Hi everyone,
I am new to the forum but very interested none the less.
I have been researching my 1956 Ford C600 158 inch wheelbase Stakebed with the 272 cubic inch Ford-Mercury-Edsel small Y block engine.
Someone at some point replaced the 4SYN manual transmission with an automatic, I am guessing with a Ford-O-Matic or Cruise-O-Matic....Not sure though.
I may need to replace the engine and was wondering if I would be able to upgrade to the larger block Lincoln V8 Y block available in 317/341/368 cubic inches or perhaps a larger cubic inch Ford-Mercury-Edsel small Y block such as the 312 cubic inch without ridiculous modification.
I am not attempting to hot rod my C600, but if I have to replace the 272, I would like to get as much power as possible.
What can you suggest in the way of modified carburetion or supercharging?
Thanks,
Erich

 

Any of those things might be ok.

But if you even use a stock 272 in front of that Ford-O-Matic and you load that truck up, you WILL break that transmission very quickly. Those old automatic transmissions were never put in a anything bigger than a 3/4T pickup. (and i'm not even sure of that.....maybe only the F-100s came with the "slush-boxes".......

Your C600 has a gross weight of about 16000 lbs or so.....


I'm putting an E4OD behind the 292 in my F-600. But my auto-trans came out of an F-450 Superduty rated at 16,000lb GVW.

The other thing is that you do not have a parking brake (if you have the C/F-600 axles and running gear) with that transmission.

Now if your truck is actually a C-600 cab on an F-100 or F-250 frame and axles, well, you're probably OK.

You can probably put supercharging on it or 'trick the engine' but the same rule applies. I'll bet you would break that trans with too much power....


Cheers,


Rick

 

Hi and Thanks,
I'm not sure what transmission is actually in it. Or what year it was done.Theres a radiator/cooler under the stakebed on the driver's side. I think it might be a transmission cooler. How could I tell if it's a Ford-O-Matic, Cruise-O-Matic, or something else?
Great to know I have options on the engine/carburetion/supercharging. But I think I need to check into that transmission. Would it be very difficult to return it to it's original manual Transmission? The Clutch pedal is still there and the hole in the floor for the shifter hasn't been covered up.
Thanks,
Erich

 

You could use an FE engine/trans combo from a later model big truck like for example a 78 F600.They still used the front engine mount and trans bellhousing mounts and would bolt right into your C600 frame.You will usually find a 330,352 or 360 backed by an NP435 4 speed manual.It will stong enough but highway speed will top out at 60mph if you have tall rear end gears.

 

If you want to use a Y-block like a 292/312 and a 4 speed trans, you could get a T-98. It's a good strong 4 speed (1st gear non-sync, 2/3/4 syncro) and came standard in the F-600's.

That's what I pulled out of mine when I decided to go with an automatic.

(Of course it's also after I bought a new clutch, pressure plate, pilot/throw-out bearings etc!!)

You could also find yourself a 300 cu-in 6 for your truck and then use a ZF-S-542/547 5 speed transmission. then you can get a parking brake that bolts right on the back.

The 300 would have plenty of power (I believe it was standard in some 70's F-600's). If I wasn't using a Y-block, I would be using the 300.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice.
I may end up just using the current 272 Y block.
Would the T48 Transmission work with that engine too, or just the 292/312's
I sure would like to get a 312 Y block in it and supercharge it.
Once I figure out if I want to stay with the engine in it now or not, I'll shop around to get the most power for the buck. I would like to stay with the Y blocks but the suggestion for the later model FE 330,352 or 360 backed by an NP435 4 speed manual sounds like a good combo. Parts me be more readily available to.
I don't really care about not getting over 60mph, but I would like to have as much power/torque as I can get. I have some really big chunks of 200+ year old oak tree sitting in my yard for the last two years since the two trees went down that I'de like to get mobile and dispose of.
Anyway,
Thanks so much for your help.
Erich

Shouldn't we start a section on this forum just for Cabovers? It would be great!

 

Uhhh....T-48? I'm not familiar with that one....

 

Sorry, I meant T98, that you had mentioned.
How can I identify exactly what engine is in my truck. Where are the block ID's on the small Y blocks and the Lincoln type Larger Y blocks. I'm not sure if it has the original 272 engine, so I will need to assume it could be either of the Y block types.
Will I be able to read these while without tilting the whole cab forward? I mean are they visible from the hood at the front?
Also, where will the id tag be on the auto transmission that is in it? Is the tag visible from the under-side of the truck or is it mounted on the top-side of the transmission? If the cab is tilted can you see the transmission better?
I've yet to tilt the cab forward. How do you do it?
I also have another question.
The brochures that Earl has on his link state that the available engine sizes for 1956 for the C-Series were 272/302/332. I can't find any documentation on the 302 or the 332.
Is there a cubic inch descrepancy for the y blocks? I mean, I have found these sizes for the small Y Block: 239/256/272/292/312.
And for the larger Lincoln Block: 317/341/368.
Could it be that the 302 is the 292? and the 332 is the 312?
I just want to make sure that I understand this so I can identify what is in my truck and make an informed decision on replacement of the engine/transmission if need be.
The fact that the transmission was changed to auto makes me think someone might have changed the engine, or if it needed replacement, perhaps went to a larger size.
If it is the original 272, it should have a 2 barrel carb, But that could have been changed too.
Sorry about all the questions, I just have one more.
The data plate in the door jamb says engine code V, so that would be the 272 according to earls brochures....but the net HP rating on the plate is only 143. In the same brochures it says three engine choices were available for the C-600 in 1956; 167hp Y8, 158hp Y8, or 168hp Y8. I assume this has to do with what Carb is installed on the engine. Is the net hp rating on the plate rated without any carb installed, I mean just the engine itself? Confusing.
Thanks again for all your help.
Erich

 

At this point it might be informative for you to have a look at the following link.

There is a lot of info there. The T-98 will work with all the (FORD) Y-block engines.....I think it will also work the Lincoln Y-blocks as well.

http://www.ford-y-block.com/techincal.htm