383 with a sleeve

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74swangur

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My 383 is bored 30 over. #4 cylinder needs a sleeve. My machinist says that a sleeve will cause the adjacent cylinders to egg shape. I need some advice. :cry: :cry:
 
A friend of mine builds serious circle track motors and has no problems running sleeved motors. I suggest you get another opinion from a different shop. What is your machinist rationale for saying they egg-shape?
 
middleagecrisis said:
A friend of mine builds serious circle track motors and has no problems running sleeved motors. I suggest you get another opinion from a different shop. What is your machinist rationale for saying they egg-shape?
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He said that pressing the sleeve in will distort the cylinders. I have seen in some articles that the sleeve should be super cooled before installing. He stated that he just presses his in with no cooling.
 
Cooling the sleeve and heating the block is the procedure that I've seen done when installing sleeves in sleeved engines. They were tractor engines mind you, but I would think it would be the same for automotive engines. If the sleeve wasn't cold enough or the block not hot enough, the sleeve would crack during installation.
 
middleagecrisis said:
A friend of mine builds serious circle track motors and has no problems running sleeved motors. I suggest you get another opinion from a different shop. What is your machinist rationale for saying they egg-shape?
Click to expand...

I called up my buddy and he said he install his sleeves (chilled) with an .0015" interference fit. You'll also have to have a lip at the bottom of the cylinder as a stop for the sleeve. He also warms up the block with a torch prior to installing the sleeve. I'd find somebody that knows how to properly install a sleeve and use your existing block, assuming everything else is in good shape.
 
Thanks for the input guys. I spoke with a few more local machinist and they said it wont be any problem to sleeve it as long as its done with the right clearances.
 
1qwikScamp said:
i'm not too fond of sleeves i would rather have an all natural block
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A lot of us would rather have a non sleeved block (i'm one of them) but in the case of my 340 I can't just find one anywere. My 340 runs low 11's in a 3200lb car with the a sleeve and no ill effects. When I was a GM I guy raced a 427 in 1981 that had 4 sleeves in it, same thing can't find 427 everywere. My buddy today (25 yrs later) has the same motor in his '70 Chevelle and is fine.

We better tell the top fuel guys to get ride of their sleeved motors or all of the sleeved aluminum block motors on the planet now and go back to iron blocks.

The the final honing will take out any distortion (if any) to the adjacent cylinders after sleeving. But let me get this right: The thin sleeve is going to distort a heavier thicker iron block and the thin sleeve won't distort when pressed in... Find another machinist.
 
hi, when installing a sleeve, have them installed with .0005 fit. and a lip at the bottom. cool sleeve and warm block, and sleeve will just about fall in. there will be no distortion to other cylinders. by keeping fit at .0005 it will stay in place and not be loose. this is more than enough fit for a sleeve. I've done a lot of sleeves this method. have never had any problems. learned about this method from the catipiller guys. something to consider for you guys that don't like sleeves, a good quality sleeve is more dense and will provide better and tighter ring seal in a moter. that is one reason class type racers sleeve all 8 cylinders.it's worth horsepower!! been there already.
 
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