Im in the central TX area and need the block resleeved. Does anyone have any good experiences with shops local or in the states? Trying to keep the price down if possible. Thanks

 

A couple of machine shops that do good work on these engines are Q&E Engine & Machine in California and D&D Fabrications Inc in Michigan. Recommend you price and check lead times of both options. If you need more advice then I would give Mark at D&D Fabrications a call to discuss your build; he is a wealth of knowledge on buick v8 and my D&D refreshed block has been solid for several years and 40K+ miles. I wanted more power and better reliability so I went with liners, ARP head studs, Crower 229 cam, 4.6 crank/rods with my 4.0 pistons. IMHO, to avoid future cooling issues you should refresh the cooling system parts and get the Extinct inline thermostat kit as it greatly reduces the chances that you will have a fatal overheat!

 

No advice on a specific shop in Texas, however, if you go with tophat liners (do a search) they will fix the primary issue with these blocks. Machining for the "brim" of the tophat is simple, albeit not commonly done.

Removing the old liners is simple. Heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and tap out.

Video : Part 1 & 2

 

Thanks for the info guys. Looked again last night and saw this... Cant tell if its a scratch, crack or imperfection. No signs of stress on the gasket.

 

Probably no an issue but it looks like a scratch, but if you are going to redo the liners you need the block checked for cracks and then you may well do top hats and darton sleeves and you have removed liner issues