Hi everyone, I know I posted a topic on my engine, but I have a general question about rebuilding. I found a rebuild kit online but it was for a different engine than mine, but so I looked at what came in it and looked in my Dennis Carpenter book to price individual parts. Is this all the parts that are needed for a rebuild? Parts included in the kit: Pistons Piston Rings Rod Bearings Main Bearings Cam Bearings Pin Bushings Gasket set Camshaft Timing Set Oil Pump Now another question. Do the cylinders need to be honed or anything during the rebuild?Also, where can you find fuel line, I looked at the fuel lines going to my engine and they have some surface rust, I will want to redo them if possible when I rebuild. If the cylinders need anything done to them, how much does that usually cost? Thank You
There's a lot of small stuff that go's into a rebuild as well. What you have listed is what i consider the 'hard' parts. Not that getting them is hard, but that those are the larger pieces used. There's also stuff like rod bolt's, soft plugs, head bolt's etc.. depending on the shape of the motor and how it was used/abused in it's life, you could need a rod, or rod's, maybe even a crank if it's worn too bad to turn. Also, when you start the process of tearing down, have the block and head's mag'd to make sure that all your effort won't be put into a bad item. It would **** to spend the time and money doing the machine work on a block, get it all together only to find a crack somewhere.. Then you have to start over and your out your cash.. Most quality shop's i've delt with advise this anyway, but i figured i'd tell ya anyway. When you rebuild a mill, each cylinder should be checked for 'out of round'. Basically, you need to run a bore gauge in each one to see how much wear is in each cylinder. Once that is found, then you decide if a bore is needed and how much or if it can be just honed to clean it up and break the glaze in the cylinders. Cost on a bore i'm not sure of. it's been a while since i had a block done up. My advise would be, when your ready to do the build, tear it down and take it to a good shop so they can see what you have. Then tell them what you want out of it.. Ask some advise on what they would recommend you do to get your goal. Most shop's will tell you the proper step's it's going to take to get it done. Also, if your going to tear it down yourself, MAKE SURE to mark each rod and rod cap, and the main caps with the number cylinder and journal they are so they will be put back in the proper location. As far as fuel line's, make your own. Go to your local auto supply store and pick up some steel fuel line and just bend it up. Just remember, rarely do you get out of a complete rebuild for the cost of just the kit, if ever. hope this helps a little. Tony.
yea... that list would get you a fresh shortblock... heads and intake are a diff story where to get fuel line? napa as far as machine work, depends on how clean your block is, if its cracked or not, if it needs to be decked, align honed... lots of variables
Thank You Both Very Much. PakRat32- Gotcha on the small stuff. May I asked what Mag'd means (sorry, never heard it before). In my Dennis Carpenter book they only had stock size pistons for a 292, they had bigger, but none listed as stock for a 272, so I guess that means my block needs to be bored. FiddyFour- as far as look my block is kinda gross lookin. I mean where two parts meet up there is what I think to be blue RTV. some of the stuff kinda worries me about when the car was restored. there is a wire that was cut and stripped and connected to another with a crimp connector and it is just dangling above the engine, and it is a thin wire. I dont know if that is how its supposed to be, but it just doesnt look good. Thank You Both. How much should an engine be to be rebuilt? Like if I get the parts and stuff. Take it to machine shop and have them check and stuff. Like a general guideline. I have 1200 bux, will it get it done you think?
1200 bucks might get it done, or maybe not. How bad is the engine? does it burn oil? does it make noises? do you really need to rebuild it? could you find another 292 in better shape for a few hunnerd bucks? "mag'd" means magnafluxed, that's a method for checking iron/steel parts for cracks. good machine shops always magnaflux checks parts like blocks and heads before working on them...it saves a lot of agravation.
