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Technical sleeving a flathead ford

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by hotrodderhaag, Feb 13, 2015.

  1. hotrodderhaag
    Joined: Jan 22, 2007
    Posts: 2,140

    hotrodderhaag
    Member

    i have a full race 59s that was built in 1948. 4" merc crank, .125 over bore, hug intake valves, port and polish, weber cam, etc....

    i dismantled it to take it to the shop and get cleaned for an overhaul. And as usual, they found a few cracks. there is a crack from the stud to the water hole.. no biggy.. there is also a crack across the valve seat, and then 2 cylinder walls have cracks.

    i really do not want to start with a new block. this is a rare old engine and i want to keep it how it was. Fixing the cracks for the studs and the valve seat is no big deal. my concern is the cylinder walls. Can i bore it large enough to get sleeves in it? will i be able to keep the .125 bore? the block is also relieved, so can i transfer that to the side of the sleeve after its in? where can i get sleeves? i have a great engine guy thats willing to do the work.

    i dont care that it may be more cost effective to start with a new engine. i want to keep this engine original. Its not going to see the hard life it saw before.

    ideas?
     
  2. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    Well, I brazed the cylinder of an Indian Scout once, honed it out and rode it many miles...really had nothing to lose and easy to remove. Yep, it's crazy but it worked.
     
  3. alchemy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2002
    Posts: 20,407

    alchemy
    Member

    FYI, it wasn't built in 1948 if it has a 4" Merc crank.

    Good luck with the cracks. Lots of posts on here about sleeving. I seem to think it takes an experienced installer to make them work correctly. Probably not a good engine to experiment on with the reliefs. Maybe use a machinist that has done a few before.
     
  4. hotrodderhaag
    Joined: Jan 22, 2007
    Posts: 2,140

    hotrodderhaag
    Member


    i have an experienced guy that is doing all the work...
    the crank may have been added later, but they used to put dated pennies in the heat risers for the intake. The pennies are dated 1948 and they stamped the 1948 date on the block surface also. so from what all the old timers are telling me...... it was atleast modified in 48. good enough for me
     

  5. lots of flathead knowledge on theBarn.jseery is steering you in the right direction.
     
  6. Ryan
    Joined: Jan 2, 1995
    Posts: 21,633

    Ryan
    ADMINISTRATOR
    Staff Member

    You can sleeve it, but honestly - you will most likely end up wishing you had started with a fresh block. Flatheads are so expensive to build man - I wouldn't want to risk that kind of money on a bad block.
     
  7. hotrodderhaag
    Joined: Jan 22, 2007
    Posts: 2,140

    hotrodderhaag
    Member


    Thanks fellas.. appreciate it. I'm up in the air with being so hung up on the original block .. I figured it was gonna be pricey but that's ok. I'm hoping my guy can repair it properly
     
  8. Mike51Merc
    Joined: Dec 5, 2008
    Posts: 3,856

    Mike51Merc
    Member

  9. PackardV8
    Joined: Jun 7, 2007
    Posts: 1,170

    PackardV8
    Member

    No problem sleeving the flathead block. Was/is done all the time. Yes, you can grind the relieving into the top of the sleeve. FWIW, some of the latest flathead flow bench science doesn't support relieving.

    I'd expect a great engine guy to know where to buy the sleeves and how to install them. They're available from Darton, LA Sleeve, Melling, IDP, Mahle.

    www.mellingcylindersleeves.com/
    Melling Cylinder Sleeves, Manufactures centrifugal cast iron cylinder liners to ...Sleeves are available in 3/32” (.09375") and 1/8” (.125") wall. There are also special .040" thin wall sleeves for smaller bore diameters, such as your flatmotor. They're more touchy to install.

    jack vines
     
  10. Travis T
    Joined: May 26, 2014
    Posts: 84

    Travis T

    I had all eight holes in mine sleeved.
     
  11. PackardV8
    Joined: Jun 7, 2007
    Posts: 1,170

    PackardV8
    Member

    Not a bad idea. Since two are cracked, what's holding the other six together - rust and corrosion?

    jack vines
     
  12. Bearing Burner
    Joined: Mar 2, 2009
    Posts: 1,107

    Bearing Burner
    Member
    from W. MA

    Sleeving is no big thing except cost. The valve seat is another thing.
     
  13. Travis T
    Joined: May 26, 2014
    Posts: 84

    Travis T

    Mine laid in the woods for 20+ years with no intake on it. Pistons were frozen, but it had so much sludge in the crankcase that everything else, including the Mercury crank,was perfect and the block had no cracks. Oh, and it was free. It was $800 for eight sleeves and 16 valve seats, but Grandpa's 50 F-1 deserved another flathead.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2015
  14. dan c
    Joined: Jan 30, 2012
    Posts: 2,520

    dan c
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    maybe this will help--i see sleeves for flatheads on ebay quite often. might try there.
     
  15. GRX
    Joined: Mar 28, 2014
    Posts: 68

    GRX
    Member
    from MD

    In some circles it is said that sleeving all the cylinders adds rigidity to the block. Adding reliefs is no problem. Below is my 60 over Pontiac 400 HO which I installed an 1/8" sleeve in to repair a previously botched bore attempt. The intake relief was done with a cone shaped drum sander in the hand drill. Same tool I use to chamfer the cylinders after a re-bore.
     

    Attached Files:

  16. Angry Frenchman
    Joined: Feb 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,775

    Angry Frenchman
    Member

    great stuff, and tough decision to make. I have a 59 block in the same boat. be great to see what you do next.
     

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