I did not trust trust the base gasket to stop sand and dirt from come inside when taking off the cylinder.
I plugged the holes with JB Weld, ca 8-10mm thick. 2k clay wariant as a bottom, filled up with 2k epoxy. Drilled a few small holes in the aluminium to give it more grip.
I could have made the JB Weld epoxy thicker to improve the stability. 25mm or more.
The big sleeves vs RCS gasket. Not much material left for gasket made for even wider sleeves.
Used sleeves not the widest, OD 74.5mm (ID 70mm)
(There are o-rings with tight fit around sleeves pressed down before filled up with sealer.)
That RCS gasket does not sit tight around the sleeves. Gasket was ordered for the Billet block where it sit tight very tight.
Gasket is used and went in again. That's the good thing with this type of gasket.
Before assembly a very thin layer of RTV ( High temp silicone) smeared over the important surfaces keeping oil inside engine. I have earlier seen oil weeping on the side.
I let it cure at least 30 minutes before assembly to avoid a sticky gasket spreading silicone where it should not.
Still dry 25000 km later.
