Projects 1960 292 Y-Block Rebuild

I am the proud new owner of a 1960 Edsel Villager and looking to rebuild the 292.
This will be street only, looking to add a bit more power but maintain reliability and gas mileage.

The 1960 is rated at 192 HP. I'm looking to add a bit more power so I can haul a
small camper down the highway at 75. I'm thinking about overboring to 312,
porting the headers, going to bigger exhaust pipes and hoping to add another 20 - 30 HP.
This is my first engine rebuild and my first y-block. Any input is welcome.

 

http://www.ford-y-block.com/

 

312 had a longer crankshaft stroke and larger main bearings than a 292, so the block is different. The bigger mains didn’t leave much meat in the bearing saddles, so a useable 321 block, with no cracks, is sometimes tough to find.

You’re better off doing a cleanup overbore, small four barrel carb (under 600 cfm , if you can find one), mild cam, and dual exhaust.

Lack of an overdrive transmission is your biggest hurdle to overcome if you want a pleasurable ride at 75 mph.

 

I've got an Autolite 4100 carb and it's got a Mile-O-matic 2-speed tranny. Yeah, overdrive would be nice.

 

Right on the money with that advise. I had a 55 wagon with a 272, 2bbl. It started leaking badly at the rear main. I freshened it up (new reground crank and maybe a 0.010 overbore) and added a 4 bbl intake off a wrecked 56. It already had dual exhaust and the 4 bbl made a marked improvement in performance.

 

a 292 bored .050 (312 bore size) will get you to 299 inches.

 

The 20 cubic inches between the 292 and 312 is negligible IMHO. The Y block is a great engine, I have developed an appreciation for it as time has gone on. Going with a free flowing head package, along with dual exhaust and a good intake will be the ticket to your goals to add power. You will likely need to bump compression as well. A simple transmission adapter will be all you need to convert over to a GM overdrive transmission. Getting good fuel economy while towing a camper might be wishful thinking. It's not an LS.

 

I'd find a pair of the good ECZ-G 312 4 barrel heads with the larger valves and better ports. Also they have a bump in compression that helps but isn't outlandish.
Those heads, a decent cam, a 4 barrel intake and a small 4 barrel and dual exhaust and you should be happy. That and having it geared out right to be able to pull that trailer and still be able to cruise at decent speed when you aren't pulling it.

This guys name sounds real familiar but he has some real interesting but very expensive Y Block pieces.
http://www.ford-y-block.com/ He may have answers for some of the questions that come up in his pages though.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/y-block-rods-and-pistons.1255974

 

The link a above is John Mummert’s site. All good info on casting numbers, etc. you might also want to look at Ted Eaton’s site, which is full of a variety to testing results (on his dyno) and various detailed assembly tips. You’ll have to take some time on both sites to get your head around all the info.

https://www.eatonbalancing.com/category/y-block/

You’ll also want to have a look at yblocksforever. While there’s a variety of topics, the focus is on the Yblock. I doubt you could dream up a combination someone there hasn’t already done.

You won’t be towing much with that 2 speed Fordo in a loaded wagon pulling a trailer. So I’d focus on the transmission/engine combination as a package. There’s at least a couple guys at yblocksforever and the Ford barn who’ve used AOD conversions. IIRC, Wilcap lists an adapter for the 200R4 also.

Even though I’m a Yblock guy, you might also look into an FE. They came in those (the odd 361 IIRC) but for the cost of a Yblock rebuild (if it’s really worn) and transmission adapter, it might be cheaper and better to drop a 390 in. There’s not much difference in weight, and an aluminum manifold on the FE pretty much evens that out. And the 390 with a 3 sp auto will outpull a really good Yblock with an o/d.

 

You can't tow in overdrive with most trannys (that folks use) anyway

 

Thanks I will take a look over there. I do have 2 FEs in 2 other cars. They do have the horses. The 292 has 45k on it and does not look overly worn so there's that.

 

Roll pin the cam bearings! They can spin and the oil starve the upper end. I liked the Iskenderian cam I ran in my '56. There is a good hand full of intake and camshaft options now. The stock intake may be the best for your needs however.

 

I’m more concerned about pulling a trailer at 75 MPH, than the needed power to do that, especially in a older vehicle.

 

I've been driving my 59 Yblock for 22 years. Good engines

 

I had a 59 Ranger a few years ago, with the 292 and 3 speed overdrive, and 3.55 rear gears. It never got better than 14 mpg on a tankful. It would cruise nice at 75 with the OD, and 70ish in straight high gear. The engine was all stock.

you didn't mention what gear ratio yours has...it will affect mileage, towing ability, and cruising rpm, and with only a 2 speed transmission, you're getting a lot of trade-off action between the three factors.

The later 2bbl that this engine came with is pretty big, compared to the earlier ones, and probably isn't hurting things much. Dual exhaust is always good.

Have fun...don't expect to get real good mileage, especially when towing.

 

I have a 390, 292 and a built 312 all great engines . I did all the oiling mods yblock forever states and it helped on the 392 60 pounds oil pressure. It has a isky 3 cam and head work. I yoused cast rings as they seam to seat better on those engines worked for me its been 20 years on the build. Gets 20,21 mpg on the highway with a overdrive

 

Ment 292 yblock fat fingers on the phone you know.

