Does core shift make your castings automatic discards?
What is core shift and what does it mean for your engine build? Core shift is quite common and easy to spot when you're rebuilding an engine. And depending on how bad it is, it can adversely affect your engine build.
Core shift is what happens what an engine block, cylinder head, manifold or other type of sand casting shifts in the mold when molten iron or aluminum is poured into the mold. When core shift happens, it can throw factory machine tooling off, mislocating oil galleys, cooling passages, lifter bores, and even cylinder bores to where wall thickness gets dangerously thin in places. This isn't as critical with a stock rebuild, but very important if you're going racing.
When you spot mislocated lifter bores and oil galleys, it isn't always core shift. Sometimes it was miscalibrated tooling as well, but a rare occurance. Most of the time, it's core shift. Keep core shift in mind and thoroughly inspect before having expensive machine work performed.