Bill,  the main problem is with the crack the deck flexed and lifted around the sleeve.  I think if I leave it alone and bolt it down with a solid copper gasket everything will push back in place.  I was running comp. gaskets from Best and I think they have too much "give" to them and when the cracks came it lifted letting the water around.  The other bank, on further inspection, had cracks between all cylinder also but no leaks.

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

Oh! ok, i see now, i,ve allways felt uneasy with the deck not securley attached to the block core after the 4" job, i know years back they spoke of furnace brazing but nowadays seems hard to do or get done. I like you have filled the block for support but theres not much holding the deck and studs in place. Hope the new gaskets will help, looks like jerry c is ontrack to good times once he gets the new car settled in. good luck, regards bill.

  AussieBill            YYYY    Forever Y Block     YYYY

 Down Under, Australia

Tim:

My swap meet 427 block I bought for my '63 R code galaxie had some sleeves in it, and cracks across the deck as yours does.  Got water in the cylinders.  I'm sure you are aware of wet sleeves for farm equipment.  I got some used sleeves free from a John Deere with  a usable bore size, and machined them to fit the holes in the block, but I left the flanges on the tops of the sleeves and turned them down to an appropriate size.  Then I counterbored the block for one hole, put in the sleeve, then counterbored the other one and put in that sleeve.  That makes the flanges interlock and completely cover the deck area between the sleeves.  The flanges are big enough on the OD that the gasket seals any water that tries to get through.  It's a street engine, but it works for me.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Tim, I think that was the same problem that Ted had with his 4" X 4" EMC engine. Removing that much material allowed the block to flex to the point that he had a hard time getting the cam out.

Glen Henderson



Freedom is not Free

Letohatchee, AL

I am very aware of wet sleeves in farm equipment as that is what I work on every day.  I was half expecting something like this to happen and thought that the filler in the block would help keep the water in the heads.  The problem with the Y that your 427 wouldn't have is the way the combustion camber overlaps the deck and the gap between the cylinder.  When counterbores crack on the diesel engines I cut and install repair rings, on the bigger bore engines they also overlap eachother and inter lock.

Here's a little video of the process if you are interested. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elqzK8u-ido

By the way, I have one of those "swap meet" 427s that has been sleeved in all cylinders. got it for nothing, looks like crap, but I just can't part with it.

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

Tim.  As Glen mentions, the cam tunnel in my own 4” bore block took a serious twist as a majority of the block support was removed when installing the sleeves.  For the time being, that particular rotating assembly along with a different set of pistons was moved into a 3.859” bore block and is running extremely well as a 375 incher.  My own 4” bore project has been relegated to the back of the project list.

 

The cracks between the cylinders appears to be an ongoing problem when going to a 4.00” bore with sleeves.  Furnace brazing the cylinders in place would probably help but that’s something that’s just not available in my part of the country.  I did try a hefty layer of epoxy resin under the deck to help strengthen this area on the big bore EMC engine but still had some issues with the deck flexing.  Didn’t blow a head gasket but water seepage into the cylinders at the edges of the sleeves was an issue.  But I was still running coolant in the block and my water issues were at the deck where the non-circular head gasket leaves the edge of the sleeve.  In my case I was using ½” head bolts and hard to say if that helped or hurt the situation.  No easy fix from my end.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

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Ted, thanks for the update , i guess i know what to expect and think going back to original block is rational decision, how did you go at columbus? thank you, regards bill.

  AussieBill            YYYY    Forever Y Block     YYYY

 Down Under, Australia

Ok Guys, I got Elwood back together this weekend.  I'm going to be running my 338ci spare pickup engine so I can make the Eagle Field meet, it will also be a nice test of the engine as I may use it in the next project as a C motor in the new Unibody LSR truck.  The 322ci 4" bore dragster engine will be back and running as soon as I get my solid copper gaskets back, they should isolate the cooling liquid to the heads and make the cracks in the block a non issue.

bla bla bla

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

 

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

Did a little work on Elwood yesterday. Adjusted the valves, cut six inches off the zoomies and made new fuel lines.  Took him to the local A&W cruise night and next week we will be going to Famoso for an ANRA event to see if he will pass tech and hopefully make a couple of passes.  Maybe I will have a timing slip to show to you guys by next Mon.

bla bla bla

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias