Technical First Timer - 1955 Crown Victoria 272 / 292

Hoping to get some guidance here as we really new to this. And, hope we are in the right section.

My 20-year old son and I picked up a 1955 Crown Victoria last month that has been out of commission since the mid 1970s. Had the car towed to our home and looking to get her started. The door tag indicates it has a 272 engine, but the casting number on the engine (EDB-6015-E) and the heads indicate it is a 292. We realize the door tag (or door) could have been swapped; or perhaps the engine was swapped. After all, the intake manifold on the engine is a set up for a four-barrel carburetor (ECZ-9425-A), and we found a two-barrel carburetor mounted on a two-barrel intake manifold (ECG-9425-H). We ***ume the previous owner (deceased; purchased vehicle from his daughter, who knew nothing about the car) may have dropped in a 292 with a 2-barrel carburetor and was in the process of putting in a four-barrel carburetor but never got around to it. In any event, before we invest too much up front, I suggested to my son that we pick up new intake manifold gaskets and put back the 2-barrel to see if the engine runs. We will need to to purchase spark plugs, ignition wires, cap/rotor, points and condenser. However, we have been challenged with finding the wire set at Napa, Autozone, and O'Reilly's. Hoping to get some advice on what other model vehicles we could reference to get the wire set. For the other parts, we ended up going with parts for a 57 Thunderbird 292 (4.8L) engine. The wires go under the exhaust manifolds. This has an automatic transmission, which I'm ***uming we will have to tackle after we get the engine up and running.

As I mention, this is our first effort at working with the Y-block engines. We have done some reading and have looked at different forums and YouTube videos to get a better understanding of the vehicle. Our previous Ford experience was reviving a 1991 Mustang GT (with a 302 engine and AOD transmission) that had sat dormant for ten years. We are learning, and this has been just a father-son activity to keep from getting upset with each all the time.

 

search for threads here on these motors - lack of top end oiling seems to be common - check sites like macsautoparts.com for tune up parts - carb will likely need to be reuilt

 

Don't get too worried about the plug wires. If they're original, they may still be good. Ford was still using solid-core wires (metal core, not the failure-prone carbon core) in those days, and if you don't get a light show at night (leaking to ground) they'll be fine.

Do take a hard look at the front crossmember under the radiator as those are known for rusting out.

 

Y Blocks were also installed in trucks until 1964 so that is another avenue for parts. Distributers, Carbs, etc.

 

Pictures with the air cleaner off, showing the distributor and carb will help. Pictures of the valve train with the covers off will let you and us have a look there for sludge, that tell you more in a y block than most engines.
I think the plug wires were the same for all the cars and bird, and even for the rams horns on trucks. That includes the mounting bracket. But as Steve said, that’s further down the road.

You might add your location, just in case someone’s close enough to help.

 

Yep, what they all said and congrats on what sounds like a cool project. Lots of knowledge here on the mid-50’s Ford’s and y-blocks. Anxious to see some pics of your Crown Vic.

 

CASCO Thunderbird has engine parts, wires, points, etc.

You need to determine which distributor you have. The 55 distributor has a dual inlet vacuum advance unit. The later distributors have a single inlet vacuum advance. If it is a dual unit, you have to have the proper carburetor that has a venturi vacuum port since the distributor has no mechanical advance. A 55 2bbl carb may be a 3 bolt flange carb. A high school buddy had a 55 Fairlane with a 272, 2bbl and a 3 speed OD. It ran real well with that small 2bbl carb.

 

If you can't get hold of plug wires, I just looked at Parts Geek When you scroll down the page you'll find reasonably priced sets, under $20. Enjoy your Vic !

 

Pictures, please!

 

I think the 55 had the single diaphragm/single connection va***n can, big diameter, and the 56 used the dual diaphragm with 2 connections to the carb. Either way they are loadomatic’s and only work with the original 2 barrels or the tea pot Holley. Tea pots properly rebuilt run ok, but it’s best left to an expert with kits that will live with ethanol fuels.

The 57-64 distributor has mechanical advance and a vacuum system for cruise. If the carb is good, it should start even if the loadomatic distributor doesn’t advance properly. It won’t drive well, but it will start and idle. Either way, don’t be afraid to try more advance than the factory spec. Mine like 10-12 degree initial, so do many stock ones.

 

A few pictures of the car. It's a project.

 

Thanks for the warm reception and advice. Will take pictures tomorrow of the distributor, cap, and wireset. The rubber caps on the wireset are shot on a few of the plug ends. Engine turns manually fairly easily. Will see about posting pictures of the heads and rocker arms. Just let us know if we go overboard with pictures. Thanks again.

