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

Tweet

What do you think about a sleeved block? I'm about to sleeve a 400 back to standard for my '35 Chevrolet. I'd like to have a 400 to get away from the sea of 350's at the show so I picked up a few 400's and every one I come across has been already bored or need to be at least. .030 over. So I picke up 8 sleeves and I'm going to bore one back to standard. A lot of people don't like to go past .030 because of heat issues, but I'm not sure if sleeves affect the temperature or not. I can either go standard or go ahead with .030 while i'm boreing and buying pistons and make it a 406. I'd rather go with the 406 but I've got the chance to go standard and my major concern is heat. Give me you r thoughts please...Thanks

I wouldn't. One or two sleeves in a block is usually no problem, but when you sleeve the whole block your diminishing the structural integrity. The cylinders are anchored at the top and bottom of the block, the rest is water jacket. So, when you bore the block to add a sleeve your thinning out the original material that holds it all together. Small block Chevy blocks aren't the strongest in the world to start with and putting in eight sleeves would really reduce the strength.

Just my opinion.

How would filling the block with block rock , would this help hold it together? Not filling for racing just a 1/4" fill??

Get a Dart SHP block

There are a few real engine guys on this site, and some of them sound like they do in fact know what they are talking about. There opinions should carry more weight than mine thats for sure, but here is another opinion.

I wanted to get away from the regular small block chevy for a couple of projects that I have under way. I have always found the 348/409 engines to have a cool look. These are both street cars first so the performance wasn't the number one thing. I found and purchased two 348 and one 409 engine for these cars. All three of these engines needed building, but they cleaned up at .030 or .060 so no problem. But in researching the 409 it was interesting to discover that many, many 409's are sleaved and I mean all eight cylinders. Many of these 409's are in drag and street cars and they seem to be providing very good performance as well as service.

Of course the 409 is a relatively rare block and if you want to save one you do what you have to do. Also if you check the all aluminum blocks have eight sleaves as well, and it for sure doesn't seem to hurt or bother them.

I don't have a clue weather it would be more cost efficent to find another block, but sleaving may not be such a bad deal after all. MAYBE!!

RS

If, and a pretty big IF---the block is rare, hard to get, nothing else available, then sleeving all 8 cylinders is maybe the only option--I once sleeved one of our 392 hemis in all eight holes just to find out if it would work--we named it Metullsa??(snake headed goddess?)

We used it just as a qualifying engine at the drag races so we could go into the first round with a fresh motor---when we worked on it , the sleeves were so loose that they would go up and down with the pistons as we put it together or took it apart.

But for a small block chev guy wanting the bigger bore of the 400----4.125, Dart has the SHP that comes .010 under that to finish hone to 4.125 or of course go bigger, and they are reasonably priced

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.

Originally Posted by 35chevy

What do you think about a sleeved block? I'm about to sleeve a 400 back to standard for my '35 Chevrolet. I'd like to have a 400 to get away from the sea of 350's at the show so I picked up a few 400's

I see geezers point there. My thought is that after you put the 400 in its going to look exactly like a 350 anyway. Only a seasoned veteran would be able to look and maybe tell its not. Just tell everyone its a 400, or go Big Block.

Keep in mind those racing aluminum blocks with eight sleeves were built for sleeves. They have solid support top to bottom before the sleeves are put in. They don't have to be bored oversize for the sleeve.

FOR GET THIS I WAS THINKING YOU WANTED A SMALLER THEN STOCK BORE THEN STD WELL I WILL LEAVE IT ON ANY WAYS YOU WILL HAVE TO GO MORE THEN 060 THAT MAY GET ON THIN ICE look at my photos i just sleeved two bbc blocks one cnc bow tie one dart that one i welded a lifter bore back on the block they were both sleeved back down from 4.627 to 4.500 and 4.560 ALL 8 HOLES if the small block is std bore then you only need to just cut the bore out for a bottom step like if your were going 060 and stop just 1/4 before the bottom of the bore the step to hang the sleeve i would not want to much back angle on the sleeve. i would lap tops of the sleeves and roll a wee bit of the sleeve so it starts good and run them in up side down the bottom part of the sleeve will have to much back angle out of the box . with press and the head bolted down the sleeve will not go no were and the block will be just as strong as a 060 over and the walls would be very strong .like said 400 are not to hot but would be a good block to do this to. if not over bored no more then 030 now the bores are siamese that would stabilze the bores from moving around so no lose from the sleeve job. hell it not bad i can do it and done it . its EZ for me it would be pricy would be a full day on the rottler then a deck job

Geezer2, I hear you man, and I am certainly not an authority on this subject. As Jerry says on the "RARE" block this is an option and that may very well be the only time. I'm saying it's an option and nothing else. But you know what I'm glad that it is an option.

RS

I had my 400 bored .030, with 64cc heads with clean up cut on them. I had it in my '68 El Camino with a 6 cyl rad with a th350 tranny cooled by the in rad cooler. It never got more than 210 when it was 100 degs out, at a stop light. I also didn't have a fan shroud

Pat

Originally Posted by Hombre259

Geezer2, I hear you man, and I am certainly not an authority on this subject.

RS

i AM I AM THE SLEEVE KING OR... KING OF THE SLEEVES

I been working with sleeves since I was 7 or 8 helping my dad---flat head Fords, tractors, combines, tanks,----you can be the King---I don't want to do it anymore---

Well , we're working on a LS7 427 block and I think I'm going to put 8 in my LS1 for my EM Cobra.

I personally think he should just hone his block til it cleans up and then get pistons those sizes--we once had 5 different sizes in one of our 392 hemis---

When you coming for the rod machine Pat?

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

I been working with sleeves since I was 7 or 8 helping my dad---flat head Fords, tractors, combines, tanks,----you can be the King---I don't want to do it anymore---

Well , we're working on a LS7 427 block and I think I'm going to put 8 in my LS1 for my EM Cobra.

I personally think he should just hone his block til it cleans up and then get pistons those sizes--we once had 5 different sizes in one of our 392 hemis---

When you coming for the rod machine Pat?

next week end i hope? i wanted to call you but was to late last night .i put some sleeves in a lot of BBC world pro blocks and darts i like to do them in iron blocks. i put one in my donovan and i do not like putting them in they are a #ich