Speaking of ponts...
I've never had any problems with them so far. My daily driver has a 302 with points, and it works beautifully. But, I've converted to electronic a y-block using Duraspark's system parts, and a 1949 Ford 8N using another distruibutor I had laying around. I can't remember if it was a VW or a Ford 2.3 engine distributor... I didn't notice a lot of difference on the y-block after the conversion, but it made a huge difference on the 8N...
Lobo

 

Lobo 2, your comments about the tractor were of interest to me. I have a 1954 Ford 600 which is my main (and only) tractor.
It is used frequently in tilling, plowing, etc. The 600 was the first overhead valve tractor engine Ford made, kind of like the Y-block, if you don't count the 1952 Lincoln versions. Mike

 

Hi all, thanks for the help. I had a 72 Grand Torino Sport that had points on the old 400. I ran it many years with no problems, until I bought a set of NGK plugs for it. After a thousand miles It quit. I changed the ignition to eletronic from a 76, timeing chain, carb, any thing I could thing of didn't work. then I bought a new set of chapion plugs and the car came to life. Weard?

Anyway is it possible to redo the distributior to ford eletronic by changing the breaker plate and ecentric?
thanks
Mac

 

Mac,
It is possible, but you must have the correct donor distributor and only one model of y-block distributor works on this setup...
There are a couple parts that you would have to change, not only the breaker plate and ecentric, a small cut on the y-block distributor would have to be made, but it works...
Lobo

 

I hate to repeat myself, but the best darned thing a person can do, is use good engine grounds witha firewall ballast resisitor and run a nice tuned carburoretor on the old Yblocks ad leave those beautiful points alone, and have a Yblock that won't always have a problem, what many folks fail to realize, is the chain is only as strong as the lock and the lock is only a s strong as the change, Just keep a good blue spark, stay away from resistor plugs, and stick with original, you will save money and tie and effort in the long run...Now if you're going to sign up for the race track, thats different, but remember that erena, is for folks that know they are going to have to keep spending darned money,,,Those cars as original was just dandy and i assure you beat fuel mileage on a 2002 silverado pickup with a V6, and My Yblocks run pretty and clean and offer me enough power i could get myself killed if i was a speed demon fool. It's only human nature for people to want to experiment and keep trying new gizmos, that they don't need... We used to speacilize in shovelhead Harley Davidsons too, and people that didn't clown around with their harley shovels, didn't alway waste money all the time and had good luck....Janet

 

: The reason back in the 5o's and early 60"s people had trouble with Yblocks was becuase they weren't aware of their rockers being worn, and not manitaning them all that well by using non detergen oil and letting all their oil passges clog up. when ford motor comaony mad e the first 272 Yblock, those cars were mean!! It was only the clas of people around back then that messed those engines up, with the exception for some reasin 57 Yblock cars, thaey had jilions of flat spots on their crankshafts leading up to oil slinging out the rear. One thing i never understood, is why people time a engine with a slack worn timing chain to specs, when it's wasting their time??...With out oils on marker now, and understangin our rockers above must be smooth, those old setups with points won't let you down folks. You don't need all this junk (aftermarkert wise), the only way to time a car with a worn timing chain is by hand, at 1500 rpm until it's corected.And dont for get you air idle mixture screws, it matters as where the air thickness is where you live....Janet

 

Sure ill bet they do give better performance, but what many don't realize, is that they reduce the life of their vlaves, they jus don't figure it out until later....Janet

 

And how do they hurt the valves?

 

Because unlike most peope that understand, the engeneers that designed these engines took into the considertaion what stress would be on the rods and crankshaft, and the vavale they used was made for that simply system they incorporated into that engine, when they built those engines, they took into consideration between intake strokes and exhaust strokes on that engine time allowed to cool them enough per power compression in the cylinder as well as block design to disapate proper heat... I run two stock ones and they are beautifiul....Janet

 

Still no answer how an electronic ignition hurts the valves. I ran mine with as much advance possible and put over 30K on that engine and my valves are fine.

Do you know what the Mallory Hyfire is?

 

I would bet if people would just run the stock setup and use the prper climate oil and watch their upper lubricant,...with todays oils and leaving things as they are, could pretty much echeive a 300,000 mile Yblock without any problems....Janet

 

Yes sir, i do, but i also know with my 292 rebuilt by hand runs cool and has a beautifill medium gray spark plug color when i check, then...It does wonderfully. I constantly hear of everyone taking their engine apart in here, and why change something if it works, your cylinders will run cooler and your combustion system will last longer, with the points, and it's all you need anyway.. Yblocks have plenty of pwer....Janet

 

I changed it because it is a better ingition system for my truck period. My 292 was rebuilt by hand also. By me and a 35 year mechanic who has run and modified Y blocks basically since they came out. One of his first cars was a 55 2 door with a 292. It didnt stay stock for long. He agreed to get it, because it was a better setup. The only way I would have problems with cylinders or my "combustion system" is if I was running it knocking and pinging all day long. Which these engines will tolerate for awhile anyway. Most engines will. The Hyfire system made it burn cleaner, started easier, and ran smoother. The soot at the tailpipes went away, telling me it was burning the fuel more completely. Never pinged, never knocked, ran cool, and made my day the moment I installed it.

I will never run points again. EVER. Why change something if it works?? Because you can get something that works BETTER. If that was the case, nobody would change from a 2 barrel to a 4 barrel, or put dual exhaust in place of a single.

2 barrel carbs and single exhaust work fine, but its more fun to let an engine breathe better.

 

Well Ken,...it's my hope you continue to have the best of luck, i honestly do, because i admire anyone with the guts to bring back something original as a Yblock...But do take into consideration that savy Yblock man who sold you that system did get a commision for doing so...But with my latest rebuilf of 70k plus, i have have fantastic luck ken, and it does run very clean to,,,,Let's hope we both stay lucky, i'm aiming at mine to last 300,000 miles and ill bet i can too...I did rebuild the thing, and its a darned good one...Good luck with yours Ken, hope we can share in the future as well...Fellow Yblock owner...Janet

 

Thanks, I wish you the best of luck also.

For what its worth, I did the research before buying anything, and I bought it online, so no commision there LOL. I just dont miss having to climb all over the engine trying to fix a burned set of points. I went 2 years without even removing the cap. 300,000 miles would be fantastic, hope you get there.