Just bought a '64 Ford F250 with a 292 Y block. Im totally new to this engine as my other truck has a built 390 which I love. I bought this truck to be more of a driver and that I dont mind putting miles down in, not the showpiece that my other F250 turned into. Is this engine acceptable as a daily driver? I'm not going to be doing anything terribly rough with it like towing but will just use the truck for running around and doing errands etc. Thanks for the help

 

I found it to be a very good daily runner. I ran mine daily for 15 years and put many miles on it. It was rebuilt in that time but it is very tough. Now it is a summer time driver. If you plan on running it down the hiway at 70mph you may want to change the rear end gear ratio. And getting rid of the crossover pipe helps alot.

 

I drove my 54 F100 from the mountains, down 3000 feet in altitude and 36 miles each way into Denver for 1 1/2 years. A 239 is not a ball of fire, despite my running a 57 4v and manifold, and putting in a later recurved distributor (which helped a lot). Fuel mileage was acceptable, somewhere close to 20 mpg, tho I never drove more than 55 mph. Driving the truck over Berthoud Pass and around glass-slick C470 was no sweat, as the truck went great with all season tires and never had the bad habits of other trucks I've had, like the tendency to swap ends on ice. Driving up Deer Creek Canyon Road and High Ore Road was always fun, because these twisty roads were too curvy to get any speed going, no matter what you were driving. Believe it or not, in second gear and 25 to 30 mph (which was about all the faster one could go), I left many little import cars behind in negotiating the corners. At slow speeds, if I arced the turns right, I could cut a line that you'd have to be pretty perfect to follow. This was great fun.

Driving it down in the Dallas area was a different thing. Here, fast stops and starts in city traffic was less pleasant, and the lack of air conditioning was a killer.

I think it depends on the kind of driving you do to get to work and what you are willing to deal with. In general, yes, you could do it, but beyond that it becomes a personal preference.

 

I intend to drive our 62 as a daily driver once I get it in sufficient mechanical condition to do so.

 

you will love your 292 , i have one in my truck been good for 5 years now use good oil

 

We are very, very pleased with our 292 Y-block! And we use our F100 daily! So don't worry, if you don't do anything silly like heavy towing or (drag)racing all will be allright! Wish you lot's of fun with your Y. Greetings from the Ford Front Holland.
Just visit http://www.fordfront.nl to see what we are all about.