What to do with a 322 engine with a hole in it?

[914Driver]

A badly installed repair to a crack gave up after it was rebuilt and driven ~ 100 miles.  I am replacing it with a 346.  So, you make a coffee table, of course!
All I need is a 36" glass table top.

[James Landi]

Daniel, where's the offending crack???

[914Driver]

Between the sleeved cylinder and exhaust valves on cylinders 2 & 4.  Both failed, breaking into the sleeve area.
Coolant eeked around the plug and into the bore.

[James Landi]

So sad.... any ideas to share about the attempt and the failure? The ''patch'' looks very sound as does the rest of the rebuild.  Thanks for posting the pictures   James

[914Driver]

I decided to remove one of the sleeves (all 8 were sleeved, OEM?)  Standard sleeves are not tall enough so they would have to be hand turned.  As a tool maker I can do that, but as a retired TM, I don't have access to machining.  A very experienced man who's done a few told me it's a 60-40 failure.  So for the money I would have spent on a maybe, I got a running 436.

...and a coffee table. 

[59-in-pieces]

Daniel,

Or a very elegant anchor for your yacht.

Have fun,
Steve B.

[TJ Hopland]

How common was it to do sleeves as a repair back in the day?   Its not something I ever recall hearing people talk about or finding as a vintage repair.   

[914Driver]

I assumed the sleeves were stock as all 8 were sleeved.  BTW, it's $250/cylinder, someone spent some money here.

The failure was, maybe, the patch; but I had to beat two pistons out of the hole.  The rings weren't gapped, once out, the gap was not there at all and the ring was bigger than the piston by a lot!  Assume this generated heat, maybe exciting the patch, I dunno.  I just know how it ended up.

Were the 322s sleeved from the factory?  Just curious.  If you need low mileage 322 pistons hit me up, near scrap price.

Dan

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

At one of our GNs some time ago, a member got up and admitted that he had a large Cadillac sales banner above his (and his wife's) bed. It's taken a few years, but I think you have him "topped" for being the ultimate Cadillac "nut."

Lest you think I'm saying that this is kind of a weird idea, on the contrary, I think it's pretty cool. I love the pistons that will hold up the glass. Just be careful, as it's sure not going to move any if you stub your toe in the middle of the night.

And if it's your wife that does the "stubbing," you may find out that she has some words in her vocabulary that you never dreamed that she knew...

Give us another picture after you get the glass on it.

[914Driver]

  No, no, she's quite patient with my fetishes; from hang gliding, racing a sailboat to Soaring.  The only issue is it won't go with the eclectic mix of her tastes with a Victorian house.  Man-Cave it is.

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

Daniel, Wives are so very patient, aren't they? Tonight is the 65th anniversary of my Blind Date with Gay. She has put up with so much. I just got her down to bed. She has short term memory loss and is slowly getting episodes of "I don't know how to do that."

I took her to Christmas Eve services at my church. Introduced her to my folks and left her to go sing in the choir. And the weird thing was, I didn't have any thoughts, one way or another about doing that. It just seemed natural to do so.

It must have been. She's put up with me for all this time. I'll tell one war story about when she was the Club's First Lady. The first Chicago Grand National banquet had run wayyyyy long. When I finally was getting ready to stand up to conclude the affair, she took my arm and said, "Don't you dare get up and make a speech!"

I think I said, "Thanks for coming, drive home safely, and we'll see you next year."

May you all have a wonderful day tomorrow. Merry Christmas.