I can't believe I didn't get that. I have heard the word magnafluxed, never really knew what it was meant though. Much Obliged. Honestly I don't know how bad the engine is. I figured it needed to be rebuild, cause from the time the car was bought (jun. 16, 02) nothing major has been done, I am sure the restorer rebuilt the engine. So that leaves money for some offy yblock valve covers I found. and some other stuff. I also figured it needed to be rebuilt cause the car won't start, even with my uncle pouring some gas down the carburetor numerous times.Anybody got any suggestions? The car isn't run alot, not at all now, but before it wasn't run alot either. do you think I might need something in the gas tank? when gas is poured down the carb, you can hear the engine want to turn but then give up. I think I need a new gas tank too. I looked at it when I smelt gas in the garage, and it was wet looking at the front of the tank. Wow thats alot of things. Thank You Very Much
Before you tear the engine down and rebuild it you need to try to get it running. Or find out why it won't run. There is no point in rebuilding the internals of and engine unless it needs to be rebuilt, waste of time & money. Sounds like it has been rebuilt @ some point and time. I'm not trying to be an ***, and I don't want to discourage you, quite the opposite, I want to see you do this yourself, but if you don't have the skills to figure out why the engine won't run then you won't have the skills to rebuild the engine, you need to find someone who can help you get it running, show you what to do and explain why, and teach you what to do in the process. Get a compression gauge, pull all the plugs, pull your coil wire. Spin the engine with the starter for 10 or 15 seconds on each cylinder. If all the cylinders have good compression you probably don't need to rebuild the engine. Thats always a good place to start when trying to figure out why an engine doesn't run or runs poorly. Generally if it won't start its either ignition or fuel. If you are getting spark to the sparkplugs & the carb squirts gas from the accelerator pump it should run or at least pop back through the carb or something. Check your compression, write each cylinder down, check for spark & fuel, get back to us. PM me if I can help. Good luck!
Re the gas tank leaking I would go ahead & drain the tank. if it is in a garage with a gas water heater or any other ignition source and the cars gas tank is leaking get it out of the garage before it blows up.
This is good advise. Once you have established what the no start problem is and solve that, you'll have a better picture of how the motor really is. The not starting dosn't mean the mill is bad, just that one the item's needed to run isn't there or isn't working as it should. If your sure the restorer rebuilt it, you may very well not need anything done to it. Ya gotta try and get that thing to start and run first. Good luck!!
I would suggest that you fix the gas tank first, NOW!!! Drain it, drop it, flush it. I sometimes use a car wash. Get some sharp edged gravel & shake the tank 'till you arms drop off, that should clean the crud{rust] out. Use a sealer from J.C. Whitney or similar source. The car is not safe at all w/ a leaking tank. good luck , mark.
Add lifters to the above list. Someone may have mentioned it and I missed it. Seems to happen a lot lately. In my part of the country most machine shops charge extra if the parts are ordered elsewhere unless you do a lot of business there. Pete
Just a few words of caution. Y-block rebuilds are considerably more expensive than those for small block Chevy's, due to greater parts availability for the Chevy. Also, it is VERY hard to find a shop that has actually rebuilt a Y-block in the last 20 years. In essence, if you don't know what you're doing (and from your posts you seem young and eager to learn) you'll end up with a 4 grand bill for a Y-block rebuild, which may not even be that good. I'd suggest you try to find someone in your area (***ume NV) who has a Y-block powered car and talk to them for some advice. You gotta understand that most Y-block rebuilds done in professional shops today are to go into vintage Thunderbirds and are charged accordingly. You need to hook up with someone who's done it on a budget. And finally, DON'T think about rebuilding your Y-block unless it needs it! It sounds like some of your starting problems are minor. Take time to learn some basic mechanical basics and troubleshooting -- you'll save lots of money and frustration.
WOW, Thanks everyone for your help. BELLM- I completely got what you were sayin, Do you pull all the plugs first or do one at a time as you check each cylinder, because me and my uncle did it one at a time about a month ago and each cylinder was just below or just above 90. The gas tank I drained 5 gallons out of it, I have to go get a bigger jerrican. PakRat32- I am starting to think it doesn't need a rebuild, I didn't even realise a rebuild was actually so big of a project, I thought it was gaskets, rings, clean it up, done. Also when it starts, it runs, but sometimes stalls, I don't know for shure but I don't think its getting gas all the time, maybe something got in the tank and is not letting gas out. Voodoo Child- I was actually thinking of buying a new one. I thought I had heard somewhere that the sealer wouldn't work for all that long, but if it will that'd be better, I am up for anything. Buffaloracer- Lifters too, jeez, like I told PakRat32, I didn't realize so much was involved. Goober-SBCs gets all the attention. I am young, and very eager to learn. I definatly wouldn't want a shoddy rebuild on the engine, too important. I will try find someone with a yblock powered car around here. I will also learn some basics. Good after I save some money, I can use it on some dress up parts, IE http://www.speedwaymotors.com/produ...2727&mscssid=4CGNCUFWF5BA8JXLSSB8N6VHAJKM3TAC Thank You ALL Sooooo Much For Your Help.
