can i make my 292 as reliable as a newer model engine?

[libbyq]

so i am rebuilding my truck
and i looking into rebuilding or replacing my engine... it's my 61 f100 and it has the factory 292 3speed otc tranny. i would rather stay oem, but i i've had constant carb probs etc. what isn't gonna cost me a wad of dough yet be easy to work with?

[AHotRod]

* And not spend a wad of dough *
Key statement: Today you'll spend some good hard earned cash to rebuild the engine with quality branded engine parts ( like Sealed Power) and find a NOS carb, update the ignition to a Pertronix, etc.
I personally like the idea of keeping the 292 in it, butt there are other alternatives, of which none are really cheap.
In the big picture, your going to spend the same amount of cash to replace the engine/trans with a late-model unit because of fuel injection.
So, search for a good NOS carb, and call Northern Auto Parts and order a Sealed Power engine kit to rebuild the engine.
Glenn

[du$ty]

hes right electric ignition whould help you alot...also 2 barrel or 4?

[gettingreasy]

Why not put a rebuilt 302 or a 390 in it? Would probably be cheaper than rebuildin the Y and you can get parts cheaper and more places with the later engines. You don't have to have a NEW motor to be reliable but a newer(than the Y)would definatly be a good choice.
-Jesse

[Fat Hack]

A 292 y-block is every bit as reliable as any other 'modern' overhead valve carbureted V8!

I got a basket case 61 Galaxie running for a buddy of mine years ago, and the car had a 292 two barrel with an automatic. The carb was siezed and nasty looking from sitting dormant for so long, so I just dropped on a later (70s) era Motorcraft two barrel I had laying around. After a good tune up and all, the car ran GREAT.

Wish I woulda got the chance to buy that thing from him...I'd have yanked that motor in a second to use in something cool!!!

Rebuild/repair your 292...it's made it 43 years already, hasn't it?

(See how many garbage 4.6 litre modular motors are still running in the 2040s!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

[Rocket Scientist Chris]

The Y-block can be a little troublesome if early model parts have made their way onto your later model engine. The biggie being the '55-'56 Load-O-Matic distributor. It's a vacuum only advance unit that needs to have a properly calibrated carburetor connected to it for it to function properly. The Load-O-Matic connected to a late model carburetor can result in way too much advance and very poor performance. To avoid this, make sure you have a dual advance distributor (vacuum and mechanical advance) from a '57-up Y-block. With this distributor, you can use any late model carburetor. The later distributor also can be converted to a breakerless ignition with a Pertronix kit very easily! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[du$ty]

mine made it 43 years...just not 47 years. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif i would like vey much to have a 352/360/390 in my t...with a four speed...i say gawd damn. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gifjust keep it Ford. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[libbyq]

2 barrel holley... all stock. even the cross-over single exhaust is there.

[ABone312]

I would stay with the 292. The Y-Blocks are damn good engines. I've run the hell out of mine over the last year. It blew a head gasket Sunday, but when I put the engine in my coupe, the head gaskets were the only gaskets I didn't replace. I had been planning on getting the heads redone with the hardened valve seats for unleaded anyways.

[tommy]

http://fototime.com/{EC6EA935-0818-4BB5-A483-8B43C9442C82}/picture.JPG

Put this on it!!!

[redmeat]

<font color="red">TOMMY DO YOU HAVE THAT?........KILLER INTAKE MNAG!.....WOULD LOVE IT ON MY 312!

R E D M E A T </font>

[imfatdad]

I have the 292 4sp in my Uni. Solid lifters so its noisy, rear seal leaks because its a rope, gas mileage is far to low for me to happy about it, but I LIKE IT... I love it when someone sniggers at her when I'm at a light and I leap off at green, the motor is strong!!

Find another carb and run it till it breaks.. Valve lash adjustment is required at 10,000 miles, I do mine a couple of times a year just cuz I like working on it.. Headers are available for it, consider them if you can find. Pertronix and a hotter coil. it'll then get as good as gas mileage as a newer truck with equivalent sized motor.. and be cool as is an old truck.

[manyolcars]

We've been running our 59 292 for 5 years now. We have Pertronix, too. The original vaccum advance quit working. I got a new one today, will put it on tomorrow. Our Car has dual straight pipes that make the SWEETEST music! Hi Rocket Scientist Chris! Isnt it weird that there are only two of us in this entire state???

[SamIyam]

Most newer motors are going to be an improvement over their older counterparts... as much as we love the old engines... for their sounds, looks and...uh, their sounds and looks, a little 351W or 302 is going to be lighter and make more power for less money. If it were mine, and I were looking for a cheap alternative... I'd hunt the wrecking yards for 429's and 460's... the big Fords are full of them... and they usually led a pampered, well maintained life. At the last P-N-P half price day, 38Chevy454 and I spotted a CHERRY 460 in some big ass FOMOCO product... the car was wrecked in the rear... and the engine and trans were complete. And for under $200... it would have been a steal!

Anywho, you have to ask yourself how much you want to spend and how you are going to drive it. Also, think about the engine and it's relationship to the entire car as a package... are you going to pop the hood at the shows? Or is the hood gonna stay shut.
Sam.

[286merc]

I dont see any reason you cant get 100K out of a rebuilt 292. Non detergent oil was the death of all those old era engines.

Lots of rebuild parts available, and the rope seal is a thing of the past.

Any large base 475-550 cfm 4 bbl from Holley, Autolite/Ford/Motorcraft or Carter(Edelbrock) will work fine if you use the 57-64 factory intake.

There are a zillion Autolite 2bbls and Holley 2300's out there if you want to go that way.

