Anyone ever try a Sleeve Transplant?

[Chris1956]

I have an 850 inline with severly scored cylinders. I also have an inline six with one thrown rod. It ironically has newly bored cylinders and OS pistons. Is it possible to transplant the sleeves, pistons and wrist pins from the inline six to the inline four?

Note: the inline 6 has the powerport pistons. I assume the powerport won't have any effect when used in the 850 block.

 

[emckelvy]

Re: Anyone ever try a Sleeve Transplant?

The sleeves are solidly cast into the motor. When a professional shop re-sleeves a motor, they bore out the block then press a new sleeve in. The only other way to remove an existing sleeve from the block would be to cut it out or by other destructive means.

Since you have O.S. pistons already, you could send those along to your local "prop shop" or marine machine shop which does boring on outboard blocks.

Tell the shop to bore out accordingly and hope the 4-cyl block cleans up to fit your pistons. Don't let an automotive place do it unless they've had a lot of prior experience boring-out outboard blocks.

Your power-ported I-6 pistons and rods will work as well in the 850 block, be aware that the 4-cyl is also power-ported.

HTH.........ED

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Anyone ever try a Sleeve Transplant?

EC - Thanks for the insight. I was hoping you were going to tell me to put the block in a 500 degree oven for a while and the sleeves will pull out! It seems to me that my 2 cycle motorcycle could be resleeved that way.

Oh, well. I need a bit more ambition to repair that 850. I have been stripping it for years to keep my 1500 going. The 850 is a bit small for my speedboat, hence my lack of drive. Maybe over this winter I will basket case my 1500 and see what I can do for the 850.

Thanks again