I've got a Y-block 239 out of a 1954 Ford F100. At the moment, the block is still in the truck, but we have gone ahead and pulled the heads off. Other than some bug sneaking in through the exhaust and making a little nest in one of our cylinders, there is very little rust on the interior. I have some digital pictures that I will post later when I am at the computer that they are on.

I had some questions, mostly on what to do to get this rebuilt. I have never done a rebuild, but am not averse to learning. As well, I have some pictures of the rockers, as I knew thats sometimes there was an oiling issue with the Y-blocks, and was going to have you guys check to see if you though they looked alright and were reusable. It's not a problem to do all the work ourselves, but I don't know if I would need any special equipment to check all the bits and pieces.

Thanks!
EDIT: Oh, I forgot! Looking around, it seems like a couple places make exhaust headers for the Y-blocks, but does anybody make a less restrictive intake manifold?

 

Do some searches on this forum and you'll get a wealth of info. Be aware that the 239 is different in a lot of ways than the 272/292/312. My understanding is that little interchanges.

 

Yeah, that's what I've gathered. I've done a lot of reading, but there is definitely more to go. I guess I gave a lot of info but didn't really ask the main questions.

Basically:
1) Do I need to have the block cleaned and machined at all for a rebuild?
2) Is there anything that needs to be machined at all, or would fresh seals and gaskets be enough to get going again?
3) The majority of the info seems to be for the 272 and 292, what should I look out for differently on the 239 specifically?

Thanks again all

 

239 intake ports are much smaller so the later intakes and larger intake gaskets do not work. Camshaft has different sized journals and the number of teeth on the distributor gear is different. The oil pump has a slot instead of a hex head and the distributor drive is different than the 272/292.

 

Does anyone know of anybody that makes replacement pistons and other such parts for the 239? I am about to take the engine all the way down to the block, and may need to have it bored over a bit. Would I need new pistons for this, or would a bigger piston ring be alright on a small bore, like .010 or .020 over or so? As well, I've seen several people talking about using bigger rockers on the Ys, any links to some where I can find these?

Perhaps I should add explain slowly. I am completely new to rebuilding, so I probably need someone to hold my hand and walk me all the way through it once or twice.

 

woo, so the 239 is going in the shed for a while until I can afford to have it properly rebuilt.

I've sourced a 292 that looks to be a '61, but now it needs the lower crankshaft pulley and a carb. Can anyone tell me where can I find that pulley? I think I can figure out the carb situation myself with a little time, but I'm not seeing that pulley anywhere.

 

The harmonic balancer goes on the front of the crankshaft. They can be purchased on ebay, but there is no assurance the rubber of the balancer hasnt deteriorated resulting in a shifted timing mark. Balancers (also called dampers), can be rebuilt by a couple outfits, Damper Doc being one. Rebuild costs are something like $140 plus shipping.

 

Is it possible to use the balancer off the 239 on the 292? Or are they different in some manner?

 

The 239 doesn't have a balancer, just a pulley.I had my 239 rebuilt in 2003 with good results, but if I had to do it over again I would go with rebuilding a 292. Dennis

 

The 239s have crank pulleys which provide no damping of crank harmonics, which worked ok in the small displacement low compression engines. It wouldnt be ok in a 272, 292 or 312. So short answer is no.

 

rats, thanks for the reply though!

 

If you need a balancer, I have a core you can have for $10 plus shipping. Nothing wrong with it except shifted timing mark, so rebuild is definitely necessary. Can ship direct to your rebuilder to save a little on your end. Someone else here may very well have a better deal ! If it is of any help send a PM.

 

Any chance we could use it without a rebuild? I can find and mark TDC on my own fairly easily, it seems. Our problem is that we are trying to get the motor running on the cheap - just what you need for 45 year old motors .

Either way, thank you for the offer, and I may be in touch in the next few days about it.

 

Once it's shifted, it will shift again right? No matter what, your marks would be suspect. But cheap is cheap. Not trying to ruin 46Y's sale, but might be better taking a risk on a E-bay one. At least it MIGHT still be accurate.

 

What are you saying here ? Just kidding. Yeah my offer would only be reasonable if a person didnt have a damper and wanted to have a newly rebuilt unit. Given that isnt the case, I would chance e-bay myself, and did. I paid a total of $60 for this one which included shipping.