Toying with accquiring a Y block off a guy, He's got one of each, with the 272 coming out of a Customline, and the 292 coming out of a f500 (?)..... I'm fairly nieve on the whole subject, but I'm willing to learn. Anybody 'schooled' on these engines, I know Germ and a few others have 'soft' (or HARD) spots for these engines, And I figure one of these engines would look good in a '50's style beast. Main questions I'd love to have answered if nothing else:- * which is preffered? (although we know there's no subs***ute for cubic inch's).... * What box (s) will fit without major h***les? (either manual or auto) * 'hop up gear' availible? * am I wasting good time and effort (ie are they just anchors?) Thanks in advance, cheers, Drewfus
a 272 will bore to 292 size and use a stock piston that is lower priced than a slight over bore for the 272.That f5 engine might have had a hard life and may not be a good foundation for a build.
Definately not a boat anchor, regardless what anyone says. Renowned for having bulletproof bottom ends. You can't wind it up like a small block. My '55 isn't fast, but it isn't terribly slow either.
Ya can't beat cubic inches! What year are the motors? Check the casting numbers for the heads on both engines if you can. Truck heads were usually lower compression than p***enger heads and '57 heads are generally considered the best. The truck motor may have been run pretty hard, but if it's a true truck motor, it may just have the forged crank which would be a plus if it isn't worn beyond repair. You can bore these things a lot, I had a '292 that had been taken out .125. Had no overheating problems either. With the proper head work, cam, and intake and exhaust systems these old beasts can make a respectable amount of horsepower. Street Rodder mag did a build up on one a couple of years back, you might be able to dig up the issues that covered it. Any of the old Ford 3 & 4 speeds will hook up to a Y-block bellhousing and someone is making an adapter for a 5-speed. Autos are a little tougher, the old Fordomatic (not the POS 2 speed that came out in '59) are OK, but probably cost a fair amount to rebuild. I think someone is making adapters to put a C-4 behing the Y-block also. Good luck!
Street Rodder called the 10-part (I think it was 10) series "Why Not a Y Block?" You CAN beat cubes, pick up a McCulloch supercharger for it!
Y-Blocks run good with the right parts and good ***embly. There are plenty of "typical" speed parts available, intakes, cams, headers, etc. I'm building one for my '48 tudor (a 272 truck motor with the good '57 heads, high ratio rockers, and three deuce intake). The following web sites will help you along. http://www.ford-y-block.com http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/tipstricks/74739/ http://www.y-blocksforever.com http://members.aol.com/yblock/yblock.htm http://www.reds-headers.com/ http://www.flat-o.com/carproducts/yblock.htm Most FoMoCo manual transmissions bolt up. I'm using an early Falcon Borg Warner 4speed behind my Y-block that literally bolts to the truck bellhousing and clutch. Flat-O sells a kit that allows the C-4 to bolt up. I'm sure there are others as well. I say "Y" not go for it? Decent power, rock solid reliability and its NOT a belly****on engine like the SBC. -Mike.
What were the engine options for 57? Particularly for the fairlane? I just got one & have no idea how to i.d the motor.
Repoguy, according to my book, for 1957 the ones that came in cars (not trucks) are... 272 2bbl, 190 HP, 270 lb/ft torque, 8.6:1 compression 292 4bbl, 212 hp, 297 lb/ft torque, 9.0:1 compression 292 4bbl, 206 hp, 297 lb/ft torque, 9.0:1 (manual ******) 312 4bbl, 245 hp, 332 lb/ft torque, 9.7:1 312 2x4bbl, 265hp, 336 lb/fttorque, 9.7:1 312 4bbl supercharged, 300 hp, N/A torque, 8.3:1
From John Mummert's site: what to look for: http://www.ford-y-block.com/partstolookfor.htm Have a 292 in my '61 Uni truck. Strong runner, lots of power, less than desireable gas mileage..
Thanks Deyo. I'm sure I didn't get lucky enough to score a 312, probably the 272 or 292. I guess we'll see. Anyone know an easy way to i.d. the motor?
See if you can get any casting numbers off of it, the heads and the block. On the heads, don't necessarily look for numbers that start with EC? but if they DO then that is the number you want. See what you can find and post it here, or on the yblocksforever forum site and someone will probably find what you need.
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