Thread: Sleeve/bore or stock bore better for my budget

Okay, i've been really wanting to get my ve block sleeved and bored out to either 90 or 92mm to make a 2.2 or 2.3 ve but that will be a ways down the road when i have a couple grand to rebuild the motor. My question is would it be that much more beneficial to sleeve and bore the motor than to get some 16ve pistons or custom 12.5:1 and put them in the stock bores? I know the torque will be more with the increased displacement but will the cost be worth it? Im operating on a fairly low budget but im going to do this build right if it takes me a little longer to save for it then so be it. I hoping that this build doesnt take so long that i lose intrest in the car and just sell the ve, because it was a blast until i floated a valve and toated the head.

It is always cheaper and easier to do as much work as you can to the bottom end of the motor before anything else. Its always cheaper and easier to remove and replace the head later. 90-92mm is the same cost. I would sleeve now and put a stock head setup on the block for now rather than stick 12.5:1 pistons in the stock bores and run N1 cams on a stock intake manifold. The car will be more fun with the 2.3L @ 12;1 comp than 2.0. You will make more power everywhere.
Sleeving with pistons is about $$1700-1850 realisticly done right. I dont care if people have had it done cheaper, i'm talkin about getting it done and not having to do it again.

Once you have more money to do a ported head with a custom intake manifold, you will be ready to make some serious power.

If you just want it running again for cheap, then piece it together stock for now.

If you don't want to go to the expense of sleeving, you can run up to 88mm pistons & still have a reasonably big bore engine. It's been done in NZ but not in the USA yet (I don't think) so you'd be the first up there

I would go custom pistons over SR16VE if you can afford it.

And remember what we're finding with even a stock bore engine... once you start making it perform you need better than mass-produced headers & better than std intake etc etc.

OK thats what I figured the response would be, i would really love that 2.3l so ill wait. Hey charles, does you machine shop guy over between us have an sr20 torque plate or access to one? and would you recommend him to install sleeves? i really dont want to ship everything to florida to mazworx but they do great work(from what ive been told) and i havent heard anything about anyone local except for doing small block chevys and the like.

Benson has all the best machining equipment and tooling. He has TQ plates and all the other cool gadgets. When you are ready I can set everything up for you and give you his address. Shipping will probobly only be $25 for you. Its $45 for me to ship a block to him. He does all my sleeve install and has done several SR20 Sleeve installations. He does all my B/K series, SR, Toyota and so on.

Thats awesome news, thats probably a ton cheaper than sending it to florida. ill let you know when im ready to go through with this project, thanks again.