Ford 292's! Well alrighty then...

Here's a pic of the one in Robin's Starliner here.

 

My first car had a 292 in it. It was a workhorse. I'd keep it and build it before considering a newer SBF. SBC wouldn't even be on my list.

 

"Sure ford made other motors besides the y-block but who grives a shit"

I love this guy...

 

Find a new group of buddies, ones that can derive an original thought.
But don't listen to me , I ditched the 292 in my Ranchero for an FE

 

Am I the only person here who has no love of the Y-Block? I thought mine was a noisy little slug and adjusting the rockers all the time was lame. Not to mention Ford knew they had oiling troubles before they even started mass production. Only good thing I can say about mine was it never burned oil or leaked but then since the oil pressure was so low I guess it probably couldn't.

 

Sounds like you are going to keep the 292 Y Block , good. The first car I owned back in 1957 was a 55 ford mainliner,272,overdrive ,389 rear, 3 carbs and all chrome removed,wide whites.duals, lowered 3 in.. fender skirts , powder blue . The girls loved it and it would eat sbc for breakfast. I only blew the trany one time and it would bury the speedometer needle . I have 3 292s in storage now that I want to use In something someday. Keep the 292.

 

I don't think it's so much a matter of love or hate but preference. Me? I wouldn't put a SBC in ANYTHING except maybe a Chevy - if I ever owned one. I get a kick outta some who go out of their way to build a unique custom or hotrod, then stick a bellybutton SBC in it. Preference? Yup, and good for them! Mine? Nope. Doesn't mean I'd put a Y in everything I own either. And I likely wouldn't swap one out for anything except maybe an FE or a Cleveland.

I have a 383 Mopar engine that I'm thinking of sticking in a future non-Mopar project.

Pick darn near anyone and ask 'em about an engine horror story, I bet there'd be a fairly diverse representation of nearly every make mill out there.

IMO, & no charge either!

 

Had to make a similar decision myself with the 55 Fairlane gasser my wife and I are building. We knew a FE or 390 would be easier to build for power, but something about sticking with the Y block (ours turned out to be a 312) seemed the way to go, and I'm glad we did. We went moderate, bumping compression a little, balancing everything, and going with an Isky cam that a buddy with Y block experience had recommended as a good street/strip cam. Would have gone dual quads, but found stuff for a 3x2 first. Working on making fenderwell headers now.

We bolted up ours to a late model Mustang GT 5 speed to get better highway drivability.

Now I'm looking at building a 292 for my '40 pickup.

 

Dual exhaust with Porters or Smittys sounds AWESOME

 

Oh yeah, the sound of a smooth running Yblock can't be beat!

My '56 is getting dual Porter Steelpacks.

Got them from Clark (Porter Man), they're an Alliance Vendor - check their website: http://www.portermufflers.com/ I think they have sound samples of Yblock running thru dual Porter mufflers on their website.

Also check out the Porter social group: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=388

I got my NOS Belond headers from him too, and the Fairlane will have the complete exhaust system installed soon.

 

Do tube headers flow better than Rams Horns or are they about the same?

 

My Father owned many garages over his 79 years. His love for Fords was handed down to me. He always told me about the oiling problem in the "Y" blocks.
When I was young, I built a 36 Ford and used a 292 out of a 58 F100. Dad rebuilt it for me and added his own touches. That thing had a cam in it a week long and a mile high, a 312 crank, and a 2X4 intake and carb setup. He had made a 3/8 drill bit that was about 3' long. He used it to clear the oil passages. I thought that he had made it for my rebuild. "Nope" he said, "I made this in 1955 when I saw the first one in a Toronto Taxi that never had an Oil Change"
Just like everyone has said "Y Block" that motor was STRONG, for a long time. AND! I could hold my own (Dirty habit) with the kids in their SBC. Build the 292. you will not be sorry. I got a 312 for my 56

 

Y-block all the way............................................

 

The ram's horns are better than the other Y manifolds, which isn't saying much. Whether they are equal to headers is an open question...looking at the 3-4 current offerings on the market right now, most probably flow better than the ram's horns, even the shorties.

However, there is one header design out there that is basically a log-type manifold made from tubing...I wouldn't expect it to do much better, if any, than the ram's horns, based on its design & workmanship....although I can't say for certain without flowing them.

For our purposes, the ram's horns have less resonance, and are probably cooler looking than headers to most of us.


Hmm...my 2,000th post...and it's about Y blocks...pretty appropriate for me!