I would lose those heads and go with something in the 56-59 era. The ECZ-G is the hot one but not really necessary. I prefer the ECZ-C myself.

Reds carrys complete rebuild kits or individual items including Schneider cams.
Here are a few links for F-100, Y block forums and tech stuff.



http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&amp;forumid=41

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

http://www.y-blocksforever.com/phpbb2/viewforum.php?f=3

[tommy]

What makes a car unreliable? For me it has usually been electrical or fuel problems.

You can convert your dizzy to electronic using THIS LINK (http://fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/pictures?userid={2DF1D2F1-A0E4-40E6-9484-8B9287279599}&amp;AlbumId={85EE867A-0310-4C5B-9816-07CBA614E6B4}&amp;GroupId={6EF22434-F5A5-428E-BBFB-C2F89E3600E7}) for around a 100 bucks. My flathead conversion has been bullet proof. That being said points can be fixed on the side of the road most times. I haven't converted my 292.

I was kidding about the 2-4s.

http://fototime.com/{67528460-95E3-4531-9A4A-AA8567175D22}/picture.JPG

For reliability use this with the 2 end carbs blocked off. seriously! Pay the price to get the center carb professionally rebuilt by someone that checks the throttle shafts and details the gasket surfaces. Throwing a gasket kit into an old worn carb may not fix all your ills.

For a 61 truck I'd put an alternator on it. Don't be lazy and use the 1 wire stuff. Wire it like Ford did. When you have the starter off, polish the commutator and put a set of brushes in it. Wire brush all the wire terminals to get good connections when you reconnect the wires.

These old cars were very reliable when they were new. one of my favorite quotes is..."Street rodders think noone drove across country before 1955 when the SBC came out!" We get these cars when everything is worn out and call them POS's.

A good electrical system and a good fuel system will make your truck reliable no matter what block you put them on. A worn out electrical and/or fuel system will make the newest engines unreliable.

My 57 wagon 292 3sp O.D. has 77K on the clock and it's a blast to drive. I've had to swap some carbs (I'm not ready for the dual 4s yet) and I put a voltage regulator on it. If it's mechanical it's going to break. Just try to improve your odds.

http://fototime.com/{C9B97C61-9263-471C-942C-8D13B4346763}/picture.JPG
Yeah Redmeat. I put this together for my 57 Ranchwagon. I figured the WCFBs would be better than the towering inferno's http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I haven't tried it yet.

[libbyq]

she's not going to any shows. the truck has been a faithful friend for many years, and it's time for a makeover. i have a little extra cash so i thought i'd throw it into my truck.
i am interested in reliability, but i know the truck pretty well so i am afraid to change anything. i would also like to ba ble to get in and drive rather than tune something every other time.

[Jbirds51]

With todays gas prices id get a 289 or better yet a 302/t-5 and take your time about rebuilding the Y in your spare time and spare change..in the end youll probaby not want to change it back after youve run the smoother,better parts availability 302.....Y blocks are nice to look at but not nearly as efficient!Thats just logic tho...even i throw logic to the wind a lot for my ego....

[imfatdad]

No offense intended here, but where can one find a 302/t5 for less than 1500-??? Not here in Arkansas for sure. Even the Mustang wrecks around here untouchable with this combo in them. Sure I would love to do this to my Uni, but the cost precludes me from it.

[SamIyam]

[ QUOTE ]
No offense intended here, but where can one find a 302/t5 for less than 1500-??? Not here in Arkansas for sure. Even the Mustang wrecks around here untouchable with this combo in them. Sure I would love to do this to my Uni, but the cost precludes me from it.

[/ QUOTE ]

They are all over the place out here for around $500 for the engine and $250 for the trans... talk to the guy son the Mustang messageboards (if you can handle more than five minutes with them) http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Sam.

[Bigcheese327]

[ QUOTE ]
What makes a car unreliable? For me it has usually been I figured the WCFBs would be better than the towering inferno's

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't you mean the Mayor McCheese carbs? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[OGNC]

Okay, check it out. I have a 292 in my 60-F-100 that is my driver. I have made countless trips to San Diego and out to the Inland Empire in the truck. It still has the 2 barrel carb, but the funky cross-over exhaust is history. The motor is backed by a Ford-O-Matic and other than the fact that it is geared kinda low, it is perfect. Runs cool, doesn't complain about cheap gas, and fires right up every time.

Funny thing is that when I first got the truck, I bought a set of big-valve heads, valve covers, valley pan, 4-barrel intake, carburetor, gasket set and a MSD ignition electronic ignition distributor (one of the first ones that they made), coil and 6AL box and a pair of headers. I figured that at the first sign of trouble I would do the top-end of the motor. Well it is 10,000-plus miles later and the parts are still sitting on the shelf in my garage because it is still running like a champ.

[libbyq]

jeez, opinions are varied... here's a catch: my block has the bolt holes broken off and threads welded to the block. what do i do if i want to salvage it?

[Jbirds51]

Open a machine shop or spend the money at someone elses..personally it sounds to me like its a problem motor and id stick to the reliable (close th hood and forget it)302 powerplant.Sure open the hood to keep it clean and check the oil...But youll be happy having a mustang under the hood and the looks and style of what you have on the outside broooo.

[libbyq]

actually,
i've never had any trouble with it... it's just time to fix it before it breaks. it leaks and smokes but there's still good compression and plenty of power for doin what i do. i am paying somebody with more time and knowledge than i do to restore it. he's finishing what i started... that will include a new engine (either rebuilding mine or replacing it with another)...