Your welcome! hopefully you get it all squared away and on the road so you can have some fun! Some guy's never ask question's in fear of looking 'dumb'..you didn't. And the way i look at it, if you don't ask question's you may never learn anything! I know i still ask. Good luck! Tony
Yeah, I can't wait to go cruisin, and drive to school and everything. I Figured whats the worst that can happen, I get a little razzin by some members on the H.A.M.B., now getting banned from here would make me sad. I have a healthy dose of H.A.M.B. with my breakfast every morning. then come back alot throughout the day. I also wanted to say, before I learned about traditional hot rods and customs, I thought a hot rod was what I now know as a street rod. and I never wanted anything getting on my car. After learning alot here, I get up on my trunk and sit down, I don't feel the need for the car to be imaculate or anything, its a car, thats all it is to me. Much Obliged H.A.M.B. Thanks Again
Pull all your plugs, maybe squirt a little oil in each cylinder, with the piston down, so the rings will seal better, since it hasn't run in a while, the run your compression check on all cylinders. If you got 90, probably will get more with all plugs removed and a little oil in each cylinder (not much!). i bet you it will run once you get your gas tank & fuel system sorted out.
Also try to find a factory workshop manual for your engine. They're thick phone book looking things. I also found a parts and accessories guide for mine, it has exploded diagrams for just about everything on your car and engine with parts numbers. You can usually pick them up on Epay without to much difficulty. Micro fiche, and parts manuals on computer CD only work if you've got a computer under the car with you, or a micro fiche reader in the garage ! I've bought a few things thru Dennis Carpenter and Dearborn Cl***ics. Prices made my nose bleed, but sometimes you don't have a choice. Don't limit yourself to the obvious places when looking for parts. Like has been previously said, get it running first. If it runs and drives, use it and enjoy it while you figure out what it needs and what you want. fix the necessary things before fixing the luxury things. Remember, you're not going to get a car that'll pop wheelies with a Y-block. If that's what you're looking for, save your money for an engine swap. Oh yeah, get a tetnus shot
I have a manual for 55 that is about an inch thick or so, and my uncles friend has a manual for a few years of cars and it is like 3 inches thick. Gotcha on the necessary before the luxury, people ask if if has ac and I tell them no, they are stunned, I just say thats what the vent windows are for, point them ****ers at you, youll feel like your in a frige. Well this is my first car so I am keeping it fairly stock, no chop, no customizing really, it has skirts, but not much other than that. any car I get after this though is fair territory for me to take a saw to the roof. This may sound really stupid, but I don't get the "Oh yeah, get a tetnus shot " sorry. Thanks for your help. also sorry it took me a couple days, I was going to wait until next monday since this is tech week and I didn't know if it was you can only make new tech topics, or if it was only post in tech topics.
Old cars, rust, cut your self, get lockjaw...just a stupid attempt at humor. Keep it stock until you decide what you want to do. I've never had a car with AC. I'd only need it a couple months out of the year here in Oregon...now a defroster, I need that!!
