What is a more traditional engine

I need some help here guys. I was wondering what everyone thought would be a more traditional excepted engine in a late 1959 1960
styled hotrod. I have a 1960 ford 292 y block or a 1956 sbc 265.
I feel like the y block was not that widely use as a engine choice for hot rods. Im in the dark on this one guys any help would be great.

 

Flat head, flat head, flat head

 

IMHO, and I am old, but not a traditional guy, but if you are going to drive it, go with the 265 over any Y block or flathead. Far more reliable and cheaper to keep running. Personally, I would use an LS6 but then again I am not traditional.

 

Whats the body?

 

Six to one, half a dozen to the other. Pick up a few littlebooks. Yblocks were VERY popular hot rod engines as were Chevy V8s in that era.

 

Look through a pile of '59-'60 HRMs. I just happen to have the Jan and Feb '60 issues lying next to my computer, and they've got rods powered by flatheads, nailheads, hemis, Olds rockets, and 265/283s......but no Y blocks.

 

From a historical timeline point of view, it is not likely too many hot rodders would be getting a brand new '60 motor in '60 and putting it in a hot rod, but it was technically possible of course. More likely with the '56 and even more likely an even older motor.

 

Forget any sbc. go with a Nail head , hemi, ,olds, caddy or y block mabye a F-E

 

Listen to this man, he is smartlier!

 

Seems all the "traditionalists" hate the SBC,,,,but when it came out in 55 and went to 283 in 57, thats what everyone wanted,.......so, in my mind a late 50s rod would be perfect with one

 

I would go with a flathead but if you are asking for a choice I would go Y-block, sure the sbc would be cheaper and easier to find stuff for but there are already millions of them out there. I drove a ford with a Y-block for years with no problems at all

 

The 265" V8 set the hot rod world on its butt when it came out in 1955...IT DOES NOT get any more traditional than that...use it.

R-

 

Do you want to be "perfect" like everyone else or a bit original. My personal fav rod engine was a 40's merc flathead twin spark with centrifugal charger on top, the car was a 32 roadster and it was original

 

if its a late hot rod run a y block

 

I just purchased the complete year of HotRod Magazine for 1961 and I have looked through every copy. There are a lot of sbc powered cars and quite a few sbc powered dragsters in those issues. There were a couple of y block cars and flatties, but the majority were chevy and olds powered. I hope this helps a little.

 

Not to advocate one over the other, because I personally think either engine would be a fine choice, but here's a cover shot of the late great Doane Spencer dropping a hopped up 312 into a '40. Traditional enough for ya?

 

Flip a coin.

 

It is very important that you use the engine everyone else approves of.
Never mind what you like, or want, or have....
And since the overwhelming choice of others is the SBC, for many good reasons (easy to find parts, shorter length, lower cost, etc) you should really go with the SBC.
Remember, build what they like, not what you like.
Be traditional.

 

I think the traditionalists hate the 350, HEI, block huggers etc. Pretty hard to hate on a 265. Then again maybe I'm biased because I've got a 40 k mile original 265 just waiting to go into the next project..... Y Block is cool, but the 265 gets my vote.

 

If this helps sway you decision are you going for something put together on a budget (flathead) or something where money was no option back then, something that would get featured in a magazine?

 

Your right of course. But most guys cant tell the difference between a 350 and a 265. There was a thread on this a while back when a guy got all pissy because he found out an oil-fill tube in the intake wouldn't make his 350 pass for a 265.

 

I see MR "lets give an SBC thread one star" was here. Doofus

 

I was 13 years old when the SBC came out. Every car nut of every genre wanted one. The wrecking yards sold them as fast as they came in. By the time I was 16 and building my first Model A coupe the flat head was well on its way out. I could not afford a SBC but lusted after one. So I used a running flathead that I bought for 15 bucks. The guy I sold it to when I joined the Army in 1960 swapped in a SBC. The coupe I am building now has a 283. At 67 I am finally getting what I really wanted. What do you really want?

 

Y-block

 

i just pulled a sbc out of my 29 to put a flathead so i think its what you like...

 

I was in high school those years. For those who could afford it the 283 SBC was the engine of choice. I got really tired of 265's and 283's kicking the hell out of my flatheads. A few years later I had a 292 then a 312 Y block in a Mercury that was pretty good but still could not handle a 283. Flatheads and Y blocks have grown in popularity more recently because folks have become tired of seeing so many SBC's in hot rods. In fact when I'm at a hot rod show I usually look for something different but "old school" because they are more interesting. But I chose a 350 crate motor for what I drive.

 

I like Y-Blocks for sure and they were definitely used but my heart lies with 265's and 283 Chevys. They are just plain old fucking cool and I love that I can look at any magazine from 55-62 and see tons of examples to support my decision.

Here's the one I have in my '35.....

 

31 model A

 

for me it,s a toss up since i run a sbc.s in my 50 chevy coupe and a y-block in my 58 ford but that,s cuase i like both the sbc chevy is the motor of choice when i was a kid in the early 60,s but you can,t beat the sound of a y-block with a set of glass packs you have to make the choice both would be right

 

First of all flatheads were not as "hot" in the late 50's -60's as the overhead motors available. Y blocks were very popular then and I would defiantly go with one in your rod. Dont let anyone tell you that a 292 Y block is not as reliable as a 265 SBC. If you want your car to be low on power and boring go with the 265, if you want good power and lots of torque with a unique era correct motor that people will want to look at use the Y block!