head gasket

Fix the sleeve height issue or you'll keep doing the same thing.

Sounds like the block needs decked and C'bored. Might could get by with a cob job if just one sleeve is low, take it out and shim it up but cobbin might be a waste of time.
Nothing like a clean proper C'bore with sleeves protruding as specs say.

All 4 sleeves are below the top of block

Edited by autobody - 14 Sep 2015 at 7:23pm

4 5/8 sleeve can have and should have a counter bore flange on it. The problem with that bore with sleeves at the correct deck height is that the gasket still will blow because the gasket is thin and no strength left to hold. The block studs will pull out because of no block material left to hold, need to install studs differently. The inside of block needs to be machine out for more coolant flow. You can take head gasket out a run no head gasket, done it and yes it does work very well, do it on big bore engines. Call me you have my number if i can help.

mgburchard wrote: I agree with Tucker but no ones 4 5/8 bore sleeve in a 226 block has a counter bore for a sleeve flange .

I do them with a flange....... 

There isn't much to support the deck of the block on these engines.  Basic physics here boys and girls, the seal is created between the sleeve and the head.  Weather you have a gasket with a fire ring, a copper gasket and sleeves protruding from the block to create a pressure ring to seal, or a copper gasket with an O-ring in the sleeve or the head, a seal needs to form between the head and the sleeve

These blocks have an un-supported deck, meaning there isn't pillars running from the head bolts to the bottom web, or bores cast in the block to tie the top to the bottom.  When you push on the sleeve with the pressure ring, it wants to push the sleeve down and lift the block deck up, there's a lot of leverage from the head bolts to the "pressure ring and it's going to try and distort the block and push the sleeve down.  By machining a counterbore in the top of the block and a flange on the sleeve (just like original) you tie the block deck to the "pressure ring" and things stay put.

The easy way is to bore the block, leave a step in the bottom counterbore and push a sleeve in, this works on blocks that have support to the top deck, but we don't have that here.  In order to get a large bore in, offsetting the original bores and boring there is little material in the bottom counterbore left, there isn't any strength there and there is a very small step. The sleeve gets pushed past the step.  This type of design works fine in engines with supported decks, and enough material in the bottom web, however we are not dealing with that on these AC engines.


The way to do it right is to use a flange on top, and dowl pin the head.

As the guys have said, whom ever did the machine work screwed up but don't feel lonely, there are a lot of people out there screwing up sleeve jobs. I have a stack in front of my HBM to re-machine right now.

I have seen Pank's suggested "fix" on low pressure, low RPM engines such as hit miss when the machinist screwed up and cut the block too big for a press fit and didn't leave a stopping ledge either. I wouldn't trust that repair on a high performance application with known sleeve fit problems, if you get by with it great, if not more money down the tubes. As Marty said the clamping force generated by head bolts is tremendous, and you going to hold that back with a few small pins? Just put your thinking capon for a bit.

The fix is to re-machine the block and have new sleeves properly installed, that's my suggestion.

Edited by Butch(OH) - 15 Sep 2015 at 9:26am

Decide to junk block and build new motor.Thanks for replies to questions

Here's a pic of how I do the flange.  I offset the cylinders on the original bores, 1 and 4 go out or away from the center to each end of the block, 2 and 3 move some also.  1 and 2 along with 3 and 4 overlap some on the flange, but there is some room left from 2 to 3 in the center.  All get moved away from the camshaft side of the block, then grind some clearance in the front, back and along the camshaft side to allow some coolant flow.  There isn't really enough material left to run much of a press fit on the sleeves, so .0005" press fit is all. Much more press fit and it is going to split the block bottom at this point.

 I make sure to take the edge off the bottom of the sleeve flange, so it has clearance to sit firmly on it's seat with out interfering with the slight radius left from the tool when boring the sleeve counterbore in the block.  I also do just a slight undercut under the flange on the sleeve.  If this isn't done, there is a chance that the sleeves could move a little bit

I blast the block clean on the inside, install sleeves with sleeve retainer around the bottoms.  Then I use a product called Rock Block, it's a fiber based block filler.  Grout based fillers will weep water, fiber will not, and it machines out easy and doesn't wreck tooling if the need ever arises in the future.

After install, they get bored, honed and block gets decked, then I cut O ring grooves in the sleeve. 

This particular block in the picture is a #40 so it's solid above the center main for a 201 engine.  It's set at 4.6" bore with room left to bore to 4.7" a time or two should it get worn or scored.

Pank bores the top 4.950 turns the sleeve two inches up from bottom in lathe to 4.800 lets sleeve set on block bottom bore with Bing with .oo2 interference on 4 5/8 bore sleeves . On 4 3/4 bore sleeves be bores 4.950 installs straight sleeve and pins in bottom on 4.800 piston bore he bores 5.060 and pins straight sleeve in bottom . he fills the block and doesn't run water .he fixes alot of the run water blocks by hard blocking and opening up cylinder bore making cylinder block more rigid for more hp