 

All I am going to say is that back in the day a crown Vic quite often might be owned and driven by a guy who drove it a bit harder than the guy who had the 55 4 door. Blown up engine with a later 292 dropped in in it's place. I wouldn't get my undies in a knot over that bit unless your son is looking at a full restoration to stone stock and trying for a 100 point car at seriously judged all Ford events.
It's a Y block, it looks right, it will sound out of this world with a good set of pipes and the right mufflers. Enjoy and don't get caught up in the nonsense of it not being quite original unless you are actually shooting for going to judged as original shows.

 

A good place to start would be here:https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-all-inclusive-almighty-y-block-thread.1221157/

Happy reading.

 

HA! Never enough pickures! A lot of us are old and cranky and do not like to read. One picture can tell a thousand word sentence. Check out your rocker panels below the doors for rot, inside and out as they are prone and as mentioned the front cross member. Also check out the wiring and be prepared to rewire if it is old and crusty, spliced, or just falling apart, especially under the dash where no one looks but everyone splices.

 

First things first.....
Do you have the ***le? Before any effort is put into it you need to make sure you can get it ***led and tagged.

It's just parts until then.

 

Just want the car to run. Not concerned about full restoration to stone stock. In fact, my son pointed out that the serial number is probably from another car; he says it comes from a wagon. Other than the hood ornament, we think the car is complete (albeit most of it in the trunk or the back seat).

 

Yep. Took it to the DMV to make sure we could get ***le before we paid for it. We had it registered as non-operative because we didn't want to pay for insurance and the additional fees until it can get on the road.

 

By the way, my brother and his uncle picked up a 67 Ford 250. With a bit of tinkering we got that on the road not too long ago. Still need to work on the carburetor to get it to run solidly, but good enough to be on the road.

 

Thanks. We did check the cross member and it looked good. There is a good bit of rust, most superficial, with a couple of places more serious than other. Though, it doesn't look like any of it is structural. Will know more as we start tearing her apart, but want to see if she starts. And, yes, some of the wiring will need to be redone, but from what we can tell, it is fairly straightforward (at least compared to the newer cars with their complicated harnesses)

 

Thanks. Yep, looks like we will be reading quite a bit these next couple of months.

 

Lots of info in the 1952-59 social group as well

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/social-forums/1952-59-ford-social-group.282/

 

It’s down the road, but when you get into the wiring don’t be surprised if even under the dash the insulation is brittle and cracks when you move it. My 55 bird was a Seattle car, and even it was that way 20 years ago. Those old Ford’s were inline fuses and circuit breakers, no fuse panel. Unless it’s a full restoration do yourself a favor and get an aftermarket harness and fuse panel. Plenty about those here on the search function.

 

If it looks too bad or unsafe Rebel Wire is an Alliance Vender here and you will get a discount. 6V or 12V and yes there is a difference as the 6V wire requires a heavier gauge.

 

Great project!

 

About that. The coil has a 12V stamped on it. So, we are ***uming that it is set up for 12V. Sound about right? Don’t see any markings on the generator.

 

Glad that you can see that. I can't in my pictures.

 

If your car is still 6V, it's easy to convert to 12V. Search ctci.org Gil's Garage, which will tell you what you need. If your battery box is the same as a 55 Tbird's, you will need a Group 56 battery. The Autolite battery shown on Gil's Garage is no longer available.

Miker is correct, regarding the 55 distributor. It has a single-pot vacuum advance. The 56 has a dual-pot vacuum advance. Neither distributor has mechanical advance. 55-56 distributor bodies have a red ID tag riveted to the body. 57-up distributors have info. cast/stamped into the distributor body. Removing the cap from a 55-56 distributor will reveal the advance springs above the breaker plate. The advance springs on 57-up distributor are under the breaker plate and not visible. You can modify a 55-56 "Teapot" carb to work with a 57-up distributor, but the 55-56 Loadomatic distributor is not compatible with 57-up carbs. 55-56 distributor cap is smaller than the 57-up cap.

 

Don't start dis***embling the car. That's how they end up in the back of a garage for thirty years.
Get it running.
Replace gas tank if needed.
Fix the brakes.
Replace wiring as needed.
Clean inside.
Clean outside.
Enjoy the ride.

 

A bit confused. Clicked on the link and a blank page showed up. Thought it was an issue with the computer, so switched. Same thing.