Projects 56 Fairlane power swap

id keep it a y block if it has a good running Y. my 292 motor is plenty of fun, even if its a little worn out

 

I have a 615 hp 351W in my model T great engine.
I have a 302 in a 56 mercury and I like it allot. Plenty of power in that car for with a T5.

my 2 cents, I have been involved with racing FE motors for years and honestly the Windsor series is a better deal makes more power and more reliable. But that’s just my opinion. Now an FE LOOKS AND SOUNDS A LOT BETTER. They also say an FE is a bolt in deal.

 

Before you do anything, I would just drive it and enjoy it for a while and look at what others have in their similar 54-59 Fords. Then I would think about what YOU want the car to do/be for your interests. Since you are a motorcycle guy, how much performance will satisfy you? Do you want a reliable crusier that you can take trips in with mild performance and good torque...........or something more racey? You have to decide on that before deciding on an engine and transmission. Also, do you want to shift manually or automagically? Tell us what you want from YOUR car............then we will be able to confuse you better with all our reasons why different choices are the best option.

Seriously though, tell us what YOU are wanting the car to do........

Its a very nice car. Another thing to think about is interchangability and availability of the parts you choose to go with.....and what the overall cost will be.

 

Mechanic report today is that all 8 cylinders on the 292 are in the 135 range. That is good news so it looks like the old Yblock is a keeper. Tomorrow the Edelbrock gets installed. Today got the radiator replaced and began the front end parts replacement. He says this car is like working on a bicycle. Bolt on ball joints, etc... Friday will be front disc brake conversion. New radiator hoses on order. He will check the steering gear box for slop in the steering. New tires all around. Brake booster and par***ioning valve should come with the new brake parts. New valve cover gaskets on order and oil change coming.
Is it true that the oil filter change is difficult?

 

Oil filter change is easy on mine. I just have to have the steering turned some to get it out. I can’t remember which way I turn the wheel to make more room to get it out without having it up in the air looking at it though…

Glad to hear the y-block has good compression.

 

Great news on the engine! That there just saved yourself much aggravation and not to mention money.

 

I've had several '55's and '56's, and all had Y-Blocks. Don't knw why, as I love FE's, and have had several '57's, all with FE's..... The Y-Blocks all had 4-speeds, and enough poop to have fun !! Either way you go, you gotta have fun......

 

More photos from the garage. Got a mechanic on the job now. Love the Hula Dancer. Very 50's.

 

I’m really glad you’re keeping the Yblock.

Now, I’m shooting in the dark for lack of information. You’ve still got the loadomatic distributor, the dual vacuum is correct for a 56. It functions as both the mechanical and vacuum advance. It will only work with the 56 teapot Holley. It will not work with any Edelbrock carb I know of. You’ll need a 57 up distributor, which has centrifugal weights and a small vacuum can. If that’s the original 56 “A” intake, the new carb won’t fit without an adapter or a change to the “B” (57 and up) intake manifold.

If you know all this, sorry. But I don’t want to see you disappointed and not keep the Yblock.

 

luckily a '57 distributor isnt super expensive. personally i wouldn't put an edelbrock on it, instead put a holley 4150 or 4160 on it. any other regular 4 barrel holley

 

For a bit of bling under the hood a set of T-bird rocker covers. Pricey, but in my opinion one of the prettiest pieces of jewelry you could ever bolt on an engine.

 

The car had the Edelbrock on it when I got it though it was not adjusted correctly. The PO had also modified the distributor to have an electronic module replace the points. There was a 4 barrel on it from the factory or at least an original 4 barrel intake. My mechanic will sort all that out.

 

Pretty they are but I am sticking with the ones on there now. They have the word F O R D in raised letters.

 

I may go that route if I find the Edelbrock is not performing.

 

Don’t be in a rush…If you can get a Blue Thunder or a Mummert aluminum 4 barrel intake it’s your best bet. A Summit carb modeled after the Autolite carb of the 50-70’s is a great fit. They are available in 500, 600, & 700 cfm with the 500 being the best drivability. That’s a Blue Thunder and a 500 in the photos.The 57-up distributor is a must. If your oil filter has the can it’s a pain with power steering. 58-up got the spin on and there are aftermarket kits but an original is best.

When you get hooked on a Y-Block Ford the love gets deep. If you can’t get a McCollouch supercharger here’s the next best thing.

 

I’m no y-block expert either, but I wonder if the Edelbrock wasn’t on it with an adapter on that intake? And, I also wonder if it didn’t seem adjusted incorrectly because of the loadomatic distributor that was converted to electronic? Anyway, just guessing, but lots of mechanics likely aren’t aware of what @miker98038 mentioned above in today’s world. I ended up changing my intake to a 57 intake so the carburetor would bolt directly on even though mine was also an original four barrel car. And, I swapped the distributor out completely for a rebuilt 64 distributor to have an advance that would work with a regular four barrel. Might be worth mentioning all this to the mechanic especially if he hasn’t worked on a lot of old y-blocks in the past. And, I’m also glad you can keep the y-block.

 

halfway through 57 got spin on filters. personally im a bit biased towards rebuilding old holleys as cores are pretty cheap and just as high of CFM.

