Got my plan, parts, & builder to go 540 on a HP500. Pulled the engine, popped the heads and and noticed the sleeves were missing!
Oh wait, let me get a magnifying glass, there are sleeves in this GenVI. Is it really safe to bore these .0030 over to 4.5"? They're paper thin stock. Anyone tried chrome or nickacil for reliability? Should I find a Gen IV block or am I just paranoid parting with my 10K?

I have known lots of guys that have turned Gen VI 502's into 540's.




Darrell.

Paranoid. No problem going .030 over.

.30 over is fine in a Gen VI block theyre a pretty strong block

Umm, They don't have sleeves from the factory. Someone put them in because they one must have hurt the engine in the past. Gen VI blocks can go .60 over easy. I have a buddy running .100 over making about 700 hp right now and now problems for several years.

If there were no sleeves they would have to be nickasil, not gonna make 700 hp with rings running on castiron (not for very long anyway).

Anyone heard of a Gen VI 540 making it to 400 hours? My plan is mild, just 9.3 to 1 comp & 5200 rpm, If I only get 580hp I'm still happy. Longevity is the main concern.

Nobody's iron block comes with sleeves.... Not GM, Dart, World... Nobody.

Used the wrong term "cylinder wall" thickness is my concern

The std. bore on a 502 is 4.466". Boring it to 4.500" removes .034" on the diameter, which reduces the cylinder wall thickness by .017"... a little more than the thickness of a couple sheets of notebook paper... a negligible amount. The cylinder walls are not hardened by any means to start with, so you're not removing any hardened surface either.

Most of the CI increase comes from the 4.25 stroker crank. Only a few (7 or 8) CI are gotten from borring .030 over. A lot of guys bore .060 over. I would not go more than that.