Shop temperature for rebuild?

[prima5star]

A little math to give you all a headache!

1 dimensional example to give you the basic idea of the magnitude of the changes going on in the engine.

Elongation = coefficient of thermal expanion * change in temperature * original size of part in 1 direction (this can be a radius etc) Actually, now that I think about it, this should work in 2D and 3D as well...

useful coefficients of thermal expansion on Honda Motorcycles:
aluminum alloys = 13x10^(-6) / degrees F
high strength steel = 8x10^(-6) / degrees F

A 20mm dowel pin in High strength steel is taken from a 35 degree F garage and brought down to a warm 55 degree F basement. When the temperature stabilizes in the pin, what will be the change in length?

Elongation = 8x10^(-6) * (55 - 35) * 20mm = .0032mm

The same pin in Aluminum elongates .0052mm

To put this into perspective, the manufacturers length tolerance for a dowel pin between 12 and 50mm is +/- .75mm, and the manufacturers measuring tolerance for a $100 set of 12" digital calipers is +/- .04mm.

The change in length is both smaller than the manufacturing tolerance and smaller than you can accurately measure. The relative changes in size between different metals is even harder to measure.

Finally, the motorcycles were designed to operate in all sorts of climates, in all seasons, so your temp range is likely right in the middle of what it was designed for.

I don't worry about the colds effects on the engine components, but if I were you, I'd be in that relatively warm basement!

Hope this helps.

[FiremanBob]

Frosty last night - got me wondering if the garage shop at night will be too cold for measuring internal parts and rebuilding the engine. I'm concerned that if I set clearances at say, 40F the motor will be too tight at operating temperature.

Should I bring the engine down into the cellar where it's 55-60 degrees for the re-assembly? Or am I worried about nothing?

Thanks.

[4shorts]

I've rebuilt many types of engines including Diesels and my rule of thumb is if I don't have to wear gloves during the rebuild I can do the rebuild. It's worked for me the last 25 years or so and I don't plan on changing now! Now that I'm older and not so tough I won't even come out in the shop unless the heat has been on for an hour.