 

I had a 58 f350 dually with a 9' dump box. it had a 261 (lincoln?)straight six and 6.83 gears and 5or6 lug 6.00x17.5" tires. top speed 40 mph
I changed the rear to a 4:11 dana 60 with 8-lug 9.50x16.5's and gained a top speed of 60mph but it wouldn't haul anything. It weighed almost 12,000# empty in the rain because of that big wooden dump grain box.
I couldn't find a 312 but put in a used 292 with a 2 barrel and it would haul fine and sounded classic. I estimate I would have had to have at least a 351 in there to pull what that 292 would pull. 302? 300 six? no way.
it had a slight knock that never got worse or put metal in the oil. It did have external oiling...some kind of kit made of kopperline to get oil to the top end if the small faktory.
passages get klogged
for some reason I don't understand, the 261 six and the 292 took different bells. the heavy f350 tranny didn't fit the 292 car 4speed bell that was on it. I had to find a bell at a truck savage that was prolly off an old f600.
My truck was basically an f600 anyway just titled and badged as an f350 custom.
hey, i found a pic. I switched to 66 f350 front hubs to get the 8 lugs and it upgraded the front shoes to 3" wide from 2.5"


I read up alot on 292's back then. One source found stock ports to flow better than ported heads. something about the wierd geometry being hard to nail and suggested if porting the heads to get them extrude honed or leave them alone.

 

Thanks for the info... I really like the look of Rams Horns, but I don't sit around with my hood open waiting for people to look at my cool exhaust. haha So, I think I am going to just get headers from Reds which are a lot cheaper and I'm thinking will sound and flow better. I am probably going with straight pipes, but I might add some glasspacks instead.

 

Oh, and here's a picture of my valve covers that my lovely wife has painted for me.

 

Looks good!

 

Y-Blocks rule. They have the coolest idle, like a flattie.

 

I can't wait until mine is done! rebuilding my '60 292. Nothing too fancy but it will have an RV cam and headers.

 

what he said

 

Keep the y-block fer christ sakes, you better not put a sbc inthat 57 if you do you need your ass kicked! If you want a sbc go buy an el-camino!

 

292!!!!!!! or even a 312, say no to SBF

 

Thats the kind of response I would have expected more of

 

KEEP THAT Y BLOCK !
Go over to John Mummert and get yourself one of his stroker kits and have some fun ! The Y blocks were strong running engine and can make some decent HP . There are many good cams and parts that you can get for the 292 . Really , go find a 312 crank and have a machinest turn the mains down to fit the 292 and that will be a good start for a nice engine . It will hold up very well and is not really that bad in price .
Now if you are going to replace the Y block , I would go with a 390 . they fit in very well and you can do a lot more with the FE than the Y block . All depends on what you want . Do you want a real nice cruiser , then the Y block will do you very well . If you want a bad ass fast street ride then go with a stroked small block or a big block . They will all fit under the hood very easily .
Now the Y block also has a very nice sound too . Kinda similar to the flathead but different .
One other thing , Don't you ever stick that damn POS orange crate squirrel cage under the hood of that great Ford !
Just my opinion !

RetroJim

 

I had one when I was 17. Showed it no mercy and it still kept coming back for more. Still ran when I sold the truck in 1992.

 

Hey, I like your Ranchero but then I guess I should!
Do the Y-block, I love mine. Can't beat the sound for sure. I backed mine up with a rug 4 speed toploader (overdrive), it made the drivability great, low first gear but still interstate friendly, cheaper then a T-5 conversion.

Mine

 

More than often the lack of education causes fear of the unknown.
AFA as the cost of a sbc over a FORD...BULLSHIT. My 351w rebuild was cheaper than my 350.
Y-blocks..have been around since the 54 to 62. The Y-block is still untilized in South America. Wonder why...they last when treated like and engine. If parts have to be constantly adjusted...time to change them out.
Definatley do the research and talk to John Mummert.
I have learned plenty from this man. Also Tim on here has a wicked y-block in his truck and front engine digger.
AFA as headers and rockers? Anyone check out Reds headers? They have Tubular style and log style headers. Also aluminum roller rockers.
John Mummert has a wicked set of aluminum heads now. I have checked them out personally and I am very pleased with the work. I will have mine by March. I am using 312's right now.
John did the machine work on my .050 over 292. with a 292 duration cam and 3 dueces it should pull 300HP (300ci). I have been fitting the block down in my 37 frame this week. Power to weight ratio should be be pretty impressive. 300 hp and maybe 1700 pounds.