Got burned by ‘it ran when pulled’! I’ve had cylinders sleeved due to rust, but never one that’s been windowed. This is a 71 340 block. Has anyone here successfully sleeved and raced a cylinder that looked like this?
Worth it to fix?
- Thread starter moparhead
- Start date
Yikes. Any particular reason to run a 340? Class racing? Going to be a lot cheaper to grab a 360 LA or Magnum that doesn't have a hole in the bore vs fixing that 340. Should be able to get a block for $200.
Yeah it’s scary looking to me. The 340 motor in and of itself has some nostalgia to it. The last time I had a sleeve done it was like $80 IIRC. I have some 318s, 340s and 360s but I’d hate to toss a 340 as junk if it wasn’t.
9secRR
Well-Known Member
sleeve it and run it.
Even with the crack that goes from the hole to the bottom of the cylinder? Do you think that would need more work than just the sleeve?
My only concern would be price. If a machine shop says all it needs is a sleeve, then I wouldn't worry about it.
9secRR
Well-Known Member
if your worried about the crack, get it welded then sleeve it.
Oldiron440
Well-Known Member
I see three cracks running to the bottom of the cylinder, looks risky to me, if you sleeve it I would expect problems with water in oil. I see a junk block.
Im tempted to try to weld the cracks and then have it sleeved. I’m gonna take it to the machine shop and see what they say. Will report back
I've sleeved a lot of engines. Just know that it has gone up. It's going to be expensive and there is a lot of machining involved. The block you have had better be worth it. They used to be cheap to sleeve, and by cheap I mean like $100 a cylinder PLUS the machine work. Not now. Sleeving was a way to save a block that was not replaceable. That was when machine shops were still abundant and they were not a fortune. They are a lot more now and you had better really trust the kids in the shop.
That block may have cracks or shifting. Tank it and have it checked really well. Most of my picture windows are down in the side of the block above the pan rail (near the crank) or between the frost plug holes. I usually get them where the rod breaks and tries to force it's way out down low, beneath the cylinder before it can even come back up. That indicates something else. A rod didn't break, or not likely. I would like to know what was going on in those cylinders.
That block may have cracks or shifting. Tank it and have it checked really well. Most of my picture windows are down in the side of the block above the pan rail (near the crank) or between the frost plug holes. I usually get them where the rod breaks and tries to force it's way out down low, beneath the cylinder before it can even come back up. That indicates something else. A rod didn't break, or not likely. I would like to know what was going on in those cylinders.
Last edited:
Oldiron440
Well-Known Member
What engines are you talking about? Maybe you could clarify your question your post is hard to follow.
Thanks! Yep trying to decide if it’s worth it. We have a good machine shop in town but I haven’t been able to get off work to go yet. The rod was ‘only’ bent but the piston was in pieces.
).
