Looking into purchasing micrometer set and dial bore gauge.

[Mgabski]

I am going to be building an engine soon, I do not have micrometers or a dial bore gauge. I will not be using these tools often, I anticipate having to use them maybe only a handful of times over the span of my life.
What do you guys recommend for An affordable set of both? I need for measuring bearing clearance. I dont necessarily want the cheapest because I want some accuracy. But I do understand the lower end ones aren’t as accurate.


I know I could do snap gauges to save some cost, but I think I will have better luck with a dial bore gauge since it takes some user error out of the equation.

 

[cleaner]

Mitutoyo can be had used and if you find analogue versions the price can be quite reasonable. I would have used items calibrated if building an engine and using it for bearing clearance measurements.

I purchased a Mitutoyo dial bore gauge on Ebay for less than $100 and it accepts multiple heads to span ranges of bore diameters. I also have old 80s analogue Mitutoyo micrometers that still are working fine.

 

[glend123]

I would look on ebay for a good used set, they don't even have to be matching. buy a set, or one by one. I like starrett, Mitutoyo and brown and sharp. Fowler, i think is good but a little cheaper. try to get a standard with them or some gage blocks to check accuracy.

 

[larry_g]

I am going to be building an engine soon, I do not have micrometers or a dial bore gauge. I will not be using these tools often, I anticipate having to use them maybe only a handful of times over the span of my life.
What do you guys recommend for An affordable set of both? I need for measuring bearing clearance. I dont necessarily want the cheapest because I want some accuracy. But I do understand the lower end ones aren’t as accurate.


I know I could do snap gauges to save some cost, but I think I will have better luck with a dial bore gauge since it takes some user error out of the equation.

I have to ask, are you the machinist or just assembling the parts that have been machined? The machinist will need 10x better resolution than you will need for checking. If just checking then what are you going to do when the part is questionable? If take it to be re-machined is the answer then the machinist will have to measure it with his tools.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[ericlar80]

Most everything you are measuring should be less than 1", unless you plan to check the pistons and rods. Just get a 0-1" micrometer and telescoping bore gauges to cover you up to your max size; the bore gauges are measured using the micrometer.

I have found all of my gauges through garage sales. You need to check them for smoothness and backlash in the screw, if you can feel it. Most people that have a bunch of machine tools know how to handle and store them; mine have all been accurate according to their specification.

Another option is to buy a gently used set (Starrett, etc.) on eBay or Craigslist, use them for what you need, and then sell them again. It may cost you a little to use them, but you will recover most of what you spent.

 

[trytochaseme]

i have another vote for mitutoyo. i love all my mitutoyo stuff. i got my dial bore gauges of craigslist for $60. id look on ebay for a set. same with the Mic.

 

[JiminAZ]

At least for the bearings plastigage is your friend. By all means measure it up but the crush can be hard to figure. Plastigage will tell you the actual clearance.

 

[Packard V8]

It's difficult for a tool junkie to tell someone don't buy tools, but also as someone who has built engines for more than fifty years, maybe don't do it.

You'll be spending money to verify dimensions you can't control or change. If you don't feel you can trust the machine shop to hit the numbers you give them, you shouldn't be having them do the work. What would you do if you measure a part and don't like what you see? It would have to go back to the machine shop and you'd have to take your micrometer or dial bore gauge and have it checked against their standard.

And a dial bore gauge is difficult to use without a setting fixture. First time users have a very difficult time setting the gauge with a hand-held micrometer. Even learning to accurately set snap gauges in bores and then accurately read them with a hand-held micrometer requires practice. In the beginning, three tries will produce three different readings.

Why not go in to the machine shop sweet and dumb? "This is my first engine assembly and I'd really feel better about it if you show me how you measured my parts; main bores/crankpins/cylinder bores and so on. I'd really appreciate the opportunity to learn from you."

While it's very, very rare to receive bearings out of spec, the careful use of Plastigage will confirm the main and rod clearances. Ring end gaps are easy with a feeler gauge.

Your project, your money, your decision.

jack vines

 

[Mgabski]

I’ve used the tools before. Tons in school and a handful of times at work. At work I used my bosses dial bore gauge. Unfortunately he was transferred and I don’t know anyone else who owns one. I’m having machine shop bore the cylinders and file the rings. I’m mainly looking for checking bearing clearances in mains and rods. I have considered just relying on plastigauge but if I could purchase these tools for affordable amount I would. Micrometers I’ll be able to use for future projects I’m sure, dial bore gauge not so much but I trust myself more with that than the t gauges.

 

[shocker998md]

I was in your shoes a few years ago. mitutoyo dial bore gauge. Mics you could skimp on because your just using it to set the dial bore gauge to the journal size and zeroing the dial bore gauge.

Say no to plasti gauge. It can give you a sanity check on loose stuff if you dont have a Mic or bore gauge.

Ive built 4 engines with my setup and have another 3 lined up for this year. Now if your wanting to verify crank journals before or after it getting cut id spend a little more on the mics.

 

[Steve_P]

I bought a 0-6" X .0001" mic set and a 2-6"? X .0005" graduation bore gauge set from Enco 20-25 yrs ago. I've used both a lot. The micrometers are.the Enco brand, but they're accurate- I checked on gage blocks at work. I used to see the same set in machine shops all the time. If you have the $, then Mitutoyo, but the Enco stuff may still be as good.

 

[matt_i]

The mics I use for general shop work are Starrett, bought good-used. I don't have any dial bore gages but use telescoping gages for ID work.

These tools take practice to get the feel of how they should be used, its not like you can just order the tools, wait for the engine parts to arrive and armed with both, expect to go out and do a full blueprinted build in an hour.

But the tools are just as accurate as dial bore gages. Just not as fast.

 

[Ohmthis]

To me a lot depends on the level of engine build. If you are building one for a daily driver or even a mild performance build plastigage is fine. More than that and the level of precision needs to ramp up. I’ve built engines from a pressure washer, dirt bikes, jet skis, outboard boat, DD vehicles, To a drag car, more than a few were built with less precise tools (plastigage) and they all are still going strong. I have a Fowler dial bore gauge and a mixture of older mitutoyo, Fowler, and Starrett. Figure out what level you are building and if it’s worth it to you

 

[Steve_P]

After using plastigauge for years did my own study on it not long after I bought my measuring equipment. I tried it a bunch of times and found it was accurate enough. IIRC at .0025 measured clearance it showed about .002. So it's good enough for most uses.

 

[JJ99SS]

I'm on the Mitutoyo bandwagon too. I have a 0-1 mic and 6" calipers. Love them. I plan on using mine for reloading ammunition as well as some automotive work. I don't use them often but I'm really glad I own them. They are very nice indeed.

I really need a dial gauge to check runout on brake drums and rotors as well as for setting up table saws and miter saws.

If you want them, get them, but you may not necessarily need them either.

 

[7635tools]

Back in my days as a boat mechanic, I rebuilt many outboards at the shop i worked at. We did all the boring/sleeving on site and we used Sunnen dial bore gauges. They are pricey though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mississippi333]

I realize this is old reply but anyone who has a question similar to the OP, there isn't a better answer than from PackardV8. Without a doubt, this gentleman has been in/around a machine shop.

 

[laser3kw]

i have another vote for mitutoyo. i love all my mitutoyo stuff. i got my dial bore gauges of craigslist for $60. id look on ebay for a set. same with the Mic.

I grew to love the Mitutoyo brand decades ago. My current dial bore gauges and mics are all Mity remember to get "tenths reading" (tenths of a thousands / .0000) for precision fits.