I'm new to this forum stuff so try to be patient with me.

I have been brousing this forum for a few days now and it looks like just the place for talking to interesting and truly knoweledgable individuals that can help me with my project. I have a 1955 Ford Pick Up Custom Cab that I parked about 18 years ago with what I think was a blown head gasaket. I now have a little spare time on my hands and permission from my darling sweet, lovely, spouse to spend a certian amount of our limited entertainment budget on "fixin it up."

I made it to the F100 Supernationals this year and realized from talking to all the nice people I met that I need to get this project started if I am ever going to do it. So any suggestions from those that have done it before will be greatly appreciated. I'm about a "Half Fast" mechanic (rebuilt a few engines in my teenage years) so I can probably handle a this with a little help from my friends.

Vital statistics
1955 F100 custom Cab
239 ci Y-Block engine (needs rebuild or scraping)
Fordomatic Transmision (worked fine when truck was parked)
Rear end (3.92 stock)

Initial Goal: Get it running good enough to drive to the 2006 Supernationals.

Ultimate Goal: Customized Daily Driver that will make Ford Lovers want to stop and look closer. I don"t mind some aftermarket but Grandad worked for Ford for thirty years so I'm a purist and will do what I can to keep my Ford all Ford.

My thought is that starting out I can do a rebuild and upgrade the the engine to handle today's pump gas and maybe change out the rear end so that it will get a few more MPG's.

Initial questions:

Where can I get get parts for rebuilding the engine?
Does anybody know how to locate a machine shop around the Dallas Tx area that can recondition the block and heads?
Can the 239 be bored out to a larger size to add a little more power?
Is it a reasonably good idea to attempt to save the original power train or replace it with one of the later model engines and transmissions that have a computer?

As soon as I can figure out how I will post some pictures of the project as it developes.

 

I'll take a stab at this. Welcome to the forum-great people-answers for most everything & good natured insults.

First of all, the engine. There are several useful forums covering Y-blocks, including FTE. For parts & other info, try John Mummert's site: http://www.ford-y-block.com/index.html ;also, Red's Headers carries parts.

Other forums are: http://www.y-blocksforever.com/index.html
and http://members.aol.com/yblock/yblock.htm

Y-Block Magazine is very useful as well; info on Mummert's site.

I would highly suggest getting the Ford factory shop manual (FTE/Motorhaven carries them) and, if you like the Y, the James Eickman book "Ford Y-Block subtitle How to Repair and Rebuild the 1954-62 Ford OHV V-8". The book has some notable errors; for example, Y-s were available until 1964 in trucks; but it is still the only specific book for this engine. It is now out of print but is fairly easy to find; I think Mummert may still carry it.

The 239 can be enlarged; whether it is worth it will depend on your desires. The 272 or 292 are probably better starting points if you want a fair amount of power, or the 312 if you can find one. The 292 block & 312 crank is a good setup but 312 cranks in good shape are scarce & expensive. Some 239 parts like certain cams are hard to find, but out there.

The Fordomatic can be improved, or you can adapt a C4, AOD, or a 5-speed to the Y with adapter kits, or the FMX with some mods using your existing bell, or a 4-speed with factory pieces.

Whether you should swap drivetrains is up to you. Ask 10 of us & get 10 different answers. The Y-block is becoming more popular, can do the job, & has a lot of character. Parts are readily available for the most part and aren't too expensive. If you want more than about 300 street-friendly horsepower, you should think about swapping. Try to find an older guy to do the machine work as a lot of young ones have never seen the Y, not that the principles are too different. Maybe the mushroom lifters confuse them. One huge advantage to the Y-block is that it's already in there; no adapters required, or scrounging for solutions. Other Y-blocks will bolt in place of the 239, keeping in mind the different mounting system on the Ford cars vs. trucks.

As you might be aware the original rear axle is the Dana 44, so it's easy to get different gear ratios; or a later Ford 9" axle will swap in easily if you pick the correct one.

Hope it helps; keep us posted!

