Me too!

 

So what does the price on a mid sleeved ls1 run?

 

Any of the large valve heads will work on the MID sleeved LS blocks. For NA use the LS7 head will work fine. Richard at West Coast Racing Heads can open up the exhaust ports for more flow.

For nitrous or boosted applications, look at after market LS7 style heads with thicker decks.

Steve

 

ls7 heads you mean ? ^^^Steve

 

Ridiculous.......period.

My LS6 was resleeved back in May 2002, going on 9 years old soon........purring like a kitten with 150,000+ miles on it and it doesn't lose a drop of coolant either. The sleeves were simply installed porperly. Nowadays, with guys like Steve/ERL, the worry is gone...and the sleeves are much better: longer and stronger. My sleeves are crap compared to the new Darton stuff. Back when I got mine everyone talked about dropped sleeves and losing coolant......hasen't happened to mine and I think that problem is pretty much gone these days.

And AFTER resleeving an LS1 block you can safely go bigger bore than the rest also, and still have good wall thickness. I think 4.200" bore is ok NA.

If you want more cubes....go sleeved.

.

 

I have a old MTI 427ci sleeved ls1. Built back in 02 or 03. doesn't lose oil or coolant

 

What would you say is better for a street car from a cost/efficiency/longevity standpoint? A sleeved LS1 or a sleeved LS2? If these are wet sleeves in an LS1, don't you need to run special coolant and do some other things? I have a 382 LS6 in my C5 now that I am happy with, but I want more. I want something I can hop in and go anywhere without worrying about it though, and that is what I have now. I still have my original LS1 block that could be sleeved, but if I could buy a dry sleeved LS2 for the same price and have it be more reliable I would rather go that route. I don't care about the conversion from Gen 3 to Gen 4.

 

Very good info in this thread.

 

What's the difference between dry and wet sleeves? Great thread with very good info let's keep this going guys.. too many times I have heard people say sleeving a block is too much money and not really worth it but I am ready to prove them wrong =)..

 

Great thread! Great info!

 

I think cost is the biggest thing that scares people away from re-sleeving.

 

If you do the math sleeving your LS1 block can be a pretty good buy when comparing to other large bore options. The wet sleeve design will be stronger and everything from your old engine fits.

Do the research - most everything you read about Darton sleeves is great. ERL also has a good reputation and they will assemble you a killer short block with stout parts including billet caps and ARP hardware.

Sleeved engines are going to cost you more than a 4 inch bore engine. No doubt that is the reason most don't go down this path.

 

This may be true depending on parts you use but you also have to remember that a real racer who cares about his engine is going to be taking apart that 4in bore unsleeved SB and having it rehoned, bearings checked/replaced along with new rings possibly. This adds up every season where as the sleeved block may not need all the extra time/$$$ spent after you go beat on it for a year or two and tear it down for inspection. I like knowing if I beat the crap outta what I am running, one of the last things I need be concerned about is a wall cracking or a little denotation/KR ruining a brand new setup.
I know there are plenty of people running LS7 blocks with FI and have no issues but they cannot rant about longevity when they haven't experienced it yet as these engines are new in the racing world and that is the one area this combo would lack (compared to a proper sleeve), the ability to take a beating day after day for years and show no signs of old age or distortion.

 

Cylinder Sleeves:
Cylinder sleeves (1) or liners are removable, cylindrical inserts. Two types are used. The dry sleeve is separated from the water jacket (2) by the cylinder wall (3). The wet sleeve is in direct contact with the coolant and has thicker walls since no outside structure provides support. Sleeves are typically cast iron. Wet Sleeves come into contact with the coolant. Dry Sleeves are mounted into the old or new cylinder bore holes of the block,
If you bored out and old cylinder and installed a new sleeve in it there would be part of that old cylinder still left its part of the original block. This adds much more strength to the block. If you pulled a dry sleeve out of a block the bore would be solid. The dry sleeve doesn't need to be sealed. A wet sleeve seals to the block on the top and bottom, but the middle is open to allow the coolant to pass around it and cool the cylinder better.


Dry Sleeves:
Dry sleeves are thinner in construction since structural support is provided by the engine block cylinder wall. The loads generated by combustion pressure are absorbed by the engine block and not the sleeve. Dry sleeves can be pressed into older engines to repair damaged cylinders.

Wet Sleeves:
Wet sleeves are designed to withstand the loads generated by combustion pressure. The sleeves are in direct contact with engine coolant. A rubber or copper O-ring is used at the bottom flange to prevent coolant from leaking into the crankcase. The cylinder head gasket prevents any coolant leaking through the top.
The main advantage of a wet sleeve is that it allows any or all of the cylinders to be easily replaced if one or more cylinders are worn out or damaged, which greatly extends the potential service life of the engine. Wet sleeves also allow engines to handle higher horsepower loads without overheating because the coolant is in direct contact with the sleeve.

 

Some good info in here! Almost missed this 9 year old thread.

 

Same for me. Thanks for the bump!

 

Still reading it in 2020. Great info!

 

Very informative thread. So the question now is. What does it cost and with the aftermarket blocks available in 2020, is it the best bang for the buck option?