Does anyone have any info on running an oem piston with darton or other sleeve? I know its not recommended but has anyone tried it? Maybe use aftermarket rings? If not what alternatives exist? I cant afford to buy a new block or have all 4 pistons sleeved with new pistons(which costs more than a block). Cylinder 4 has a pretty deep gouge in it..

 

It'll run fine, I disassembled an engine I bought a while ago that had only one iron cylinder sleeve with OEM pistons and it had no cylinder-related issues (engine failed because the crank walked).

I'm fairly certain you can use the OEM rings, but double check before you do it. Make sure your shop/machinist has done it before though since the expansion rates differ

 

Appreciate the input, How long did yours run before failing? In other words, will the durability over time be affected? For example could I still expect a reliable engine assuming its rebuilt right? Or will the rings eventually not take to the sleeve in a shorter period of time? by that I mean what are the chances it will last at most a year?

 

Shop around and do some research. Sending your block to Darton to get sleeved is a lot cheaper than any other place. I'm in that same process now but I decided to go with CP's. Go through them directly also.

 

I disassembled it after it crankwalked and the block had been worked on before so I couldn't tell you how long. There were no obvious signs of wear on the piston or sleeve, but don't be naive and think it'll wear the same as a factory engine and have the same lifecycle. My bet would be that you'd burn more oil over the lifetime of the engine, but not suffer any catastrophic engine failure under normal driving conditions. If it gets you back on the road for a couple years while you save up for a new engine, I would consider that the optimal use-case for the single sleeve.

If you can afford the extra cost, get all 4 sleeves done so that you can drop forged pistons into the block in the future if your pistons do wear out prematurely for some reason.