My 2nd son says since his big brother got a track weekend in it I owe him one too :O I hope next summer.

It's a 2.9, J&E Pistons, Pauter Rods. Should be some good fun!

 

Had a very interesting problem. Head gasket leaked 1st time I drove the car and made any boost. I pulled the head back off and found that the dowel pins in the block were just a bit too long. They let the head sit on the gasket but not pinch it tight.

I had noticed they were longer than the originals when I got the block back from the machine shop. I measured the depth of the hole in the head and thought it was fine but didn't look close enough to see that the hole in the head wasn't the same diameter all the way to the depth I measured.

I set the block on the motor with the gasket on and made sure there was no gap. Should have set the block on the motor with NO gasket.

Pulled the head back off, shortened the dowel pins a little, a new head gasket and it's running good.

 

Nice work.

 

Awesome, hope it all goes great from here out. If you need any help when you go the bigger stroker route, give a holler. You now have a great block to work with.

Why is it the LS guys have to jump in every f'n thread? I just don't get it...

I'm still very happy with my engine. I've abusedtge crap out of it.

 

I'm actually rooting for him. These blocks should have come sleeved from factory with a different block alloy.

 

A few miles later and the head gasket is leaking. Pulled the head and found all four darton sleeves are 0.004" below the aluminum surface of the block. Unless someone has a lead on having a custom head gasket made that is thicker over the sleeves, then motor 5 is coming out. One more time...

 

May I add flanged sleeves as a factory suggestion as well.

 

Crap that sucks! So where does the machine shop sit with this issue?

 

omg, thats just unreal. I cant even imagine the frustration

 

Their phone number is 'no longer in service' and their web site is gone so they haven't had much to say about it.

 

Any chance O-ringing the head and fitting a bigger o-ring would improve the seal to cover the "below deck"?

 

What a bummer!! Wonder if you couldn't do what we did. O ring the sleeves and had some Beru rings and a copper gasket made up. We had it on the dyno a few times and also at the track. Didn't lose any coolant. Speak to Sid about this as he's doing something similar.

 

Bad luck. I am sorry for your engine.

Did the bores sink inside or was this the way it was made at machineshop?

 

I'm sure the sleeves sunk. They are supposed to be left up a few thousand for this reason. It requires decibg the surfaces twice.

What I would do now is pull it apart and have the outer perimeter machined down to .002 below the cylinder areas.

Sucks, but it should be a good block once done.

You could do some custom sealing rings, but you still need the groove machined.

 

I had the same experience. My sleeves were installed by the Darton East shop (so you think they would get it right). The still settled into the block by 0.005-in. I redecked my head and went with o-rings. Major mistake as it load the sleeves and pushed them down again. This time the result was by only 0.001-in. I think if I had not o-ringed them they would have been okay. I am now running a Cometic with no problems and 16 psi boost.

So how does one machine around a press fit sleeve?