225x - has anybody disconnected the oil injection on one of these?

[LongShot]

Yeah James is the king but I do all of my own boring and sleeving work. I have installed a lot of pre-plated sleeves as I don't like the full replate, hard on threaded holes and throws a ton of ugly on the block, but the cost of those sleeves has gone out of sight. I still had to send them to Millenium to be honed and freight both ways was over $100. The nik was forgiving around cold starts but I can take used two ring top pin pistons that are undersized and hone the cylinders to fit if I go with the cast liners. I found .008" piston to wall in the big heavy replacement sleeves would work. The thin sleeves should have better thermal transfer, quicker at least. Get the sleeve growing with the piston earlier. Have you ever heated a cast iron cylinder block to 350 degrees and do the same with a nik block and measured the id of the cylinders??? Amazing at the size difference. Also have you used WSM pistons? I rarely turn over 8000 rpm on the lake and have heard Pro and Vertex cast would live there.

[tux974]

Ah did not know you do your own block work. Sounds like you have a good handle on things!
Never have tried the WSM Chris and a few other really like them especially it has become hard to get Vertex lately and they come with 1.5 rings.
Yes, the Vertex and Prov have been tested hard, 9000+.
I have personally have had great results with both but I have my guys build my stuff for reliability not high strung.

[Steve Pope]

Once we hurt a Nic bore in one of our f1 engines and time was tight to fit a renic sleeve so we fitted a .060 steel sleeve into the damaged bore, gave it .001 more piston clearance and run it at 9100 rpm all season. The Steel sleeve always had the least leakage numbers. Ran the same cooling setup as a full Nic engine

[powerabout]

did you bore the nic out to get the sleeve in?

[LongShot]

Once we hurt a Nic bore in one of our f1 engines and time was tight to fit a renic sleeve so we fitted a .060 steel sleeve into the damaged bore, gave it .001 more piston clearance and run it at 9100 rpm all season. The Steel sleeve always had the least leakage numbers. Ran the same cooling setup as a full Nic engine

Steve did .060 get the chamfer cleaned up out of the old aluminum sleeve so you don't have a "ledge" at the top of the ports between the cast liner and old porting? i have a block set up with stock porting and am preparing to bore it out and then order sleeves. Whose replacement sleeves did you use? I have used Advanced in the past and Jeff Zaugg always came through with a special if needed. Thought you might be running something off the shelf. I don't have equipment to od grind or turn down a thicker sleeve or the talent!! I think John Marles is doing the same thing. Much easier to deal with uh-ohs. Were you Ok to mix and match in the same block,nik and cast?? I have an old Bridgeport with side pinned Mercs and Wisecos mixed in 3 nik and 3 cast sleeves on nitrous and I kiss it every time I fire it off thinking it will be the last. It keeps coming home in one piece!!!!

[LongShot]

Ah did not know you do your own block work. Sounds like you have a good handle on things!
Never have tried the WSM Chris and a few other really like them especially it has become hard to get Vertex lately and they come with 1.5 rings.
Yes, the Vertex and Prov have been tested hard, 9000+.
I have personally have had great results with both but I have my guys build my stuff for reliability not high strung.

Yep. Played with nitrous back in late 80's and my blocks stayed at Jr. Eaves more than they did on the boats so I acquired a boring bar and honing equipment. Just purchased some updated bars so looking forward to getting set back up since I have retired. I looked at WSM catalog on line and can't find a V6 Merc application. I need a set of .044 overs for a Project motor. Really would like to have a set of 3-5/8'" 2.7 pistons like were floating around several years back but can't find any. The block has the full 260 replacement sleeves and are thick. Perfect for a sprayed motor.....

[ChrisCarsonMarine]

Wsm offers most pistons in 010,020,030 ,and 040,sometimes 015...044 is a Wiseco and wizard size

[LongShot]

.040 would work. Haven't used stock Wiseco's in a long time......might be OK with top pins. I have had too many of their forged pistons spit side pins to try them again.

[Steve Pope]

We ported our own engines and did not renic the bores. We had very aggressive eyebrow exhausts and had small chamfers, nothing like the factory ports had.Because the engines were stripped regularly we did not see the need for large chamfers. We just bored the damaged Nic bore and had a custom thin sleeve made and fitted, we finished the porting after the sleeve was fitted. The cylinder was hurt by a failed top pin piston, not by any Nicasil chipping around the ports! John Marles uses thin steel sleeves in his race engines so he may be able to supply you.Cheers and merry Christmas, Steve

[LongShot]

We ported our own engines and did not renic the bores. We had very aggressive eyebrow exhausts and had small chamfers, nothing like the factory ports had.Because the engines were stripped regularly we did not see the need for large chamfers. We just bored the damaged Nic bore and had a custom thin sleeve made and fitted, we finished the porting after the sleeve was fitted. The cylinder was hurt by a failed top pin piston, not by any Nicasil chipping around the ports! John Marles uses thin steel sleeves in his race engines so he may be able to supply you.Cheers and merry Christmas, Steve

Yep I knew US1 was installing the thin sleeves. I am going to do at least one as soon as my new boring bar is installed, tooled up and rolling. I have a 260 with one cylinder down due to nik just being worn out. Think I will start there. Thanks Steve for the feedback. Think I will go with .075" thick to begin with and after .010" is taken out for finish bore I will be at .065" ish. Just get them made .005" longer than the stock sleeve they are replacing and seat them right back down on the bottom step.