Thread: Sleeve block back to standard bore, what do you think?

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you can get a 3/32 sleeve. would be $$. you may get close to a head bolt hole i would bet . you can have custom pistons made in oo1 if the bores were loose .so like a 033 piston that may help after the bore has been honed or get the skirts built up with a coating i never done it but know guys that have had it done .as well as knurle the pistons if to loose and use a file fit ring i have done this many times works good to save a set of custom $$ pistons

PLease explain: knurl the pistons and file fit rings?

My thought is that after you put the 400 in its going to look exactly like a 350 anyway.

You are correct, I can't argue with that. Some things you just can't disguise. A guy once asked me if my car was one of those new PT Cruisers.......guess I should have told him no, they never made a PT cruiser with a 350. My luck though, right after I said it one would have pulled up in the parking lot with a 350 in it LOL. Either way, I've still got to get away from the 350 so I can use my sportsman II's I've been sitting on for a while. I really wanted to sleeve the 400 because I have access to the equiptment to sleeve the block myself, someone to help me do it right, and I already have the sleeves. So at this point there would be no cost to have standard block. That still doesn't justify it though if it's a pile of junk when it's done. Oh, one of you talked about sleeves being loose? How? Aren't they installed a slight interference fit? Wouldn't they have to shrink to get loose?

Originally Posted by 35chevy

You are correct, I can't argue with that. Some things you just can't disguise. A guy once asked me if my car was one of those new PT Cruisers.......guess I should have told him no, they never made a PT cruiser with a 350. My luck though, right after I said it one would have pulled up in the parking lot with a 350 in it LOL. Either way, I've still got to get away from the 350 so I can use my sportsman II's I've been sitting on for a while. I really wanted to sleeve the 400 because I have access to the equiptment to sleeve the block myself, someone to help me do it right, and I already have the sleeves. So at this point there would be no cost to have standard block. That still doesn't justify it though if it's a pile of junk when it's done. Oh, one of you talked about sleeves being loose? How? Aren't they installed a slight interference fit? Wouldn't they have to shrink to get loose?

if you look at my photos you can see how to do one or how i do them here are the steps were you bore short of going thru .i did a post how to fix a iron block or something like that .i use some press and drive them in theres many steps to do this if you never bored any blocks with the boring bar you may want to run some blocks thru to get use to the machine . first off the bat i check i am cutting true 90 i like to know the deck is true thru the main and cam housing i use the bhj tru deck to get this my bar centers 90 off the oil pan and main bore .you may want to true deck it first just do a small clean cut then deck to were your want the deck for finsh size on the deck when all sleeves are done . if needed i shim my block cradle to get less then 002 on the deck .then i bore a 060 cut and check with my bar mic is on the money to my out side mic so i know how much to adjust it so they read the same. then you bore to less 002 to size of outside of sleeve .for a press fit check all the size of the out side of the sleeves they have some tapper to them. i use dry ice to shrink the sleeve you want to keep the sleeve wet the dry ice works better this way to keep it wet i use alcohol with the dry ice it can not have any water in it before you start you need a driver and a big hammer if you fast you should not need the hammer but it good to have one any ways if there in the dry ice for some time . they should fall in the hole i use a bit of 620 loctite at the botttom of the hole and file the botom of the sleeve so its good and flat make sure the bottom of bore is clean so it will go alll the way down and seat in the step you will need a cutter to cut a step to face a 90 in the bottom of the bore you many need two cutters a boring cutter std and a facing cutter for sleeves. i run the face cutter down by hand to clean the / angle step will be in the bottom of the bore from the std boring cutter . then the bore will be like this L with the sleeve facing cutting tool . i do not use the face cutter for the finsh bore size i go back and set it 002 smaller then the finsh bore size with the bar in auto feed it will kick out before the bottom this is were your step is you want to check this on your first cut and set it so it will kick out before bottom .i hand crank it till you get your L and stop i use some red marker on the botom so when gone i know i have a good clean step . if you drive the sleeves you want to watch how you drive them that you do not nick up the housing of the main bore i keep the block on the fixure and back off the hold downs and put two old main front and back bearing in the upper and reclamp to keep from getting dented or cut in put all in and take bearing out and reclamp face the sleeves you may want to bore and hole and sleeve one hole at a time if you do all one side of the block in the bore holes you can get some move ment on the next hole with stock block

