Technical Y block guys, need a little advice

I would like to hear the pros and cons of removing the draft tube and blocking off the hole on my Y block. It has a breather in the top of the oil fill tube so there shouldn't be any pressure inside. Any and all info is greatly appreciated

 

The road draft tube and the breather cap work together, one is not much good without the other. The tube draws the fumes out while drawing in fresh air through the breather cap. You can remove it and it will run but you may want to add breathers to the valve covers or a PCV system.

 

Mctim is an expert. There's a current discussion here at the ford barn. More info on the link to yblocksforever. You need to add the PCV valve, and properly, or you'll have an engine full of water and contaminates.

http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=208286

 

So what is the best system? Draft tube or PVC. If it was your choice, what would you choose?

 

Or find the valley pan from a later motor that had the road draft tube going down the back of the motor. Then you can block the port in the side of the block. I actually ran both draft tubes on one of my hotter Y-blocks.

 

I'm a big fan of using the later valley pan and converting that to PCV. I'm not a super big fan of the side mounted road draft tube. Primarily because the filter material gets loaded up and can make a mess. The more worn out your engine is -- the shorter the life of the filter.

But you need an inlet and an outlet. Don't forget that your Y-block is nothing more than a glorified air pump.

 

Pros-it won't leak oil Cons- it won't breath as well unless you put breathers on the valve covers


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I personally think if you plug the draft tube you should keep the valley cover with just the original oil fill tube and put breathers on the valve covers. That's the best breathing system for a yblock in my opinion


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The draft tube is simple and works well when everything is clean. Problem is, as mentioned before, the more wore out your engine is the faster the filter and/or drain back tube will get clogged and you will have a little leak out the tube itself. PCV system is a great way to go but with that you will need a later baffled valley pan and the correct size PCV valve. Too small and it wont draw enough, too big and you may have an idle problem. Also with the PCV you need to get your vacuum from the right place, go to the base of the carb not the hole in the very back of the manifold. If you draw from the port at the back of the manifold you will cause a lean condition in the back cylinders.
Personally I go both ways, I have the road draft tube on my '58 pickup and am very happy with it. I have a PCV system on my Sedan and F-600. My Y-Block dragster and LSR truck have MOON breathers on both valve covers and a big filter on the filler neck. Both engines create a lot of crankcase pressure at high rpm but only for a short time. If you run only breathers on the valve covers to relieve the pressure on a daily driven car you will more than likely have a lot of condensation and sludge build up in your engine over a period of time. You need to keep the air moving, bad out, good in.

 

Thanks so much for the information. I wanted to move my steering box forward 3/4" and the tube was in the way. I will leave the tube and mount the box where it fits. It will not make enough difference to be worth the extra work.
Thanks again

 

if the box hits the tube, why not modify the tube?

 

I have posted this before, this is a diagram of how the factory PCV system is set up on a 60s truck.