My Dad said it ran two years ago when he parked it. Can anyone identify it? Would it be a good candidate as a hot rod engine? Can anyone tell me what year the truck is? Can anyone tell me where to look for the VIN number? Thanks. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
It's either a 272 or 292 Y block Ford V8. Probably a 292. Some guys like them. They are 'traditional'........ Ray
I'd fix up the whole truck, make a great parts hauler! The truck is a '58 thru '60 ford. there is a thread for these, check it out!
When I did my roadster, my sister-in-law gave me a SBC to rebuild and use, but if I could have found a complete Y-block that I had a little history on, I would have gone that route in a second.
Can't see the grille very well but it looks like a 1960. [the second photo shows a 1960 grille] The engine is a "Y-block" ford and it could be a 272, 292 or maybe even a 312 but with the 2 barrel carb it's probably not a 312. I see the truck has a hydraulic clutch setup and that's good for installing it in a hotrod. . The fact the engine is in a 1 ton truck says it probably got worked pretty hard and may need everything. You won't know until you tear it down to inspect all the parts. Good news is those old ford engines will take a pretty good sized overbore if it needs it and they came with steel cranks and good rods. Bad news is they're a little spendy to buy parts for but parts are available. If I didn't have access to any other engines or if I was a Y-block nut, I'd grab it. Lots of transmissions available to fit behind it. If you get it, hold on to that bellhousing and clutch setup....it's good stuff. All the electric stuff is all 12 volt. Fire it up and see if it's junk or a good core.
Y block,yeah would be a great engine in a hot rod. Seems like a member of the Rollin Bones has one in his high mileage coupe. HRP
Y block Fords were not very popular in the fifties and sixties because there were lots better engines, from Ford and other makers. These days they are used for the nostalgia kick. You could rebuild that motor and use it in a hot rod. It would cost a lot of money, parts aren't so easy to get anymore. And the HP wouldn't set any records. It would be the thing to do, just so you could have a Y block in your car, it has no other advantages. A Ford 302, Chev 350 are much better engines, and cheaper.
I think it is a '59-60 Ford, 1-ton. Rusty O'Toole hit the nail on the head about the Y-block. None of these comments will lead you astray. Good luck.
Talk to Tim McMaster or Ted Eaton, or even John Mummert. I have a Y Block in my RPU built by Tim McMaster because it is nostalgic to me, and it is built to hold it's own for the cubic inches that it is running. Check out the performance the above mentioned engine builders have achieved on the dyno, at Bonneville etc. And parts are definitely not hard to get. There are very few engines that will sound as sweet as a Y Block. Certainly not one of the "better" or "cheaper" belly button engines you have suggested. Cheaper is not always better.
i had a 292 and loved it. In something other than that truck it should move things nicely with the usual tricks done on almost any engine. If it's free I'd tear it down and take a long hard look at it before I spent a bundle on it though.
For a Y-block,run dual straight pipes (no mufflers) to your rear bumper.Nothing and I mean NOTHING makes music as sweet as a y-block! Your trucks a 1960,so is mine. I have a 292 in a 1959 Ford. Ramhorn exhaust manifolds are best and will get rid of the awkward manifolds you have
As a little kid in the early 60s, I used to watch the older cool kids with cool cars. Tri Fives, 58 Impalas, mid 50s Fords, the Mopar or two that ran around the neighborhood, everything else, including FE powered cars. The absolute best sounding cars, by far, were Y block powered. No contest to my ears. That's why I have several of them now, waiting to be used. If I wanted practical or cheap, I wouldn't be on the HAMB everyday.
Most any American V-8 is potential hot rod material. The determining factor in choice comes down to cubic dollars.
I trip over Y block speed equipment and factory parts at every swap meet I go to. They are also very attractive engines when cleaned up and detailed. Also, They sound great, especially if you get the compression up to about 10:1,and they all have solid lifters . Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
& if you want some cheap power, that may not be entirely quite "trad", those exhaust manifolds would do for a nice start on a home-made junk-yard twin-turbo blow-thru-carb set-up. FWIW. Marcus...
Everyone keeps saying they sound great: How would you describe their sound? (I know that's impossible but a few adjectives would be nice.) I really care about exhaust sound and I don't know anyone with a Y-block and I'm dying to know what's different about how they sound! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
If it turns over, got 4 pistons or more and got any hop up parts avalible, its hot rod materiale! Also comes down what you got; car, room/space, parts and what did you have where you wants to put it. But basicly, any horsepower gain, is hot rodding for those with shallow pockets. In the World of V8, after the King (flathead) and before the Mighty Mouse (SBC), Y block roamed the streets. People claiming there was nothing between the King and the Mouse, just got historical blinders on. But that looks like a sentimental corse, but if it turns over, go for it.
Sound is subjective,,,but my take is that the factory dual, back drop manifolds allow the rear cylinder to fire "right down the pipe" so to speak. This has an effect on the flow dynamics that produces the sound,,,, mufflers also play a part, of course. I have the COE truck manifolds on a 292 F600, the sound is not the same, just sounds like a V8...
But what adjectives would you use to describe that sound?? I am genuinely curious. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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