Hot Rods The all inclusive,almighty Y block thread

You got some goodies there. I'm glad I'm not the one writing the check to clean up those G heads tho. Haha. They will be good ones. Seems like those rockers may be 1.6 ratio, Not sure, can't recall. I had some old hedmans like those at one time. Have you got a good 292-block lined-up for that crank?
Have fun.

 

You did real good. Those look like the Hedmans I put on my first bird, back in 1968 or so.

 

Fixing to pull this 56 312 apart and see what all it needs. Hoping it won’t cost a fortune to go through so I can freshen up my 56 for this year.

 

^ I have some G heads, 312 crank and these.

Just down the road from you.

 

Hmm…I may need to get with you on those heads and valve covers. I do have some Offenhauser valve covers on it now, but those are cool.

 

On our ranch back in the sixties, early seventies, we had a long bed 1959 F-600 with a 292 in it. It had a 24 foot bed on it . It was a single axle, but we added a drag axle to it and built 4 foot side boards on it.We took an eighty acre piece of the ranch and planted watermelons. We had the contract for melons for Safeway in about a 200 mile radius of Oktaha, Okla.
Not sure how many pounds or tons of melons we put on that truck, but it was huge. With Farm tags we were exempt from wieght limits. That 292 combined with a five speed and two speed carried that load with out complaints to a three state area! This went on for several years!
Testimonial to the toughness of the Y-block. And it was box stock!




Bones

 

Bump for Y block guys…
@junkyardjeff

 

I'm a virgin as far as Y blocks go. I bought my wife a 57 Bird a few years ago, beautiful car. Had a older restoration, good job. The motor was rebuilt at the time it was restored, runs like a top, had the valve covers off clean as a whistle all the gaskets look new etc. but she leaks oil like a sieve. Heard those Y blocks had bad rear main seals? Can someone enlighten me? Thanks John

 

About the rear seals, they are the rope seals and yes you must get them in correctly or they will leak. If you check on the web for the Y block sites (Mummert or Y block guy) I think you will find a "tech" section on one of them and if I remember there is a little video about how to get them right. Also, on YouTube you could do a search too. Sorry I could not aim you in the exact direction but with a little search you can find something. I have one that leaks real bad and another that leaks just a little bit, they are a pain in the ****.

 

Well, since you bumped this Chris…I guess I did get my machine work done for the 312 in the last year. Maybe this year I’ll get it together and in the car.

 

It’s a territorial thing Intake valley pan and valve covers also contribute. There is a one piece neoprene seal available for the rear main but the knurling needs to be removed from the crank

 

Pretty Cool John,

I also bought my Wife a 57 T-bird with the 312 for this last Christmas. I had also heard about the rear main issue & was hoping like the Pontiacs that you could get a better neoprene seal, well @Wanderlust answered that question. It ****s that the knurling needs to be removed unlike the Pontiac!

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

Current state of my 312. I guess I didn't take a pic of the block, but it is on the stand in a bag.

 

Mine is still in the car and needs rebuilt. It’s a slippery slope…I start looking at overhaul kits and parts and before you know it, I’m looking up 445 FE parts.

 

Here’s the link to Ted Eaton’s article on the rear seal. One update is the Best Gasket orange seal is no longer available. They all failed, and fairly soon. So if one turns up, don’t use it.

I replaced an orange seal with the 2 piece neoprene using a sneaky Pete, in the car. That makes 3 of the best gasket 2 piece I’ve run, and they don’t leak when properly installed. Read the notes about the odd block and the depth being off.

https://www.eatonbalancing.com/2008/09/10/neoprene-rear-seal-installation-for-the-y-and-others/

 

I use a BEST. It doesn't leak. Any gasket will leak if installed poorly.
It's not the engine. It's not the gasket.
Read up. Learn how to install a rear seal.

 

I agree with a lot of what has been said on the rear main seal, but it should also be mentioned that the installation of a PCV system might be of some ***istance as well. The Y blocks have that funky oil separator on the side of the block with the road draft tube. The rope rear main seals leak easily, but they leak even more when there is positive crankcase pressure pushing some of the oil out.

 

That “ funky oil separator “ on the Y-block was a very common item on most all engines of its time! Some were built different and looked different, but about all engines of that time had some system of evacuation of the engine, using the motion of the vehicle for minus pressure! It was during the Y-blocks time that the PVC systems came about and engine crankcase evacuation improved dramatically! Bones

 

I'm well aware of the road draft tube and how it works, but most engines of the era had the road draft provision on the top of the engine and away from the spinning rotating ***embly, and had the oil separator on the inside of the engine rather than externally in a canister.

 

Yes, you are correct, most of the engines up to the late '50's or so had the draft tube coming out to the block at least half way up but some of the Y block motors had that tube mounted low on the driver's front side. I think the later Y blocks had the draft tube installed at the rear of the valley cover as did the T birds. that is up until the PVC system came out in the early '60's. I have a '59-60 motor and it used the valley pan location (maybe a pick up motor), my '57 T bird motor also used the valley pan location and came with a steel cover to close up the hole on the lower driver's front of the block. If you really want, you can swap over to the valley pan draft tube, just need the correct valley pan and draft tube. And make a cover for the hole in the block.

 

Actually it was a 60s 292 ones with the block road draft cast over less core shift. was sonic tested and it was a .162 over 292 and was street driven with no heating issues

 

Went out back to look at my parts engine today. It’s still where I left it lol.

This is the worn out 239 from my country squire, I pulled the side off the crate because I need the oil pan off it, then it snowed for two days.

 

The “funky” separator on the side of the y block has a drain back into the crankcase just like internal ones or the rear Ford one from the valley cover.
The 45* cut angle on the end of the tube was cut to **** the vapors out of the engine when the car was moving.