Over boring a 330FT block

[pbf777]

Nowadays, I try to do minimum bore and spend the money on a piston.

   +1   

    Scott.

[Tommy-T]

Bob, tried to PM you, I guess you didn't get it.

A little anecdotal experience.
I have a D4TE block that sonic checked at the machine shop to have at least .100 walls everywhere bored to 4.130.
Got an Ebay sonic checker in the meantime and checked the block after I got it home. Several places under .100, thinnest at .079.
So I Hard Blocked it up to the water pump holes and have been running it pretty hard for the last 2 years. Plenty of street miles with some round trips of 100+ miles. Run it up to 6K rpm often.
I also have a 19x31 Ebay aluminum radiator, engine oil cooler, 5" water pump pulley, and PRW aluminum water pump. Runs very cool (below 200*) according to my coolant temp gauge, and hasn't run over 210* on my oil temp gauge.

Not really suggesting it's the correct way to build an FE motor, but it has worked well for me and would do it again.

[428kidd]

I see nothing in that sonic that would scare me. Matter of fact those number look a lot like most I have done. Not some of the super thick ones I see posted on the web sometimes.

[My427stang]

To support what has been said. Sonic test is handy to check core shift and see if a block is a candidate, but as has been said it is purely a spot check. Below is the sonic I did at home on my current engine before I punched it out 040 (had pistons). Whilst not fantastic it looked to acceptable. When bored, porosity was encountered in one cylinder and a sleeve was necessary.

Nothing wrong with that sonic.  I would have went for it too. Which one needed to be sleeved? 

My gut tells me that #5 bore is slightly off, maybe not the core as the other three align in offset.  Generally, there are thick and thin directions, and it follows the whole bank.  Not that it is an issue at all, but every so often we have to make a decision when prepping a block whether to correct or just stay on existing bore center.