Originally Posted by firebird77clone

PLease explain: knurl the pistons and file fit rings?

knurling moves metal up from the piston skirts making the piston bigger you need a piston knurling machine to do this then you need to fit them. i do this with a file and a hand sanding block with stick it 80 grit paper. this takes some time to do and would not do on a set of 120. cast piston just bore the next size up on the piston rings there file fit rings you can get some rings there 035 and 065 etc you file them to get the end gap you needed

Originally Posted by 35chevy

ok thanks guys. I've had a 350 in this car around 15 years now and I can't tell you the times I've said "it's a 350" and the next thing you know there's nobody standing there to talk to. This car is done and I've got other cars I'm trying to build so a complete under hood makeover isn't really my intention here, I'd like to replace the engine with another small block other than a 350. A 327 might be nice but probably too small for my sportsman II heads, 383 is just a 350 on steroids and is starting to be as common as the 350 even though I am leaning a little in that direction. And, I'm having a hard time putting my hands on a 400, which will probably run hot anyway, LOL. So I don't know what I'm going to do at this point. Thanks guys.

That seems like a lot of work just so you can say you don't have a 350, no offense meant. Honestly a small block Chevy is a small block Chevy unless you do something exotic with it. A 400 is gonna look just like a 350/327/383/377/283 etc unless people read your sign or talk with you. If you have a decent 350, why not make it unique with some sort of Fuel injection, forced induction or some other unique induction system. Your situation was one of my motivators to go to my LS1. I had a belly button 350 and even with unique "Studebaker" valve covers it still was "just another 350". I love the LS1, it runs great, gets good mileage and definitely falls into the unique category in my car. Though they are getting more common. still don't see them in every car.

my two cents

good luck with your project

Pat

That seems like a lot of work just so you can say you don't have a 350, no offense meant. Honestly a small block Chevy is a small block Chevy unless you do something exotic with it.

No offense taken....I've got to change the engine anyway, so the work doesn't matter.

How much is a running 400 worth. I have two in mccomb MS about 350 miles away, one is a 76 impala motor still stock with a fairly new crank, it was running but has been sitting in a shed for 19 yrs. The other is in my 68 camaro, It came out of a 77 4x4, don't know about it's bore, i'd have to (keep) the heads (69-70 camel hump with acc holes) It runs, I use it to move the camaro about once a year. I am evintually going to disassemble (to inspect) both of these and get rid of one of them.

Hey Pat, the sleeves I have are 3/32. I was starting to worry because the area between the bores is thin and I thought there was a chance it would be completely removed when cutting the block out for the sleeves. I did some measuring and there will be some material left between the sleeves, just like your pics of the big blocks. It looks like they won't get into the steam holes either. I noticed that you cut all the holes and then put the sleeves in. We thought that because the area left between the sleeves will be so thin, there might be some advantage in cutting one hole, installing the sleeve, and then cutting the next hole. You know, finishing one before starting on the next. Then again, because of the press fit, this might allow for some distortion of the block. If a sleeve is pressed in, the cylinder next to it might not be as true. Does that make sense? What are your thoughts on this. Cutting all the holes first, then installing all the sleeves would definately be faster. Thanks for your help. Oh yeah, The guy helping me is my next door neighbor. He's a retired machinist. He's in his 70's. I guess he got his start on model-A engines? He can handle the job but I'm trying to learn as much from him as possible and do most of the work myself with his guidance. He has sleeved a lot of engines, but never all 8 on a small block chevy, so we are both learning here. Thanks

like i said i did all one bank the bores on them engine s are siamese so that small bit is no t to big of a deal there still iron round the outside of the bores. your block is the same way the dry ice come in to the play to nail all 4 holes i did go over all this in my #19 post

you may want to bore and hole and sleeve one hole at a time if you do all one side of the block in the bore holes you can get some move ment on the next hole with stock block

Went back and read post #19 again... Thanks for your help, now it's time to get started. I'll keep you guys posted how it turns out.