industrial 555

[fordman428]

did ford make a industrial 555, a guy told me he had a industrial 555 its in an old charter bus i saw the engine it is blue and says power by ford on the valve covers and appears to look bigger than my 75 360, in size i mean, but ive never heard of a 555, i odnt know if this guy is pulling my leg or what but id like to find out what it is it also has a holley 4 barrell on it, any ifo would help thanks

[racer2012]

Ford had a 477 and a 534 ci motor used in the 700 series and bigger trucks and buses in the 60's and maybe early 70's .. i've never heard of the 555 .. but Ford had some weird stuff in U-Haul and fleets back then ...

[fordman428]

i wonder if it could be one of them, i also wonder if it would be worth throwing in my truck if it would fit haha, but i dont know what they make for power or if it would be worth it.

[Krewat]

My Motor's Truck repair manual from '79 (goes back to around '66 for engine specs) doesn't list anything bigger than the 534, and this book goes up to the LN-9000 series.

Could have been one of those misnomers, like marine engines. There's something like a Mercruiser 425 or some other 400 name. It's not 400 cubes, it's a four cylinder that's half a 460 complete with a 460 head on top.

Don't know what "5" would mean though...

I'm willing to bet it's a 534/477 if it's bigger than your 360

[rusty70f100]

I did some looking and it looks like the Ford 555 is a construction backhoe. Not an engine. If the engine in question is a 534ci, make no mistake, it is huge. I do think it'd be fun to put one into a 1/2 ton truck, though. I think you'd want to have a custom performance cam ground for it, and get some head and intake work done to get some power out of it.

Anyone got any specs like bore, stroke, hp, weight? This is one engine I'd like to learn more about.

[Krewat]

Originally posted by rusty70f100
I did some looking and it looks like the Ford 555 is a construction backhoe. Not an engine. If the engine in question is a 534ci, make no mistake, it is huge. I do think it'd be fun to put one into a 1/2 ton truck, though. I think you'd want to have a custom performance cam ground for it, and get some head and intake work done to get some power out of it.

Anyone got any specs like bore, stroke, hp, weight? This is one engine I'd like to learn more about.

You asked for it, from the Motors Truck Repair manual (C) 1979.

'66-72 477 - 4.5 x 3.75" 7.5:1 4 bbl carb HP:253@3400, TRQ:415@2300
'66-72 534 - 4.5 x 4.2" 7.5:1 4bbl HP:266@3200 TRQ:481@1700

In '73, they went down to 7.2 (477) and 7.3 (534) compression and the numbers went way down because of "net" hp/trq. In '75, there is a 475, same bore/stroke as the 477. The 475/477/534 were used up until '79, the end of my book.

Quick edit: there was a 2bbl 477, early on, in '66/'67, with HP:231@3400 and TRQ:412@1600

[rusty70f100]

Cool! It looks like these engines have plenty of potential, what with 4.5" bore and 4.2" stroke. The biggest problem I can see is how to hop 'em up. I wonder if it'd be possible to figure out a way to use BBC 4.5" bore pistons, and if so, would it raise the CR?

I wonder what a higher CR, a good cam (it'd have to be custom I'm sure) and some head/port work would do for one of these monsters?

[Krewat]

Originally posted by rusty70f100
Cool! It looks like these engines have plenty of potential, what with 4.5" bore and 4.2" stroke. The biggest problem I can see is how to hop 'em up. I wonder if it'd be possible to figure out a way to use BBC 4.5" bore pistons, and if so, would it raise the CR?

I wonder what a higher CR, a good cam (it'd have to be custom I'm sure) and some head/port work would do for one of these monsters?

A custom regrind and oversize valves/massive porting, would probably do a lot. To raise the CR, you might be stuck with decking the block alot.

Remember, though, the crank is probably 30%-50% heavier then an FE (along the lines of a FT), and spin-up time takes a toll on acceleration.

Now, which is the "big-block", FE or 534/477?

The other question that comes to mind is how to mount it in your chassis. The heavy-duty trucks (I think) usually ran mounts from the bell housing, and possibly one from the front of the motor. Not like the FE's and others with side-mounts.

Ooohh.... a NOS 534. Or one with a big blower... sheesh...

On the plus-side, if you find the right truck junkyard, you'd might have an endless supply of parts.

[fordman428]

hummm... i wonder how much work it would take to put it in my truck, i can get the motor for free, i just would have to take it out of the bus its in and boy that looks like fun, but i dont want to do all that work to find out it wouldnt fit in my truck or if it did end up being worthless, i need a new motor the ol 360 is just about had it, i was thinking a 390 or 428 if i could find a 428, but i dunno that 477/534 might be cool to if it was worth it

[Krewat]

It it's a 534/477, or any other motor than an FE or "small block", or a 351m/400, you are going to have to make custom motor mounts.

Tranny? Who knows...

[hoxiii]

Do you realize how big the ford 534 really is? Inside the trucks they were meant for they don't seem like much, but out of the truck it becomes apparent how big they really are. I had one sitting on 9x9 railroad ties that from a distance looked like a SBC on 4x4's. If you did drop one of these into a F-150 i can see the need or a cowl hood, some massive front springs, and probably some frame stiffening. It would be untouchable in a straight line, but god help you if you wanted to go around a corner. Oughta be fun when you're done though.

Justin

[Krewat]

Originally posted by hoxiii
It would be untouchable in a straight line, but god help you if you wanted to go around a corner.

That's why you put 800 lbs of concrete in the bed. It'll help those rear tires hook up, too...

[rusty70f100]

Originally posted by krewat
That's why you put 800 lbs of concrete in the bed. It'll help those rear tires hook up, too...

Oh just put the engine in the bed. Problem solved!

Edit: Dragstrips dont have corners...

[fordman428]

i tihnk u might have to put the engine in the bed anway its so big but what an idea 2 engine one under the hood one in the bed imagine the power haha

[pfogle]

One driving each axle? That would be quite the engineering feat.