L.A. Sleeve

[26fhead]

Has anyone used L.A. Sleeve before as am I thinking about sending them a set of cylinders, they seem to know what they are talking about on the phone but I know how that is sometimes?

Thanks Steve

[larry]

I've used their sleeves. I've never heard of another brand.

[26fhead]

Larry,
Have you used them to install the sleeves?

Thanks Steve

[govmule84]

Run a set in my Knuck. LA installed a flanged set.

Seem fine to me.

[larry]

I did the installation on a panhead.

[26fhead]

Thanks for the replies I will give them my cylinders to repair.

Steve

[Chris Haynes]

Years ago, okay decades ago, a friend had his 74" Knuck cylinders sleeved by LA Sleeve. While on a long ride he noticed the engine suddenly lost power and was running extremely rough. Between two of the fins, in the center of the cylinder, it had cracked completely around the cylinder. The two halves of the cylinder, held in place by the sleeve, were now separating.

[Rubone]

Years ago, okay decades ago, a friend had his 74" Knuck cylinders sleeved by LA Sleeve. While on a long ride he noticed the engine suddenly lost power and was running extremely rough. Between two of the fins, in the center of the cylinder, it had cracked completely around the cylinder. The two halves of the cylinder, held in place by the sleeve, were now separating.

Which is always a possibility no matter who sleeved it.

[T. Cotten]

Years ago, okay decades ago, a friend had his 74" Knuck cylinders sleeved by LA Sleeve. While on a long ride he noticed the engine suddenly lost power and was running extremely rough. Between two of the fins, in the center of the cylinder, it had cracked completely around the cylinder. The two halves of the cylinder, held in place by the sleeve, were now separating.

Once upon a time, Chris,

I was working for a local speed shop, and a fellow brought in some shovel cylinders for sleeves.
As I bored the castings for them, I noticed that they had been so severely over-torqued that they had lateral cracks at the headbolt flanges.

I told the boss they wouldn't fly, but he said sleeve them anyway.
And the customer didn't seem to care.

A couple of months later another fellow came in to declare he had blown his front head into the frame like a cannon, immediately after he bought the bike from the first fellow.

Boss said, "Too bad. You're not my customer."

.....Cotten

[chuckthebeatertruck]

I've used LA Sleeve several times over the past 15 years, but all on triumphs and guzzis. Never an issue and one of the bikes I continue to ride regularly -- and am pushing 14K miles since the cylinders were sleeved with zero problems.

Depending on why you need a sleeve, you may want to consider nikasil plating. It's about 20% less than a sleeve and holds up extremely well on iron cylinders and exceptionally well on aluminum cylinders. Don't believe the stories of nikasil separating from the walls -- it is stupidly rare on air cooled motors for it to happen.

I have only used millenium cylinder for nikasil. Others offer the service, but I've no experience with them.

[chuckthebeatertruck]

as to the separating of cylinders . . . one of the most common issues in the past is that sleeves were fit with too high an interference value on cylinders that were already thin and may/may not have had their bore centerline square with the base flange after several rebores. This is especially true on iron/iron motors which tend to behave a bit differently when bolted down and fully warm than alloy/iron or alloy/alloy combinations. Many "vintage" motors also do not have through studs and substantial force is present at the cylinder base/case/spigot interface. Failure to double check the spigot to case clearance can cause issues blamed on the sleeving process as can torque induced distortion of the entire barrel.

When done with care and attention to detail, there is no reason a sleeve cannot outlive a non-sleeved cylinder.

[T. Cotten]

Here's a gem, Folks...

The boreman didn't even sharpen the tool for cutting the casting, leaving such chatter and toolmark that it insulated the Chief sleeve shown in the attachment.

A thou and a half is all that's necessary to hold the sleeve, and transfer heat, but it sure helps to hone the casting to a fine finish.
This one required an expensive over-size LA replacement.

When the final bore was finished for the piston, it still distorted dramatically more than a stock cylinder when torque-plated.

....Cotten

[kitabel]

I would describe that finish as "10% knurled"

[kitabel]

The only bad outcome in which I know a LASCO product was employed was several U/UL (11 fin, 120-38/381) cylinders, originally 3-5/16" bore, which had VL/UH/ULH sleeves (3-27/64" ID, 3-9/16" OD) installed. AFAIK not LASCO's fault, some shop didn't see a UL sleeve (their EL sleeve is the right OD but too short) and bought the wrong one.
The cylinders cracked across at the guide ledge, being the large change in cross-section plus the valve spring levering upward from the pinion side.

[DanM]

We did a piece on Millennium Technologies in the magazine a while back https://www.millennium-tech.net/

They claimed to be able to put as much as .05" per wall, and then hone it with special diamond tools. In that process no additional cylinder material is lost. I have not used them myself, but they do hundreds of cylinders a month and seem to understand exactly what they are doing.