Bret Tschacher
Well-Known Member
Millions of ag and ind. engines have been cast for both wet and dry sleeves for over a hundred years at least or close to that. Here's just one example, Ford 8N types used factory sleeves and you can remove those sleeves and install with minor work fit in the pistons from auto/truck flat head V8's for a small boost in CID, compression and power. Those factory sleeves were a bit thin and I have seen them crumble at least one anyway. It would be really cool if you could find a place that could spray weld the walls with cast and bring new life back. Then it wouldn't be an issue of a sleeve loosening up or heat transfer as some think. This has been and is a fix for some that I have read about. It might be worth researching since some blocks may not be suitable for sleeving with thin casting walls especially if the block is a rare piece as 340's are deemed to be. Here's an idea that many will laugh at but if the block is an original and for numbers sake, the block could be sleeved and then install a custom set of smaller bore pistons or even go with an oversized set of 318 pistons. I doubt one would really notice that much difference in power. It's a shame a set of 360 pistons couldn't be use but then if you go with customs, they could if the pin bores were set at the right height. The 360 is only 0.040 under so using a set of 40 over would be right on. I knew a fellow in Waco that was often building engines using forging or casting blanks from one or another engine to make pistons ( in his shop ) to fit other engines, like a set of 454 Chevy piston fit into a Ford 390! .
