I recently bought a 1955 Ford F100 to restore, but the engine locked up on the Interstate a couple of weeks ago just after a mechanic replaced the valley gasket. I'm not even sure what size engine it has in it, but it's supposed to be stock. Does anyone know the engine size Ford put into its 1955 F100s?

 

If it's a v8, it will be a 272 or a 292 y-block. If its a six, I think it would be a 223.

 

Hi, The 1955 F-100's came with a "mileage maker" 223 6 cylinder as Franklin2 had stated. The V-8 would have been a "Power King" 239 V-8. The 272 V-8 was first used in pickups in 1956, and the 292 V-8 wasn't used in pickups until mid-production year 1958.
Kenny

 

Thanks, guys. Sorry I forget to tell you that it is a V8. So I guess its the 239. I really appreciate the information. I just went by the mechanic's shop today, and he told me the camshaft had broken. The engine's now at the machinist's--he doesn't know what kind of damage it's done yet.

 

Fords arent all they say in the books. In 54-55 there were actually 3 engines available in the F-100 and thru the F-600.

The base was the 223 OHV 6.
Next was the 239 OHV as mentioned earlier.
Also available was the 256 OHV which was the 54 Mercury engine.
Canadian production had a high amount of 256's and there are several documented reports of 272's.
The problem is that the 239/256 engines are unique in many areas, parts are scarce and expensive, and many do not interchange with the 272-312 family.

If you want I can dig up the info on how to ID the blocks by casting #.

BTW, Ive been thru this exercise, I have a 54 F-350.

 

I have a 1955 F100 with the 239 OHV V8. The engine has smaller intake and exhaust ports then the later 272 and 292 and a smaller bore. All 1955 239 V8s in trucks used the same type cam shaft as the 272 and 292. The early 239s from 1954 had a cam shaft that is no longer available and were built at the Dearborn foundry. The later 239s were built at the Cleveland Foundry and can be identified by the C over an F casting mark on the block. If the engine is indeed the original then rebuild parts are readily available. You can even bore it out to the 272 bore size and put on later heads and intake for increased flow. Have the block sonic tested to find the wall thickness. Many of these blocks can be bored as much as 0.25 inches, very beefy casting. The best thing you can do for the engine is change to a 1957 or later distributor that has mechanical advance and vacuum advance. The 1956 and earlier engines had vacuum advance only. Then add an MSD CD ignition box and the drivability will be much better. As with any rebuild use new cam and lifters that are matched for hardness. All replacement cams have grooved journals for oiling the rocker arms. Some original cams were drilled and the oil hole for the cam bearing could be misaligned causing oil starvation to the rockers. For more info check out the Y Block vehicle website http://members.aol.com/YBLOCK/YBLOCK.htm and www.Ford-Y-Block.com for parts. Ford-Y-Block .com is John Mummert's site and he is an expert on rebuilding Y block engines. He often writes articles for the Y Block Magazine which is also an excellent source of info.

Or you can do what I plan to do and replace the 239 with a later 292 that will bolt right in with the exception of the radiator shroud.

rogerf100

 

You guys have been really helpful, and I really appreciate it. I wish I had known about this board before. I checked out the book recommended about Y-blocks, but it looks like it's out of print.

Again, I really appreciate all the advice.

 

I just called the machinest who has the '55 engine. He says that it's a 292 and the only thing that might can be saved is the heads. He'll charge $2,400 to rebuild it. Is that a fair price? I don't really have the equipment to do the job myself. What are my options?

Thanks, guys.

 

Stan I have a 292 from my 61 runs good but needs minor work. I'll let you have it if you come get it in San Diego. E mail me at shelekelley(No Email Addresses In Posts!) For details. Rich.

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-Oct-01 AT 06:26 PM (EST)[/font][p]WHOOAAA!!!!!! 2,400?!?!? Stop right there! That is an absolutely OBSCENE amount of money for an engine! For that you ought to be getting a lot more than a rebuilt 50-year-old y-block. You can buy brand NEW engines from an OEM dealer for that. (Albeit I doubt that they'd have anything that old still in a warehouse!) This guy sounds like a complete crook. I would suggest two things. First, if you want a rebuilt/remanufactured engine, check with the local parts house. Autozone, Kragen, Parts America, Napa, Carquest..... they can all get you totally remanufactured engines built to factory tolerances with a decent warranty for less than half of what this joker wants. Being that this engine is a bit rarer than what they typically sell, I'd guess one could be had for around $1200 at the MOST. A belly button Ford or Chevy small block goes for around $750-$800. All you'll have to do is bolt on your manifolds, oil pan carb, distributor, etc. and dump it back in. If your old heads are truly in good condition, you can buy short blocks, too, and save more money yet. I'd go with a long block, though, because it is a lot less hassle and the warranty is longer. The other alternative is to find a good running used engine. I'm quite positive you could buy a whole truck with a good 292 in it for well under $2,400! I personally wouldn't buy a used engine off of some guy's garage floor with nothing but a handshake guarantee that it runs good. If you go this route, look for an engine you can hear run first. A spin around the block would be even better. That's why I recommend buying the entire truck. Keep an eye on the vitals and listen for any odd noises. Is the engine bay reasonably clean? What do the oil and coolant look like? Are there any maintenance records? Is there evidence that the prior owners firmly believed that duct tape and baling wire will fix anything? All these factors will give you an idea of what internal condition a used engine may be in and what kind of maintenance it might have had. Slow down, weigh your options, and tell this "machinist" to go suck pond water. Good luck!

Peace, brothers.

 

Look around for a 272/292/312 engine. I just sold a 312 with 40K miles on it for $250 and that included dual headers, 4 bbl carb, starter and generator.

 

2400 is probably the going rate to get a machinist to work on your engine. Can you get it done for less?? As outlined eloquently above, yes. But the advantage of having a local machine shop do the work is the choices ie: bore it out or don't, beefier cam yes or no - stuff like that plus I assume that you would not let the guy work on your engine until you checked out his qualifications so he must be good. So yes its a lot of money but I have heard many horror stories about about production rebuilts. Remember the warranty is a nice feature but your goal is to put the engine in once and forget it. The thrill of low price will be consumed by the bitterness of poor quality.

 

Stan these guys are giving you good advice. Unless you just have to have your truck remain stock I would highly recommend getting a 302 or similar engine. You can probably find a good donor car or truck and buy the install kit for less than $2400. I'm into my unibody project for less than that and that includes the purchase of an engine hoist and arc welder. I have a good 302 with 4spd tranny and a volare front clip. It's not done yet but it's getting closer.

 

Actually depending on where you live, $2400 is not too much to pay for a good rebuild if the shop is doing ALL the work including removing and installing the engine and giving you a turn key job. I priced a Ford remanufactured 360 engine installed for my 1976 F250 and it was $2100.00. Did the mechanic break down the cost in parts and labor? I know the rebuild kit for a 292 can be bought for $685 to $749 retail depending on the type of pistons and rings. If only the heads are salvagable then you would be better off finding another engine. A few months ago a fresh rebuilt 312 auctioned on ebay for over $700. I was lucky and found a running 292 that just needs a little work and cleaning for $160 from an add on this web site. Check out the classified adds on this web site, or take Rich's offer, can't beat the price. Then sell the heads.

rogerf100

 

I HAVE A 54 WITH A 239 ENGINE IN IT I PULLED THE ENGINE OUT MY SELF AND BOUGHT THE REBUILD KIT FROM KANTERS AUTO PARTS AND HAD A
MACHINE SHOP TO REBUILD THE ENGINE AND I HAD ABOUT $1250.00 IN THE ENGINE KELLY