stock connecting rods, grind the parting lines and use the isotropic to polish them, same story with cranks.

What does it do for us? Removes stress risers, less friction generated (lower temps and a little bit more torque down the driveshaft), less likelihood of dry start up issues (which is already small), and I'm not putting the metallic grit from break-in into the oil and embedding grit into the soft synchro rings.

Initial shifting is much better, and subsequent teardowns show very little wear on sliding surfaces. For customers who don't use sealed bearings; the lifespan of the bearings goes up substantially.

I even had a customer who ran his gearbox without oil on accident for a bit, very little damage. I'd never build a gearbox or axle without it, and if I was doing an engine, I wouldn't be surprised if the con rods, crank and any stamped steel pieces didn't make their way in there

[tresi]

Just wondering what are typical prices for common parts, cranks, rods, ring and pinion set?

[autogear]

We charge approximately $25/gear for transmission clusters and inputs. I'd have to cook up something for a ring gear; it'd be a bit spendy compared to a 1st gear in a trans because its so bulky and I wouldn't want to add too many pieces to the machine. We are only set up to do items with a coarse tooth pitch, like a Muncie/ST10/Saginaw. If I can't get to the root of the teeth, we don't feel like theres enough benefit just by shining up the tips of the teeth.
Feel free to PM me if you want to get more specific on pricing.

[novadude]

Since R&Ps are being discussed, I wanted to mention that US Gear offers isotropic R&P sets now. Just bought one for a 12bolt - have not installed yet.

http://www.usgear.com/about/super-finishing

[Dave Koehler]

Rem finishing is more popular for gears/driveline... did
Trans gears and r/p on pavement late model we saw no gains on track or chassis dyno but parts do seem to look nicer after the same amount of laps..

do you have any data on gains or advantages to doing engine parts?

makes cranks easier to clean on freshens lol

REM is isotropic finishing as I recall.

[Rosenbluth]

Back in my dirt late model circle track days, we did everything we could to reduce drag and friction. I never did engine parts, but I did trans gears, rear end gears, and whatever bearings I could find. I had angular contact bearings with ceramic balls in all the hubs and on the spool, that was less drag than tapered bearings. We had the R&P REM, but also the quick change gears...we ran some kinda light weight lube, couldn't even hold the damn quick change gears when you'd take em out cuz they was so slippery...

I always wondered if the Eagle ASP Armor worked as advertised...Eagle makes some pretty good claims that it does. Maybe someone on here has done it and can chime in.

[Mark O'Neal]

Based on the definition of isotropic, I smell marketing.

[hondo383]

Rem finishing is more popular for gears/driveline... did
Trans gears and r/p on pavement late model we saw no gains on track or chassis dyno but parts do seem to look nicer after the same amount of laps..

do you have any data on gains or advantages to doing engine parts?

makes cranks easier to clean on freshens lol

REM is isotropic finishing as I recall.

Right o I think REM is actually the name of the company that invented the process or patented etc
Never seen any A-B-A tested or quantifiable gains published anywhere just claims..

[Dave Koehler]

Gotta have a catchy name but it boils down to tumbling the part in appropriate media with and without some chemical.

[A_VAS]

I've had several sets of ring/pinion done with REM superfinishing, and typically pay $95-110 for a set. Plus shipping to and from....so it ends up being closer to $160 for a set

gear companies do offer it at times, Motive was offering pre-REM polished sets for about $80-100 adder.
cryo is usually the about the same price for a set of R&P. I have not opted for that. I'd be looking at over $200 on top of a gear set, plus ship to and from.

[MadBill]

Pretty well all of the used NASCAR gears I've seen/used have been REM-polished.

[Dave Koehler]

This fellow walks around the PRI showing, asking questions about this process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8BYuKwuuzM

[Newold1]

I don't think smoothing and polishing rod and cap parting surfaces is a good idea. It's not a good thing when caps start moving on a rod when under loads.