Northern Auto Parts is the HAMB favorite enigne parts supplier, and they will build you a engine kit for your 272. Here is a example with high quality product for the 292 Ford 292 55-64 - Master Kit INCLUDES <LI>Federal Mogul Rings <LI>Federal Mogul flattop Piston <LI>Federal Mogul Rod Brgs <LI>Federal Mogul Main Brgs <LI>Federal Mogul Cam Brgs <LI>Melling Oil Pump <LI>Federal Mogul Camshaft <LI>Federal Mogul Lifters <LI>Melling Timing Components <LI>FelPro Gaskets Make: Ford Model: car, light truck Year: 55-64 Category: Ford Manufacturer: Engine Kits Model Number: Master Kit Price: $823.69
55Ford, these fellas have given you really good advice to work with. The only thing I would add would be to get yourself the book 'Auto Repair for Dummies'. Don't let the ***le insult or fool you. My Dad gave me one of these when I was a kid and it helps a lot in understanding how the various systems of cars work. It must have been the first ever 'Dummies' book on the market because I got one in the '70s. LOL Now they've got'em for everything. I'm sure they are still good sources of basic info. Also, watch the automotive TV shows. Now I'm not talking about the dumb ***ed 'drama' ones (But Bob, will the team get the car together on time?! ) but the less exciting and more informative ones on basic stuff. Watching people do the job will help you bring your pieces of knowledge together into a body of knowledge that you can use. I was a line mechanic for quite a few years, starting when I was just a little older than you. I was able to do that because I spent much of my misspent youth reading books, manuals, and car mags, observing experienced people, asking them questions at the risk of ridicule, then trying my hand and learning quickly from the mistakes I made. After reading your posts I will share with you the most important thing I have learned in all that time. That is: Keep It Simple. If a machine (any machine) once worked and nothing catastrophic has happened to it in the mean time, it can be made to work again fairly easily if you use logic in your diagnosis and start with the simplest things first. Using your car as an example: First I would make sure that the starter turned the engine over strongly enough and at sufficient speed to start it. If that is true, I would check to see if you have fire from your ignition system. Check at the coil wire first because if it doesn't spark, nothing else will. If your coil fires, then check your individual plug wires. If you don't have fire, there's the first system you need to fix in order to eliminate that as a source of causing the car not to run. Malfunctions here can include but aren't limited to cap, rotor, points, condensor, coil, coil wire, spark plugs, plug wires, etc. If you do, then disconnect the coil wire and look down the carb while someone cranks it over. Work the throttle lever or cable on the carb to determine if it delivers a squirt of fuel when you do so. (You disconnected the coil wire for this test so that when you're looking down the carb and the engine decides to start unexpectedly and backfire through the carb, your eyebrows and front of your hair aren't singed off. ) I lost most of a perfectly good set of eyebrows this way at the age of 15. If your carb isn't delivering a fuel shot, then you have found another system that needs to be examined before continuing. Garbage from your rusty fuel tank, clogged filter, bad fuel pump, crusty varnished carb, and many more could be your culprits here. If your carb delivers fuel and you have fire from the ignition, as BellM suggested then it's time to check the timing and compression. All one needs to get most engines to run is fire, fuel, compression, and proper timing. Once it gets running, then you can diagnose any other running/drivability issues that it has and determine if you need to do further work on it. Sorry it's so long but I hope it helps and saves you a pair of singed eyebrows in the process.
Oh yeah, and I second the Tet**** shot suggestion. It's only a matter of time before you pick up a minor injury working on machines and that way it STAYS minor.
For educational/Entertainment purposes you might want to check out Doc Fromaders Y block build on Webrodder. Good explanations & pictures. He does have a habit of exotic stroker cranks that you probably should disregard.
Ohh, gotcha now. I think this one I am going to keep stock, and anycar I buy or whatnot from now on, I have free reign to chop, paint, etc. People practically laugh at me when I say I don't have a/c, my vent windows work beautifully, only problem is, my heater is like always on. I was watching a show on DIY called cl***ic car restoration, he was working on a packard, and said that there should be a valve on it to turn it on/off, course the packard he was on is about 15 years before my car, but didn't know if I would have one. Also engine seems to get hot pretty quick, so did the one on the show, he showed how, like you have to flush water through the thermostat housing, and out the water pump, and stuff like that, should I do one of those? AHotRod- Much obliged, whether I rebuild or not, theres the place for some parts. Thanks!!! BigDdy31-Thanks, don't worry long posts, they don't bother me. I will check all of that. Also I watch American Hot Rod, mainly for Roy and Lee, them two are pretty funny, but the main shows I watch are overhaulin and Cl***ic car restoration, I like cl***ic car restoration the best, because there is nothing but info. Right now they are on a late 30s Packard Opera. How would I check for spark or not? I took down my tank and it is awful, it is really gross, just doesn't look like it would hold gas much longer. George-Thanks I am going to search for that article tonight.
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