Since your truck is a 58, if you want to run a Y block I'd look around for a good rebuildable 312 block (or a 390 ) the value of the block is going to be only a small part of the rebuild cost so I'd put the money into a more desirable/supported engine.

 

on the thought of a 312 you could strip your 292 down to the block bore it out and put a 312 crank and stuff in it and have one of the best y-blocks out there

 

I remember my dad doing this when I was a kid and the y-blocks were still the most current engine.

As I remember, when the crankshaft and cam bearings wear you lose oil pressure to the top of the engine. Old time mechanics would add a extra oil line from one of the plugs on the oil galley located on the block, and run extra oil up to the rocker shafts.

The bolts that hold the rockers extend up and through the valve cover (they also hold the valve covers in place). These bolts were drilled and tapped to squirt oil into the rocker shaft. Most of the time they added a pipe valve to the oil line to control the amount of oil.

Later someone started to sell a kit - you can find them on eBay at times.

 

***** B, When I got my 56 Ford Car,it had one of those kits on it.That was about 1980.
Dave58, If you are happy with the peformance of the y-block then I would keep it,but if your not now is the time to change.Carl

 

The problem with all the older engines is that they are very very very expensive to rebuild. Also, most of the Ford engines have way too low compression as built by Ford. With the cost of gas, I would not build an engine unless with at least 9:1 compression. That said, I would forget the Y-block entirely. Unless you could find a pristine 360 or 352, I would also forget the FE engines. So this leaves the SB Ford or SB Chevy. The Chevy is the cheapest to build, and fits great. If this is anathema to you, think strongly about a crate engine from Ford, buy a late flywheel and you can find bellhousings that will fit probably the best thing going, the T-5 tranny. Modern engine, modern tranny. No problem for many years.

 

well i prefer older egines yeh there a little higher priced to rebuild but not copared to a 3000-6000 dollar crate. plus the best thing about old egines is they will very rarely leave you on the side of the road. yes they can braek down but if they do you can get it to run enough to get it home with a file a srew driver and some baling twine and duct tape. if a new egine breaks down don't even open the hood just call the tow truck. well thats my bias but do what you want to.

 

Rebuld the Y. With modern oil technology, once those oil galleys are clean on a rebuild, you are not gonna get the crud build up of the old time oils. So you can leave the stock oiling system, which worked fine until the crud built up.

Yblocks and Flatheads have such a unique sound, I can't imagine whay anyone would change one out. They are the COOLEST IMO... just get rid or that goofy cross-over exhaust system and you are golden. They are extremely tough and hardy engines... just use the good neoprene seals on the main bearings.

RF

 

The crate Ford I am talking about is a 5.0 liter (302) and it is $2500. To rebuild a 292 or 312 we are talking $2000. The 5.0 liter can run an old distributor with points if you want, or a Ford Electronic Ignition which is simple. You would run a carburetor with this crate engine. So it is as simple as you want. Using a T-5 manual means you not only have overdrive, but you have lower gears when driving with a load, or just starting in traffic. Way better IMO than an old three or four speed with no overdrive, a "crash" low gear, and an engine with little compression that likes to eat gas. Finally, there is nothing unique about a Y block sound. A 302 sounds just the same except for lifter noise. A flathead does sound different and I would not ever get rid of one. The Y block's oil system, just like the FE and the small block feeds mains from the oil gallery through the cam bearings to the mains. Wear out cam bearings and you have a problem. The oil to the rockers uses a very small passage through the block and heads. Clean detergent oil will keep these passages open until there is cam bearing wear. The later engines use ball pivot rockers fed through the pushrods, and a higher flow system. Much more reliable, IMO.

Finally, do what you want. Everything will work, some solutions just work a lot better.

 

Build the Y block. If not I would concider taking it but it would have to wait till next year when we do our annual trip out west I guess somebody haven't heard a Y-block with glass pack mufflers. No 302/351 sounds like them. Just for the record I have a Y-block powered car (with glass packs) and a 351W powered truck (with flowmaster 3 chamber).

As far as gas mileage on a hot rod/custom car or truck who really cares?

Chuck

 

I heard a 312 for 3 years with glass packs on my 57 Ford Wagon, then put in a 352 and it sounded the same. Then wife wrecked the wagon and put the 352 in the '56 truck, then the truck got a 351W after a year and it sounded the same. The secret to good pipes is good headers, mufflers right at the headers, then full tailpipes. If no equalizer, they will rap. The more compression the engine has the better and louder the sound. Since all of these engines use a comparable firing order there is no reason that they would sound any different. All of my engines were built with high compression. Since mine are all drivers, I care about gas mileage, and I don't have rice rockets around, only V8 drivers. There's no reason to have a doggy engine in a hot rod, IMO.

