Just two simple questions. 1) Is there an advantage to grinding a 312 crank to fit a 292 block? Steel Vs. Cast, stroking it,etc...Read alot of threads here and other sites and didn't get my answer.2) what cam to use if you just wanted a "mild" y when your done? I plan on just using "junk yard" desirable parts, (heads, rods, rockers etc...). I need to keep this in my budget. Fenderless
The primary reason is to gain stroke; a 292 has a 3.30" stroke while the 312 has 3.44". All 312 cranks are cast, and nearly all 292 cranks are cast as well, with one fairly hard-to-find exception. Depending on what a builder is doing, it may be a good idea to use the 312 crank...or not. They tend to be expensive, and are often cracked. So far as a cam is concerned, tell us more about the engine and the vehicle, and what you expect it to do.
Thanks homespun for the answer. I would like to build a "Factory Parts" junk yard special. Good factory heads, rockers, Rods, block, crank anything that the factory put out for these. It will be going into a '59 f-100, 3 on the column, 325's in the rear. I don't want a drag racing, tire smoking truck, just a good highway speed, not short on power engine when I'm done. I hope I can accomplish this with alot of parts found in the local junk yards. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Fenderless
I am a cheapo myself and like to use junkyard parts also, but I would not use a used cam/lifters in a rebuild unless I knew the engine well beforehand.You can get store brand cams like Summit or others for a reasonable price but a Y-block cam may be harder to find.
Good luck on a budget-build Y-block... I take most of my Y-block questions here: http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums The techincal guru's over there have been VERY helpful to me...I have some virgin high compression "G" heads for sale HERE if you need some...
56 Don, do we know each other? Cheapo! Thats me! However i would not use "used" Cam bearings,oil pump, rings or probably pistons either. What I meant about junk Yard parts Are: Block, Crank, Rods, Rockers maybe push rods, heads,(New valves if needed) Intake,exaust manifolds and "factory" parts that can be checked and rebuilt. Again guys any help would be greatly appreciated. Fenderless
Hmmm. There are a lot of posts out on the Net concerning the "best" parts to use for a Y block. You have to take all these with a grain of salt...I see a lot of guys search out parts & pay good money, to gain little benefit for what they intend to do with the parts. Of course these are my opinions & other opinions may vary. For example, 312 engines are popular, and generally overpriced. They also have some possible issues with cracked main webs & cracked cranks. That's not to say that if you find a cheap one you shouldn't buy it...just be aware that it may, or may not, be a deal. For what you are doing, my personal preference would be to build a 292 + .060, which gives a displacement of 301. You can get cast replacement pistons in this size without much effort. If you want to spend some additional money and go with forged pistons, it's a little different...you will bore to +.050, giving 299 ci, or +.080, giving 304. If the block will sonic-check OK, you can go to +.110, or 309 CI. For what you are doing just about any 272 or 292 block will be fine and I'd go to no extra effort to find any particular casting, though I'd look at late '56-'59 engines for a couple of reasons (farther down). If you run across a 272, the best thing to do is to bore it at least to stock 292 bore size, or any of the above overbores, again assuming it passes sonic check. It probably will...but the test $$ is cheap insurance. One thing to remember with 272s, though, is that you are are less likely to get other desirable parts with a 272 block (though there are exceptions). You may, or may not, want to look at getting ECZ-G heads. They have a couple of advantages- they have slightly better ports than most other Y heads, they have the bigger 1.92 intake valves, and they have the smallest chambers (69cc), making it easier to make compression. They also have a fairly high price tag, as a rule. Be aware that at least one flow test showed them as barely flowing more than other Y heads in stock form. If you plan to have porting work done, then they are a good start. My limited flow bench work more or less confirmed the published test, FWIW. If you don't happen to run across a set of ECZ-Gs, or don't want to pay the ticket, a common head is the ECZ-C. Though they do have smaller 1.78 intake valves, they have roughly 72-73cc chambers. Many Y heads have 75-83cc chambers in my exp. and it's really tough to make much compression with the common