Hoping to get back on the 1000 year project which includes a Y block in a Merc. Been sidetracked a couple of years due to health stuff, but prior to that I was gathering goodies. I've got the T-bird oil pan, and the T-bird water pump spacer that's needed to use the old Hurst front mount, plus some cool speed stuff. Looking at my pile the other day ( the parts, not the car), and wondered if I need the T-bird oil pickup, too, or if I can just modify the original one. Or put something workable together. My Y cores aren't apart yet, and I thought it'd be easier to ask the HAMB. I'm not going to have time to take any of this apart for the next little while, but I like to plan ahead. Thanks, folks.
I believe you should find the bird pickup, also the oil filter will probably interfere with the steering gear. I put one in a 49 Ford years ago, and I bought a filter blockoff, you cannot run a remote filter, for the y-block is full flow system.
Why can you not run a remote on a Y-block? Most all engines, now, are full flow and they run remote filters! Just wondering. Bones
First of all you don't say what year of Merc? A Yblock was available in some models so I think you may need to clarify your qustion. My experience is that you CAN certainly run a remote oil filter on a Yblock. And as far as the pump is concerned there is no such thing as a tbird only oil pump. A couple of versions of the pump are available. Just order one to fit your year and CI. and you should be fine. Can't say what the clearance issues would be with the oil pump and the steering gear. Never been there in that application
Thanks, guys, I wasn't asking about the oil pump or filter, just the T-bird specific oil pickup to use with the T-bird oil pan. I am planning on a remote filter, but that's not a concern now. The Merc is a '51. Thanks for the replies.
You can certainly run a remote filter. You can even buy an adapter for a spin on filter for a y block if you look around a bit. Try google for that. The pickup is normally oil pan specific, sometimes some pumps require a different size supply but that has to do with a difference in pump not oil pan. The proper pickup will save you some head aches but you can no doubt fab a proper pickup for your pan, it is just a matter of getting the snout into the sump. You have not given us a lot of pertinent information. Like what Y block and what body/chassis you are using. There were Merc Y blocks and Lincoln as well as Fords. Most of the engines were pretty much interchangeable. The parts not so much. For example I had a '53 Ford Y block (the absolute smallest CID of all of them) that I shoved into a '62 truck. It replaced an inline 6 that I windowed the block on. Using pieces from the '53 car and pieces from the truck I didn't even have to buy any parts to make the swap. Anyway most of us do not know what Merc the Y block is going onto. That would help us with an answer.
Ford Y’s have a standard oil filter whether the original canister first used or the spin on used later that could be fitted to the earlier engines. Screw ones have a bypass internal. I believe the canisters had a spring the would collapse under too much pressure to act as the bypass. SBC’s had an ez adapter for lines and a remote and let’s face it there were a billion of the same design no matter which engine. Ford used Y’s for 10 years and it didn’t have an ez way for a remote adapter. The best thing is you can remove the oil pump without removing the pan. I’ve had mine off working under the car and also changed oil tube pickup seals. The maintenance/overhaul manual shows you everything. The Birds and pickups are easy to remove the pan and any of the passenger cars can be done also without raising the engine. I’ve done that too, twice.
There's no reason you couldn't modify a pass. car oil pickup to work with a T-bird pan; but finding the correct T-bird pickup would be less work...
A remote full flow system is easy, and workable, as pointed out by porknbeaner. Once upon a time, under contract, I Bowtied a Jaguar with a '58 small block ( a full flow motor ). The filter rode on the fenderwall.
What pan and pickup do you have on the engine now? It looks like the normal truck pan is not as deep as the Tbird pan, so the pickup would not be as deep. The HD truck pan looks like it would be similar. The car pan is front sump, so it would be different.
I was thinking that. I thought, he must have done that years ago. Back then, there was not the specialized parts like that and the finger tip resources of knowledge we have now.
It's a T-bird pan. That's why I asked about whether I had to use the T-bird pickup. The old Hurst mount instructions specify the bird pan and water pump spacer. I've got all that. Just asking about options other than the bird pickup. And it's still going into a 51 Merc. Thanks for all the replies.
The big trucks have a oil filter that makes the filter be in line with the block and movable,now it is for a canister filter but maybe the spin on filter adapter could bolt to it.
I know the new pan is a T bird pan. But you said you wanted to know if you could use the original oil pickup. The thing is, we have no idea what "the original one" is. Is it a truck or car oil pickup tube?
To get the pickup in the right spot in the pan would probably just mean making the the pickup pipe into a suitable shape. I put a Y-Block in my 50 Merc and modified an oil pan (not a Thunderbird one) to fit, but I'm guessing my engine sits lower in the frame to yours. See - Technical - Y-Block in a Merc (49-51) & build-up, chop, etc | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com) By the way - I know you didn't ask this, but you can get a screw on Y-Block oil filter that is half the length of the usual filters. For the benefit of others who may have space issues, the part number is FRAM PH2874. Not so sure how good they are at filtering though as they are so small!
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