sleave in a cub engine.

[staninlowerAL]

I'm wondering if anyone has ever sleaved a cub engine. I've read that pistons and rings come in oversize up to .060 for overbore but what about sleaves and undersized pistons. I'm looking for possibilities to save the block. Thanks, Stan

EDIT: I looked up the piston sizes in the parts manual, .010--.040 oversize available.

[Eugene]

Folks have bored and installed sleeves.

But and a big BUT. Considering the expense, would be much, much, cheaper to buy a running engine in decent condition.

[artc]

.060 pistons are around, at least used. i junked a motor that had .060 in it and was scored. i have not looked for ring sets lately in that size, however.

but the cost to sleeve a cub engine will far outweigh the cost to get a replacement block

[Bus Driver]

If sleeving a Cub engine, it probably would be best to have the sleeve bored to standard, the original piston size. One seldom hears of engines having more than one cylinder bore size in the same engine block, but Chrysler did that back in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly for the Plymouth and Dodge. Some new engines would have one or more cylinders bored oversize, presumably to salvage defective blocks from the original manufacturing process. Crankshafts also could have some journals undersize.
NASCAR driver Herb Thomas won a race at Martinsville (VA) in 1950 in a Plymouth with flathead 6-cylinder engine-- the only engine supplied in that car at that time.
Given the slow speed of the Cub engine, having different bore sizes should not be a problem. But this opinion is not based on my actual experience.
Decisions based on cost are another matter.

[Hengy]

While I am sure that the cost of having a sleeve put in is expensive, it would be a nice option to have for the future of the engine. When it starts to get smokey, just take the pistons out, replace the sleeves and re-ring. Would be much less expensive for future operations in my opinion. Of course, talk is cheap from my end!

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

While I am sure that the cost of having a sleeve put in is expensive, it would be a nice option to have for the future of the engine. When it starts to get smokey, just take the pistons out, replace the sleeves and re-ring. Would be much less expensive for future operations in my opinion. Of course, talk is cheap from my end!

since it would be fitted dry sleeves, would need a sleeve puller with the right sized puck, plus I think most of the time a sleeve is cut off to fit, and fitted in with a press, a bit more complicated than on engines originally equipped with sleeves.

[muleboss]

Was not a cub, But I sleeved all four pistons on an Avery "V". About the same size as a cub. I sleeved each cylinder, machined the original pistons true, then bored each sleeve to fit the piston. I did not have much choice as parts were hard to get. Runs good now.
So it can be done.a little costly.

[Clark Thompson]

I have saved many cub engines and other engines by having them sleved. It only really pays if trying to repair a bad cylinder that is cracked or damaged in some other way. Usually I would sleve a cub engine that had one bad cylinder and the other three were in good shape. The last one I had done cost 100 bucks a hole. The process was to bore the cylinder then freeze the sleve then it still had to be pressed in. Then when it was done warming to room temp it was then bored to size. If needed in the future the sleve can not be pulled with a sleve puller. It has to be shrunk then pulled. A few years ago my son bought a 04 jeep with a 4 cylinder that the piston had shattered ruining the # 4 cylinder. He was going to buy a new engine but I had it sleved back to std like the rest of the cylinders. New piston and rod and it has been running ever since.

[staninlowerAL]

Thanks to all for the excellent information. I believed that it could be done, now to see that someone has done it confirms it. I will be stripping the block and getting someone who has the skills and equipment necessary to repair this block. StaninlowerAL

[Wood]

Stain here in Tuscaloosa they have sleaved all kind of engines.

[Gary Orr]

I have had a few 345 CID that the piston scored the cylinder wall. Saved the blocks with a sleeve. Never had a problem with them. GO