cast pistons, without taking a lot of care and spending extra $$. The C heads are usually dirt cheap, or free, and work pretty well on a mild 272 or 292, with some thought and attention to detail. The B9AE & 5750-113 heads are also good choices but are hard to find, usually. With any engine, but especially when you are dealing with a situation where it's hard to make even 8:1- 8.5:1 with the available heads....and especially if you use the common replacement cast pistons....you will find it of great benefit to properly set the deck height. Most of the cast pistons sit very low at TDC and don't help the situation, plus give little quench. Rather than just decking the block to "true", you may need to take more off, plus pay attention to the heads & intake (for sealing purposes). Attention to detail here brings great rewards. If you use Mummert's forged pistons, it makes things a lot easier, with of course an appropriate price tag. You can use either EBU (most common) or C1AE rods with a stock 272/292 passenger car or LIGHT truck crank and have no issues. The high-lift 1.54 rockers can be found on '56-'57 engines only (usually) but new aftermarket versions are available, as well as roller rockers $$. Most Y stock pushrods are spaghetti...buy new ones from Mummert. Intake manifolds: the one to look for is the ECZ-9425-B, which has the common "squarebore" Holley/Autolite/etc. pattern. Earlier castings have the smaller pattern for the Holley teapots/WCFB/Stromberg 4bbl. You can also get an aftermarket intake which is better than the 9425-B but pricey. There have been various 2x4 & 3x2 intakes which aren't probably well suited for your truck. Actually, a stock 2bbl. intake might work pretty well, with some caveats. Exhaust manifolds: Long subject here, but bottom line is that most of them suck and/or won't fit. The vaunted "ram's horn" manifolds, from medium trucks will, and are about the best flowing manifolds going, but are pricey and often damaged. Repros are now available, again for $$. Be aware that there are also ram's horns for the larger Lincoln/HD truck Y....which are similar, but won't fit a Ford/Mercury Y block. The best option may be tube headers, which are available for your truck. Finally, I would suggest a '57-up distributor for any Y block. I'll skip the details as to why, as I, and others, have posted them before, but suffice it to say that they can make a big difference in performance over the earlier distributors....'57-up units are still available in rebuilt form from Advance Auto Parts, NAPA, etc. for well under $100. If you elect to use an '55-'56 2bbl. intake, you will need to block off the Spark Control Valve on the carburetor, which can be easily done (again, lots of posts here on this deal). Probably overkill but hopefully that should give you a start.
Summit does carry Y-Block cams, thyre not listed in the catalog though. You have to call, or jump on the website. My friend got the cam for his Y at the Summit store. I cant remember the specs of it, but its a lil more "wild" then "mild".
Thanks Homespun, that cleared alot up. I have all the parts you speak of. One qustion still out there, (please forgive me, I'm just a lowly Bodyman) What advantage, or should I consider a 312 crank? This is one part I don't have, but I can get my hands on one. What advantage to stroking it? Fenderless
More cubic inches. With a .110 overbore & a stock 312 crank you get about 322 ci. You can offset-grind the crank to gain more, IF you had std. journals to start with...if the crank was already turned it may not be possible, or you may not be able to get as much offset as you would with a std. journal crank. Keep in mind that offset-grinding a crank can get expensive quickly. Also, this locks you into using aftermarket rods. To use the 312 crank, you will need to have the main journals turned down, to fit into a 272/292 block. This requires A) that you remove the rear oil slinger, or B) that you find a crank guy who will make/get a special thin wheel to turn the seal area. There are several opinions on this- mine is that the slingers are there for a reason, and even using a neoprene rear seal, I like to keep the slinger. A lot of crank guys can't do it, or won't. I know of a couple but no one close to you. With the 312 crank you will also need to use ECZ (312) connecting rods, or the C1TE HD292 truck rods, which are shorter (or aftermarket rods). The additional displacement is nice, but for a lot of people it may not be worth the extra money. If you buy the crank I would recommend that you do so under the condition that it passes a machine shop's inspection....many are cracked or excessively turned.
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