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Bored&Stroked · 03-11-2023, 12:35 PM

Cylinder Wall Thickness: I don't like to be below .150 - if at all possible. Back in the day, there were lots of guys that claimed that as long as you were over .080 to .100 you were fine (for racing engines).

The problem with that today is that a lot of corrosion may have taken place since new - so there can be heavier rust pockets around the cylinders and you run the risk of water coming into the cylinder the thinner the walls (even though you thought you were good with your .100 sonic test results). Sonic testing is an approximation and even with 12 test points per cylinder, you obviously aren't checking the entire cylinder wall for imperfections.

Also, if you're racing it really hard and/or with boost, you can split cylinder walls when you start getting them too thin. Also, the thinner the cylinder walls, the more tendency for ring sealing issues as well as more heat getting into the water jackets.

03-11-2023, 12:35 PM	#35
Bored&Stroked Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 5,723	Re: 59 block questions Cylinder Wall Thickness: I don't like to be below .150 - if at all possible. Back in the day, there were lots of guys that claimed that as long as you were over .080 to .100 you were fine (for racing engines). The problem with that today is that a lot of corrosion may have taken place since new - so there can be heavier rust pockets around the cylinders and you run the risk of water coming into the cylinder the thinner the walls (even though you thought you were good with your .100 sonic test results). Sonic testing is an approximation and even with 12 test points per cylinder, you obviously aren't checking the entire cylinder wall for imperfections. Also, if you're racing it really hard and/or with boost, you can split cylinder walls when you start getting them too thin. Also, the thinner the cylinder walls, the more tendency for ring sealing issues as well as more heat getting into the water jackets.