 

FE is cool for sure, the standard SBF is alot more budget friendly along with aftermarket support and tons more of them floating around. I slid a late model 302 in my dads 58 ford, motor mounts actually fell right into place... Plus I can get gaskets and hard parts locally instead of mail order bride stuff that I fight with the flathead stuff all the time. I dont know what your budget is. Building ford motors, BBF is the most expensive right next to FE stuff, then the cheapest is the 289/302 area. In relation to SBC, its double the money hence why many folks choose not to run these mills.

If you consider a late model 302 they did go roller in late 80s and that opens up your choices not to have to run high zinc oil etc. Just another consideration.

 

This is what I used. We mocked it all up to make the mounts while the engine was out being worked on. It came in at a 355 that the builder estimated at just over 400 hp.

 

What a lot of people do these days is to buy a kit with an O2 sensor and digital guage. You can mount it permanently out of sight or where you can hook it up when tuning your carb. Lots of people do it and get good results.

Then some of the aluminum T bird valve covers and maybe lowered a couple inches............

 

I ran a 1406 Edelbrock on my stock 55 292, kept it with the McCulloch blower with just a change on the secondaries, and continued to use it on the 320 stroker in the car now. Make sure it’s got the rods/jets/springs as stock and it will run just fine for street use.

But the distributor will be the real problem. Unless that “module” is programmable for 25* ignition retard with an electronic adjustment to bring it all in by 2800 or so (10* initial, and 32-35 all in), it’ll never run right. I’ve seen timing computers that come close, but never a module. It’ll start and idle ok with the vacuum disconnected, but the instant it sees manifold or ported vacuum it’ll go to full advance. The teapot vacuum signal was Venturi based and very low, you couldn’t read it on a standard vacuum gauge. This isn’t a big or expensive problem, but do some research before you buy. There’s some Cardone rebuilt units out there that were “adapted” from SBF that are too short and don’t engage the cam gear correctly. I think they were all recalled, but…..?

 

Today the mechanic is replacing steering and suspension components.

 

That looks like a nice 56! You are getting some good advice here, especially about the Y-block. Again make sure your mechanic understands the loadamatic distributor and replaces it. It is incompatible with the other carbs you mention.
Also have your mechanic check closely the front cross-member of this car. They rust out from within and fail. I've never owned one but heard about it. Tap around on it or use an awl or the like to check for weak areas.

I think you will be glad you decided to keep the Y.

Keep us posted on the progress.

 

Jeff…. I think out of the box a lot. Since the WCFB’s have a smaller air horn the adapters come from Charlie Price in Florida. “Vintage Speed”. The air filters are EMPI for VW’s that fit the adapter. The Tops are Harley Davidson replacements for a Keihin Carb of the 90’s. They have a notch or opening you can’t see at the back of each. Thank for the inquiry. I have another set of top covers, polished aluminum. They are Dominator carb covers.

My best single 4 barrel top is a cake cover from a kitchen supply. It’s polished stainless….

 

I’m glad to see the bushing for the control arms. Those are a PITA to press out and in but well worth the time. Too often everything else is done, and the old bushings prevent a proper alignment, or holding alignment under driving conditions. With everything in spec, the cars drive nicely even at todays speeds. The front disc are the icing on the cake.

Down the road when you get to it, the rear drums can have the later model self adjusters added for very little time and money. Saves having to crawl under and re adjust them. My experiences with front disc conversions is if the rears aren’t properly adjusted the car doesn’t stop well, and of course I blamed the discs. One more thing I learned the hard way.

 

After I did a trans change, the next was the rear end. I added an 8.8 with 11 drum brakes from an 80’s F-150 and self adjusters. One minor fix and the stock 56 emergency brake cables also fit perfect. Then front Wilwood 4 piston disc brakes and I no longer need to adjust brakes. At 79 a godsend.

 

;He took the cross memver completely out so I am sute he will inspect it. He did notice that the big bolts used to secure the crossmember to the frame fit loosely in the holes thru the frame .
The distributor has a vacuum pot with a centrifu;gal weight inside and a module is place of points. It accepted vacuum from the Edelbrock. Does not look stock and this car never had anything but a 4 barrel. I am going to use the stock intake for now. I will replace valve cover gaskets, fan belt, hoses. and oil.
My goal when I broke it down was to repair the sloppy front end, replace the radiator, replace carburetor gaskets to the manifold and adapter.
After I see how I like this arrangement then maybe I will think again.
I also am having front disc brakes, a power booster and a par***ioning valve installed, and new tires and shocks.
Some other work needs to be done is the driver window is cracked and needs replaced and the driver door adjusted. It rubs he fender panel when opening.

 

I am fortunate to have the mechanic I have. He is mobile and comes to my place with a helper and a trailer full of tools. He took my crossmember home with him today to do just that, press the bushings. He has that in his garage. So he is being very thorough. He relates working on this car like working on a bicycle. Everything is so basic and easy to get to. He loves working on it.

 

While I am on the subject of the door needing adjustment, I need advice about the adjustment on the door hinge. It looks like they bolt holes are slotted. I guess that has something to do with the door hanging properly.