 

im going to rebuild my 292 for about 1100 bucks. now thats just stock rebuild other than 20 over pistons. yes the 5.0 is a good engine but every body knows about or has one of them. not true with a y-block you pull up to somebody at a stoplight and crack the throttle on a y-block and they ask you "what you got in it" and you say "a 292 y-block" there respose is probaly gonna be "what is that".

 

Thanks everybody for your input. I knew that asking the Y-block versus something else question would raise the emotional content a bit, but you've all been great!

59flatbedford, can you point me toward a source for 292 rebuild parts? I've looked at John Mummert's stuff and have a Blue Thunder intake manifold with an Edelbrock 500 cfm 4-barrel. I would probably shoot for the cam one up from the original grind along with new rockers and the complete rebuild kit. With a little head work and new pistons I think we could get the compression up a little bit. If I keep the 292 I will someday replaced the manual three-speed with a Ford AOD anyway. And, just for the record, I'm not considering a SBC. Although there is a great '58 Chevy Belair for sale here in town.

For those of you partial to the 5.0/302, what do you think of getting a plain-vanilla, carburated, long-block and compatable AOD from my local parts store? I obviously have no core to exchange.

 

I guess you hear things different then I do. Just for the record mine are all Ford products powered by Ford V-8s except for the one p/u which has a Ford 4.2L V-6.

I drive all my vehicles and put gas in them when they need it, so gas mileage is not my main concern. It seems it is with you and thats just fine with me.

By the way I don't believe you or I are a expert on the subject of engine sound.

Well anyway you all have a great day.

Chuck

 

Well Chuck, distances are vast out here, and we drive a lot of miles, so gas mileage is a subject that is important. I feel our old trucks should get as good of gas mileage as the new trucks. This is why personally, I install fuel injection, use high compression, and headers and glasspacks. I am very experienced in "pipes" and how to make a car sound good. It has to do with headpipe diameter, tailpipe diameter and length, heat riser size on the engine, the length of the mufflers, the compression ratio of the engine, the cam duration, and whether or not you put an equalizer pipe between the headpipes. And the definition of an expert is: ex=has been (s)pert=a drip under pressure. I also install my own as I am at least 140 miles from the nearest muffler shop. I have learned how to weld pipes under the car on my lift, and now I can do as good of work as the muffler shops.

I no longer feel that it is important to run Ford engines in Fords, I feel that the important thing is to use American engines and parts in American hot rods. I believe that it is very important to preserve the hot rod hobby. I also feel that the finished hot rod should have an engine that is not too heavy and unbalances the car. I also feel the finished hot rod should handle and brake well. As far as Ford engines go, the new engines IMHO are too expensive, to hard to work on, and do not perform well for their displacement. (except for the racing models) GM engines still use pushrods and are relatively cheap, and have much better plugs, harnesses and computers. I believe that as far as hot rodders go, Ford has abandoned the hot rodder except for their crate engines. My opinions are based on working on new and newer cars and trucks for customers and fixing their problems. My opinions may not be popular in a Ford Forum, but my opinions have been formed by experience with more than my own cars.

I love old Fords and I think the slant cabs and the '56 are the prettiest trucks ever. I love the 49 and 50 F1s. I love 39 deluxes and 40's. I love 41s. I love 46-48 fat fendered coupes. I think the 57 through 60 trucks are also nice. I have not cared for the y block, liked the FE except for its weight, liked the SB 289 and 302s and the 351W especially with aftermarket heads. Liked the 429 and 460s. I also love the small block Chevrolet and the Ford flathead. As far as someone who could rebuild a 292 for 1100 dollars, I can only say that I could not. The engine kit (gaskets, etc) costs over $300, valves needed, pistons, crank work, balancing, boring, oil pump, timing parts, camshaft, rocker shaft parts, cam bearings, main and rod bearings, plus all machining would bring the rebuild cost to over $2000. I can rebuild a small block Chevrolet on a budget to about $1100-1200, and that is the least expensive engine to build. So, much of my opinions are based on costs, which to me, are very important. In fact, if I could not afford a hot rod hobby by being able to build more cheaply, I would not be driving and enjoying old cars. I can't afford kits for things like a lot of you apparently can. I use stock parts or aftermarket parts and buy a lot or junkyard parts.

Finally, I think that because we may differ on choices, we should not be at each other's throats. Everyone has different life experiences which shape their opinions. I am just offering a different perspective based on parts availability, best bang for the buck, and lightest weight, best performance.

Also, for anyone who wants a 360 FE in good running condition, I will be putting the one I have in the classifieds.

 

[QUOTE] the definition of an expert is: ex=has been (s)pert=a drip under pressure.


Back to you bud!

I'm done playing this silly game, so play if you must.


Chuck