Mike

 

Welcome to the Greatest Bunch of People anywhere.
Along with what Mike gave you above please read http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/i...e_Builder.html. It will help get things going.

You may also want to get a Parts Manual along with the Shop Manual. Ford didn't always call parts by the same name you would use.

 

Welcome to F. T. E. keep us posted.

 

If you have to rebuild the engine, you might want to look into Ethanol Fuel. I have done some research on this and the fuel is hotter than most of todays fuel and costs in the low $1 range. The big change is you have to make sure they put the proper valve guides in to take the drying fuel that ethanol is, and then you can have cheap better fuel. Look for e85 on the web.

Broomfieldbum

 

Hey Burt!

Welcome to FTE! I'm sure you already realize this site and these people are absoultely awesome! Like you, I'm a rookie at this whole truck building thing. I know more about working on jets than I do trucks. At first, I just did a lot of research, asked a lot of questions, and ordered a lot of catalogs. With the help of the folks on this site, I was neck deep in my '60 F100 project in no time! It would be a good idea to get online and order some catalogs. A few of my favorites are LMC Truck, Obsolete Ford Parts, Dennis Carpenter Reproductions, Mac's Antique Auto Parts, and National Parts Depot. There's also another company called Classic Performance Products; I'd recommend against them unless you enjoy heartburn and headache. Good luck with your '55, keep everybody posted, and use this site 'cause these guys really know what they're talking about!

 

Welcome Burt,
You definately came to the right place for answers and advice. This is the nicest, friendliest bunch of folks on the net. I'm fairly new around here also and this site has been a great help to me and my truck.

PS...You're already half way there........you got the darling, sweet, lovely spouse on your side from the get go.

Bobby

 

Thanks for the quick replies. I already started ordering a lot of the catalogs and manuals. I'm thinking that for speeds sake I can pull the 239, do a rebuild and get the truck back on the road for a while until I can find the "Ideal" power train. Maybe sell the original power train to help finance the new one. Looks like I have a lot of reading and net cruising to do! I don't think my lovely accountant knows how much I'm going to strain the entertainment bubget. Thanks again and I'll keep you all posted.

 

The key word in the preceeding statement is "entertainment"

Welcome to the money pit!!

 

Kept my 55 stock & original and bored the 239 to .060" over and had the crank ground. Have a good spare 239 that I have not had much luck trying to sell.
Too many have turned these beautiful trucks into street rods, IMO!
Fred

 

nice job on the truck fking1. Did you have a hard time finding the parts to rebuild and upgrade the engine? Any suggestions what I should ask when trying to find a shop that can do the machine work. I oiled the cylinders and turned the engine over with a 1/2" break over this afternoon. It turned over almost too easy for a truck that has not been started for 24 years. Still workin on posting pictures .

 

Got a few pictures in my Gallery now.

 

Burt,

I've recently purhcased two projects trucks for restoration. I've not done this before either. For what it's worth you've given me some reason to hope with your comment that you were able to manually turn your engine over after 24 hours. I've got a an old Flathead that hasn't been run since 1969. I will be trying to turn it over in a couple of weeks.

Welcome to the forum. I get up to Dallas for business three or four times a year. I hope that I get a chance to meet you at some point and see your project. It's good that you are getting started. Good luck and let the fun begin.

 

I'm sorta new here myself,and my '54 has all the original drivetrain,including the Ford-o-matic....I'm wondering just how many of these f-100's are left out there with the original auto trans...I sort of agree with Fred,that there's plenty of these turned into street rods...Mine's in about the same condition as Burt's,and since I just had the original radio rebuilt,and it appears to be a custom cab,I'm leaning heavily into building a stocker...The only piece I'm actually missing is the original speaker cover mounted to the roof...

 

Thank god SOMEONE wants to keep their Ford all Ford!

I thought this place was going to the BIRDS judging by the last few days on that thread from hell!

BTW, I think it would be cool to do it either all stock... or stock looking with a few upgrades!

Sam.