First Post - I am putting the head back on one side looking for a cheap new head bolts for my 239 Y block. Can't find except ARP on Yblock.com for $99 for full set. Note - this engine is going to be replaced by the 292 I have so I would like to save money. Ideally I would like to just buy 10 grade 8 bolts and get it done. Any suggestions or ideas appreciated.
Thanks, enjoy the forum!

 

From headbolts.com: caution Ford Y block head bolts 239, 256, 272, 292 & 312 engines up to 1956 heads used two different length bolts in 56 the a change to 3 different lengths was made. The three bolts in the center under the rocker shaft are the same, The two bolts on the end of each head are longer about a 1/4 inch , inspect heads before ordering bolt to sure you get the correct ones other wise engine damage could happen


Heads up!! You'll want to get them right. The ARP bolts are stronger (not necessarily harder per se) than grade 8. Good head bolts beat walking home. However, they are not cheap. Then again, neither is a tow truck.
BTW: They will also come with hard-as-nails washers.

 

What's wrong with the ones you have? Rusty?
Check with John Mummert, FORD Y

 

OK, the old ones look fine. I guess I have always heard that you should replace em. Maybe someone can tell me what could go wrong reusing them? Are they going to break or get loose? If there is a good chance that could happen I would rather replace them but I am having a hard time shelling out $100 for bolts when I have plans to replace it in the next few years. Thanks for the advise on bolt sizes.

 

If they are OEM Ford bolts, I wouldn't hesitate to re-use them. If there is one thing Ford was very good about, it was metallurgy and quality of their bolts. I've re-used my head bolts 4 times and I'd about guarantee they were re-used when the PO rebuilt it in '74, and probably before that.

 

Welcome to FTE

6065 = Head Bolt

Left (upper): 1948/56 Ford Truck Parts Catalog / Right: 1949/59 Ford Passenger Car Parts Catalog / Left (lower): 1957/63 Ford Truck Parts Catalog.

 

Thank you once again, Bill. You make it look easy!

 

Welcome to FTE. We would love to see pictures of your truck and engine.
One of the books Bill used for his post was: 1948-56 Ford Truck Master Parts Catalog CD - HiPo Parts Garage
It's a very handy tool.

I'm a member of the "Save the 239 Y-Block Fan Club" Some parts are harder to come by, but it's a nice little engine. When you do replace it, you need to find a loving home for it, or at least many of the parts.

Did I mention we like pictures.

 

1948/56 Ford Truck Parts Catalog on a C/D scanned from an original bound paper catalog (final printing 1964).

Pics from C/D:

 

Thank you all very much. Will let you know how this repair turns out. Addressing 3 things - pulled the head to replace the gasket and found the push rod pushed up and out. Likely the result of a stuck valve. So I am now trying to unstick the valve. I bought the truck from a guy that had stored it outside since 1995. Got it running but noticed white smoke, that went along with the antifreeze in the oil. I work at home and am giving my daily driver to my daughter so this will be my get around truck. I love this body style and old trucks in general. My first love was a 57' ford I had in high school. Thanks again - will keep you posted.

 

Thanks again, the original head bolts worked fine. Just cleaned em up, retraced the treads, and used anti-seize. One mistake I could have avoided was not just doing the other head at the same time though. I was testing it out and the other side blew out - fogged some joggers pretty good. I think I will start a new thread just reviewing all the things to not assume when you try to revive an engine that has been sitting for 20 years. I think I have encountered them all. I placed too much weight on what the seller said and how things work out on the TV shows. "Oh ya, it ran when I parked it". Two months later - replaced bad coil to get started, reconditioned frozen water pump, reconditioned radiator, repaired balanced with big chunk off the pulley, rebuilt carb, replaced two head gaskets and found one bent and two dislodged pushrods in the process resulting from frozen valves. I stuck with it though, and fixed everything on the cheap. Oh, I forgot the part where I found the previous owner had covered the access plate to the master cyl with bondo. But the laugh is on him I have a running 55 in decent shape and got it for a song. Thanks again for the help - not just this thread - thank god for the internet!

 

Good stuff to learn about. Thanks for posting it. I've got a '52 F-1 with a rebuilt 239 in it, roughly two hours run time since new but over a decade ago. PO wasn't able to get it running for me before buying beyond a few sputters, I'm just about to the point of trying to fire it up. Will keep my eyes peeled for any tell-tale smoke beyond the initial cloud.

I've lost track of the number of 'surprises' I've found so far. I don't think the PO intentionally mislead me on anything, more a case of forgetting what was or wasn't done when he was rebuilding the truck back in '98-'99. A few things like, oh, a missing cross member on the back end of the frame, stuff like that.

OTOH, there will always be someone who will say anything to sell something. It's always gratifying when you can beat them at their own game and end up with the end result they never had the dedication or intelligence to reach.

This is the time to fix it all, of course. Not when it breaks down on a bus highway in a rain storm.

 

Good luck with the restart. One thing I understand may be customary for these engines is that because they don't always get proper oiling and since they heat up the valve trains, springs and valves get sticky or stuck when they sit a while. So, if you are not going to rebuild and just want to get it started I would consider taking the time to remove the rockers, clean it all up and inspect everything. rotate the engine and make sure everything is working properly and that there are no stuck valves, lazy springs or bent pushrods. Knowing that would have saved me a little grief.