Drax's JUN Prelude: Papa Smurf edition

[Drax]

How much would a replacement block set you back, and how would you know it would be good to go?

Personally I would sleeve the block for reliability and you could then use any pistons you feel like, get the perfect piston to wall clearance and be sure the bores are uniform all the way down. Its pricey though, you'll be looking at a minimum of £2k for sleeves fitted and pistons bought to suit.

i'd just need a good bottom end again, Phil kindly sorted me last time (I owe him many many BJ's) so i'd just need to source a replacement and rebuild it from scratch - no biggy. It's not like ive done it multiple times now haha!!

Sleeves vote for you, ok good stuff - i'm still keen to build it myself and i know many machine shops who could sleeve it. any particular sleeve make recommended? or any will do? i need to research this.

Just found the TPW tag they did

[Drax]

Sorry to hear the bad news

its not THAT bad car hasnt set on fire, engine hasnt thrown a rod through the side, it's all stuff that we can move forward with

[Vtecmec]

Sleeves vote for you, ok good stuff - i'm still keen to build it myself and i know many machine shops who could sleeve it. any particular sleeve make recommended? or any will do? i need to research this.

I used Darton sleeves, the ones with a little lip on the top to keep them steady. Effectively I gave the shop my block, the sleeves and my new pistons (for measure), they then fitted the sleeves and honed them out to match the piston to wall clearance that I had asked for. After that I built it myself.

[Drax]

Sleeves vote for you, ok good stuff - i'm still keen to build it myself and i know many machine shops who could sleeve it. any particular sleeve make recommended? or any will do? i need to research this.

I used Darton sleeves, the ones with a little lip on the top to keep them steady. Effectively I gave the shop my block, the sleeves and my new pistons (for measure), they then fitted the sleeves and honed them out to match the piston to wall clearance that I had asked for. After that I built it myself.

righto, sounds like a plan!

[Drax]

Phil has pointed out another avenue, to use the F23 bottom end he gave me (in which i robbed the F23 crank & rods), as this is is an aluminium block. so maybe the thought of using this with brand new high compression 86mm pistons in this.... saving sleeving the h22

thinking out loud, at the moment i'd prefer to reuse the current h22 bottom end - get that sleeved, then buy brand new 10:6:1 pistons instead of second hand ones. Keep the f23 crank & rods.

If not, still sleeve but swap back to a stock h22a7 crank & rods, then buy new high compression h22 pistons instead

[wurlycorner]

Ah man, just caught up. Sorry to hear the build hasn't worked out.
A couple of my thoughts based on the compression results:

• Low compression would cause fast crank, rather than slow crank.

• Low compression could be rings, but zero compression I would have thought more likely to be something 'definitive' like a holed piston, valve not closed etc. (excluding catastrophic stuff like snapped rods, which you'd certify know about already!!!)?

Have you got an endoscope camera you could use to have a look inside through the spark plug holes and IM/EX manifold, before condemning it?

[Drax]

It's no biggy Iain, onwards and upwards with her

Last time she melted the pistons, even taking the head off didnt confirm what happened/failed, i had to remove the pistons via the bottom end to truly see the extent. I'd siding towards the bores not being in as good condition as i'd judged, could them being in poor nick cause the (brand new, yet again) rings to blow maybe?? or cause the pistons to melt (again) ??

I may borrow the leak tester from my mate again, hook it up to my air compressor and see what that says - it told me pretty reliable info last time.