Is this 401 Nailhead sleavable?

I have a 401 Nailhead that was seized. I tore down the motor and saw that it has a large piece missing from the bottom of the cylinder. In the photo you can see the piston behind the missing metal. Not sure how or why this happened because the internals are all intact. It was a fresh water marine engine so maybe it just rusted? I figured because it was a fresh water motor that rust would not be as much of a burden,....but obviously I was wrong. My question is : is it possible to save this cylinder with a sleeve? My gut feeling is that when this cylinder is under the stress of the bore machine,.....it will or may crumble. Should I even bother? Or should I just get a donor block and be done with it? Thanks Ted

 

I can't tell, your pictures are a little fuzzy.....

 

I don't see a photo? My brother had a sleeve put in his 401 because of a crack in the cylinder wall.

 

photos would help

 

Sorry guy's,.......computer issues

 

If you are referring to the "M" shaped area and the piston is the different (rusty) color, then this is a good candidate for a sleeve. Since the back of the cylinder is visible throught he cam valley, the missing material is not in a water jacket.

boring does not stress a casting. price your machine shops rate for installing a sleeve. if you have access to another block, that would be preferred, all other things being equal.

fresh water would not make a difference, again since the area affected is not part of the water jacket.

edit: looking closer, is that the piston, or is there a "flake" of material missing from the interior wall? might not need a sleeve at all.

 

Sleeves are fine as long as they are done right.

 

Sleeve it... and I'd suggest removing all that nasty casting flash, too.

My buddy raced a 427 Ford with seven sleeves...

 

That looks like it IS a sleeve.................
We had a sleeve instaled in a 364 Nail,with the same kind of damage, and it has been running fine for 3 years.

 

I think what you believe to be the piston is a sleeve.

 

Wow,.....it never occurred to me that this might be a sleeve because the piston is actually in that very end position. Well,.......that changes things just a bit. Thanks for your time and suggestions,.......I will check it out when I get home tonight. Ted

 

Well,.....it is indeed a sleeve. I owe many thanks to everyone who posted. Once I noticed that broken cylinder,.....I panicked and didn't continue looking closely at anything else. Thanks again for the wisdom. Ted