Howdy all!

So i'm in the midst of the Frame Off of my 54 F250. I've got the motor out (it's an 239, got EBU Stamped all over the block, tranny etc., but that's a mystery for another day).

Anyway, I've got the block torn town to the bare bones. Only have 4 pistons left to come out and the Cam and crank shafts and it will be ready to go get acid dipped and mangnafluxed.

As I was looking around to determin who I was going to purchase my rebuild kit from, I had the question pop into my head of would it be cheaper to rebuild or replace the engine. I suspect that it would be cheaper to rebuild, but I could be way off base.

I tried to google to find the price of engines, but came up empty.

I was wondering if there were any sites anyone could recommend to me to get some prices for rebuilt engins.

Also, and of equal importance, any complete rebuild kits that could be recommended to me would be greatly appreciated. My wallet values your experience! I hate paying for the same thing twice!

Looking forward to hearing from you all!

Oh, btw, the engine that I took out was running, but needed more then just a simple tune up. Plus, I've never torn apart and rebuilt a motor before, not like this any way.

Thanks!

Cory

 

Unless you're going to replace the 239 with a crate motor, you're out of luck. No one, to my knowledge, sells rebuilt 239 motors for a 54 truck. You'd need to rebuild yours.

 

Any recommendations for where to purchase a rebuild kit from?

 

I'm not sure about the rebuild kits, but you can get a full gasket set from Fel Pro FS7999PT3
Felpro FS7999PT3 Full Sets (FS) - Buy FEL-FS7999PT3 Online at Wholesale or Jobber Price

 

Don't get caught in the WYAIT (while you are in there) trap. Figure out what it absolutely needs, don't just blindly bore it and have everything ground. Also depends how you want to use the truck. If it's a weekend driver, you don't need super-tight clearances. You could end up with just new consumables (bearings and rings) plus new gaskets to make it leak free, thousands cheaper than a true remanufactured engine.

Have the machine shop mike everything and tell you their recommendations, but keep in mind they make their money on machine work! Cylinders with a little taper won't kill you if you only need a reliable, low mileage driver. Boring will add at least $500 to your costs.

The other alternative is to shop for a clean Y-block in the other displacements that are more common; why not a 272 or 312?

 

Perry,visit the Y-Block section of FTE, and also check out/join this site:

http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums/

The majority of Y-Block owners will recommend that you forgo spending time and money rebuilding the 239,instead replace with a newer, larger version (272/292).The 239 is underwhelming to say the least, and additionally is more difficult to locate parts for, and is more expensive to rebuild.

Whatever you do, keep it Ford,and keep it a Y-Block.Good luck,Steve.

 

It really depends on what you are wanting to do. If you want the original motor in it then you should rebuild. I put a new motor in mine but it wasn't cheap, close to $4500 after everything but I have a 3 year unlimited mile warranty. I found a place after I got mine which had turn key crate motors cheaper than what I built mine for alot of times they have free shipping deals Ford Turnkey Crate Engines for Ford 302 and Ford 351W...

 

If I was rebuilding an old engine I think I'd be checking out Egge EGGE Machine Company - Parts and Services for Nostalgic Motors .

But if you are sticking with the Y-block why not step up to a 272, 292 or even a 312? That way you could have a stock looking engine with more go.

 

Thanks everyone for the input! I would like to keep the stock engine. Being that it would be just a week end driver, I'm not worried about having a beefed up engine. Having a granny 3 speed keeps it to an around town truck anyway. I may try to swap out the tranny for a 4 or 5 speed from the same year, or maybe put a different rear end in to help get it up to highway speeds. We'll have to see when the time comes. But for now, it's winter and I'm rebuilding a motor for the first time!

I'm always open to inputs and direction to resources.

cory

 

Hi there ..I have a 54 one ton.. with a flathead...isn't your ??

 

[quote=ALBUQ F-1;9878239]Don't get caught in the WYAIT (while you are in there) trap. Figure out what it absolutely needs, don't just blindly bore it and have everything ground. quote]

I'm with you on that. I don't want to have it bored out, and would love to keep it in spec so that I can replace it with stock replacement parts.

I want to have it acid dipped because someone spray painted the whole damn block orange and it looks hideous, plus there is so much gunk/grease/tar like substance on the lower portion of the block, it just needs a good solid cleaning.

My hope is that the block is fine and no scaring that would require any boring to get rid of.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

Cory

 

Egge is still the place to get the parts.




Only Canadian 54's still ran the Flatheads. In the US all 54's V8's were the Y-block 239.

 

OH good so I'm special ...