 

As it's been said, you won't get 312 cu.in. by boring it alone. If you bore it 0.50, you can use 312 pistons; that will give you an additional 7 cu.in. I wouldn't consider touching the short block, if it's a good engine. Replacing a Y-block cam is not for the faint-of-heart, especially if you think it can be done with the engine in the car. If the cam is a stock grind for 1960, I don't know if swapping the heads for G/113 heads will be worth the time and trouble. I think your best bet is to look for a 57 factory 4-bbl. intake, Summit 500 cfm carburetor, and 2" dual exhaust. With these improvements, you might see 15-20 hp gain.

 

This:
http://yblockguy.com/
@mctim64 here on the HAMB

 

Adapting a C4 would be a great addition. Before towing I’d add front disc brakes. If your needing an engine overhaul some machine work will be needed on the cam bearing that feed the oil to the rocker arms, it’s well known. A longer stroke can help so a 312 crank and rods would be needed. A crank shop can grind the mains down to 292 specs which is a good way to go. A 040” over bore would get you a 310”. A smaller water pump pulley from a 302 68 Mustang will fix over heating if that problem arises along with a 5-6 blade fan. 292’s were in a lot of trucks and a great engine with todays oil. Mileage is not highly spoken about with Y-blocks and your wagon is the heaviest model. Good luck…

 

Towing at 75 MPH with any tow vehicle is crazy IMO. Most trailer tires are rated for only 55 or at least that was the case when I had tire issues on my 5th wheel RV. Take @jimmy six advice regarding front disc brakes and add electric trailer brakes as well. And FYI: if you decide to tow it to CA the maximum speed for trailer towing is 55.

 

Have you done it? OP, if you're considering it, you better talk to Tim McMaster (y-blockguy.com) or Ted Eaton (eatonbalancing.com). If you go to Ted's website and send an email, he usually answers within 24 hours. Ted is in Texas; Tim is in California. If you want to talk to Tim or John Mummert (ford-y-block.com), you better call.

Again, if you have a good engine, I wouldn't mess with the short block. If you want to do a complete rebuild, I have lots more suggestions/recommendations. As far a overheating, it's more of a concern with 55-57 Tbirds (I have a 55) for two reasons: 1. 55-57 Tbirds use a water-pump spacer that adversely affects cooling; 2. 55-57 Tbirds have limited air flow/w heat buid-up in the engine compartment that's normally not a problem/w full-size cars.

I, too, agree that towing at 75 mph is a lot to ask for any vehicle/trailer not designed for it, particularly one that's 62 years old. There is more to be considered than the engine, like steering, suspension, and brakes. In my state, the maximum towing speed is 55 mph, but there are maniacs that ignore the law and will tow 75+. I try to stay as far away from them as possible. If I see an Edsel pulling a trailer, going 75 mph, coming up behind me, you can be damn sure I'm going to get out of the way.

 

P.S. If you contact Tim, Ted, or John, ask what they think about using a new cam/w used lifters. It's been done, but I wouldn't do it; I don't think they would either.

 

I stumbled across this thread a bit ago about a large valve conversion for the Y block.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...te-your-time-and-money-on-ecz-g-heads.549186/

Really good stuff from one of the masters of the Y block. I had posted a video in a different thread from YouTube where the late John Edwards of Costa Mesa R&D was doing a big valve conversion on a set of early Olds heads. I have also seen tech articles in Hot Rod about doing the same with Pontiac heads. Frankly, I can see this as a trend where the availability of desirable castings such as Y Block ECZ-Gs dry up, and therefore the price of them becomes prohibitively expensive, and aftermarket heads are good but also equally as expensive (~$3000 for the Y block, more for the early Olds). Machine work on cheap, readily available castings becomes a viable option when the machine work and valve package is substantially less expensive than other "off the shelf" options, or freshening a more desirable head.

I'd imagine the heads shown in the above thread would probably be good for a significant increase in HP between the bump in compression, the larger valves and the port work.

 

If the goal is trailer towing, I would spend my money on hardened valve seat inserts, rather than head modifications that might enhance high rpm power output.

Towing and expressway driving is about low and mid range torque, not about high rpm dyno power bragging rights.

 

Try to find 57-59 heads and a 57 312 intake 1957-59 292 intakes valves 1.922 1960 went back to 1.65.

 

Thanks, guys! There's a lot of good info in your posts and I really appreciate your input. Sounds like I need to temper my expectations about the speed of towing a tear-drop camper. Maybe I put the hitch on the Ranger that has a rebuilt FE 332. I did hear from another '60 Villager owner that a 292 with big tires can cruise at 75 without a tow. Gas mileage will not be impressive with the standard Mile-O-Matic tranny.

This particular car is pretty rare at only something like 210 produced. I'm not going to go too crazy with mods and may have to accept some performance limitations.

It would be good to have a car with good oil and cooling so I'll pursue those mods.

Jim Forbes, your web site is cool.