Engine Sleeving, Etc.
With a spare 3 HP Briggs & Stratton, we practiced the sleeving process at Central Roller. Using mild carbon steel tube stock that was readily available, I turned and polished the OD so it had .004" interference with the ID of the cylinder. I also beveled the bottom OD for ease of entry into the cylinder. For the actual sleeve, this process will be slightly different: the sleeve will be cast iron and the ID will be honed to ensure low surface friction between the sleeve wall and the piston rings. But, for practicing purpose, this was a useful experiment.
We heated the block in a 275 F oven for an hour, and allowed the turned sleeve to cool to room temperature. Jason and Mick were standing ready at a hydraulic hand press with the sleeve while I retrieved the block from the oven. Once I got to the press, Mick positioned the sleeve on the cylinder and Jason started pumping the hydraulic press arm. It slid in like a warm knife into soft butter. Well at first...
Halfway down the cylinder, the sleeve cooled and expanded to make the fit a lot tighter. I gave Jason a hand with the pump arm, and we were put to the test. When Mick gave the thumbs up to signal that we had reached the bottom, Jason and I were quite relieved. Bosley even smiled.
The trusty mascot Bosley, overseeing the day's activities
