Wet sleeve conversion?!?! Darton MID

[gerlbaum]

Kinda cool. Guess just for race application.

https://dartonsleeves.com/midinfo.html

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[david85]

I always liked the idea of a wet-sleeved engine, due to an unlimited number of times the block can be overhauled. Cost is one problem, but wet sleeved blocks are also not as strong because the cylinders themselves don't add to the overall rigidity of the combined structure. Heavy commercial engines use them but they typically have to be made more massive, so they don't have very good power to weight ratio.

If adding this to an existing engine, I suspect there would be need to have smaller diameter pistons, depending on how much of the original bore gets removed (if any) to make room for the sleeves. It's still a neat idea though. Even our old 1948 Ferguson tractor uses a wet-sleeved engine. The block is basically just a cast iron box with a single cross webbing in the middle (which cracked some time in the last century. Still runs fine).

 

[gerlbaum]

Yeah thatst a compelling reason to swap to a dt360. It's interesting because these notch together. You machine out the piston bores. There's a picture of a Cummins on their website with the work done. I've heard of darton sleeves before and they are quality sleeves. But I don't know anything about these.

 

[nelstomlinson]

Looks as if they don't convert our IDIs.
from https://dartonsleeves.com/we_install.html

FORD

4.6L Modular,
5.4L Modular Iron, Duratec

 

[gerlbaum]

Even if they did, I wouldn't want to see the machining costs alone lol.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I couldn't see where there would be enough room in out blocks unless, like David85 said, you have custom, smaller pistons made and that would be cost prohibitive too.

 

[david85]

You could always just carve a hole new block out of a single billet

 

[IDIBRONCO]

But then none of the regular parts would bolt on and you'd have to make them too. I think I'll just stick with what International built originally.