Yeah, I guess if you started the engine, took the car through the water trouch, did a burn out, and ran the 1/4 then shut it down, it wouldn't get hot enough to blow up. But I can guarantee you that if you bore a 289 out to 70 over on a daily driver, you will not get very far down the highway.

 

you guys are all way too worried about this crap. .060 is FINE for a small block ford or chevy, obviously the less you take out the better (mainly so you can rebuild it again later) but .060 is OK. the only time i wouldnt wanna go that far out is if the water jackets were very corroded (like most marine motors) but if everything look normal .060 is fine.

think of how far they get cut out when sleeves get inserted and even then theres still metal left. that should give you guys an idea of how thick the metal still is.

if someone can show me a block that was bored .060 and ended up blowing out a cylinder i'll stand corrected but in 5 years of working at a machine shop i have never seen a motor come back for something like that, and we would bore a motor that far if thats what it took to clean it up. major reman companies like marshall, atk, and jasper all go .060 - they wouldnt be doing it if it brought them comebacks.

 

yes but a sleeved cylinder is stronger and the sleeve restores the lost integrity of the bore

for the comment on the reman companies just because they do it doesnt mean its a great idea

 

Mine is .60 over and I have never had a problem. The car is not a daily driver, but I do not have a problem running through the montains in 90 degree heat.
I also run a 195 thermostat with 3 core radiator and shroud. I would not try a 180 thermostat.

 

Why do you not want to run a 180 degree thermostat? Please explain why you think that extra 15 degrees is beneficial.

 

I dont think I would worry about this engine being bored .060 over, if the mechanic is right thatit has already been running with this cylinder bore for some time, if it were going to be a problem, I think the problem should have already come to the surface.

I think it is safe to say that if ALL (or most) blocks are good at .030 over, then SOME (or many)should be good at .060 over as well, especially the early blocks. Some blocks will have core shiftor corrosion issues but certainly not all of em.

 

I should have clarified...I have tried 180 and would overheat on hot days. After talking with some people they said that there is no way to keep a hi-po (and bored-over) 289 running under 180. At the time (12 years ago) I do not remember aluminum radiators etc. or atleast I did not have the money for one......
Anyways, once I went to 195 I do not have problems, and was told these cars can run up to 210 if needed.

 

210 is no where near overheating

 

060 is over for a mild engine is okay. I wouldn't push high compression or high revs onto that bore size, however.

A 180* thermostat will run your engine cooler than a 195* thermostat if the rest of the system is up to the task (radiator, water pump, passages). Switching to a hotter thermostat will not cure overheating.

 

Ok I had my engine rebuilt by a professional machine shop that has been mentioned in numberous articles and are very well respected. My 351w was already bored .03 over and they said going more is perfectly fine. It is now .04 over obviously. The guy in charge said that they bore these small block .06 all the time and have never had anyone come back and complain. You will not and should not have a problem with your engine being .06 over, especially if you've already been driving it around with no problems.

But if you want to be the safe side just upgrade the cooling system well. Get at least a 3 core radiator, better yet an aluminum one. Get a cool running thermostat (I believe mine is a 160° thermostat) and I also recommend getting a high-flow water pump. I have an edelbrock high flow water pump installed on mine and so far so good, but I havn't ran my car much. I havn't done this but I hear electric fans can do wonders, and be sure to have a good fan shroud.

Just my 2¢