Folks, I am playing with a 54 Mercury, 256 ci and a Mercomatic. The 256 is a chronic smoker and is to be replaced. I just bought a 292 ci that is missing the following: intake/carb, exhaust manifolds, water pump and distributor. The block casting is C2AE (62' to 64"?). The head casting is ECZ-C (56"?). Now the questions: Will my 256 parts fit the 292 (except distributor)? What would be the best distributor to use with this combo (256 carb is a Tpot)? Suggestions for an eventual Intake and Carb replacement? How do I determine what ECZ-C heads I have (compression ratio/HP)? The engine was a non smoking, good runner but has been sitting for a year. Since its out, is there any weak link or "might as well replace it" parts that I should consider? Sorry for the diatribe, but Id like to do it right and Im new to Y blocks. Thanks, John
Good choice. I am a fan of the y-block. Check this out. It should answer your questions: http://www.ford-y-block.com/
Thanks M, Am familiar with that site...posted same questions there. I'm trying to gather as much good info as possible so I can spend as little $ as possible on mistakes. Would like to go with as much stock equipment as possible, although I'm not to concerned with the purist issue. Thanks again, John
John, The 256 most likely has "small port" heads, or close to them, anyway. Edelbrock did make a slightly different intake for the 256, as opposed to their 239 Y intakes. The C heads have larger ports. You will probably find that the 256 intake will fit & seal OK. It should, anyway. The ECZ-C heads are pretty much all the same....but they are rated at a higher compression ratio (& sometimes hp) on a 292 vs. a 272, because you have greater swept volume in the cylinder. I think someone on the other forum mentioned measuring the head pad to see if it's been milled. Strictly speaking, with the teapot, you are supposed to use the Load-O-Matic distributor. It's a lump of poop. It will probably be better for you to use a '57-up dizzy, which is similar to most other point-type Ford dizzys, with centrifugal & vacuum advance. You can still get a rebuilt version through NAPA, AutoZone, etc. Just ask for a '64 F-100 w/292 dizzy. (They only carry one replacement for all models anyway....but why confuse the parts guy??) I believe all stores get their dizzy from Cardone anyway, so shop for price. Last I heard Advance Auto Parts was the cheapest. If you use this dizzy, you then should remove & plug the spark control valve on the teapot. A std. Holley power valve blockoff plug will fit...the threads are the same, the seating surface is slightly different, so you might need to fiddle with the gasket, or use two. No big deal. To get a Load-O-Matic, if you want to go that route & don't have one (the 256 would have had one originally), you either have to go the eBay/swap route, or check with a T-Bird vendor. Since it has sat for a while, & its history is unknown, I'd pull the rocker covers & oil pan, clean anything out that needs it, check the pickup for crap, & make sure the rocker assemblies have oil on them. I'd also make sure that no critters left anything, or took up residence, in the intake/exhaust ports and cylinders. Does it turn over OK- no crusty, rusty, sounds?
The engine is sound, it came out of a T-Bucket. The guy put a big block in it. Turned over easy with a braker bar. Confidence is high that it's a sound runner. So the 256 parts should bolt on to make it a runner until funds allow for new parts? That sounds promising. I think I'll lean towards the new distributor with the petronixs. I've used similar conversions in my british motorcycles. The T-pot should work ok with a newer distributor if modified by your suggestions? Also, the 54 exhaust (complete with stylish crossover) will work until replaced with ram horns or headers? Homespun, much appreciated! Thanks, John
Check out Timmys Yblock page it has a bunch of info on the intake selection, carb sizing etc. http://m571.com/yblock/index.htm
Yep, the crossover will work, although it may give you a nervous twitch every time you look at it. I may have not caught it right, but I was under the impression you have a Merc car. If that's so, you don't need ram's horns, just grab a set of Ford car dual exhaust manifolds off the Bay. They're considerably cheaper, ya lucky dog. It's only us truck guys that have to find ram's horns...the prices that are being gotten now, I may pull a couple of pairs out & sell 'em for my retirement fund. The teapot will be OK. If you prefer to get something different later on, a Carter WCFB will directly bolt on to the manifold (linkage, fuel lines, etc. will vary) and is around 385 cfm. Otherwise you can use an adapter & go to the std. Holley bolt pattern, & a 450 vacuum secondary Holley, a 390 VS Holley, the Autolite 4100, E-brock 500, are all good choices. You can also switch to the later ECZ-9425-B manifold with the Holley pattern, but they are more expensive now...around $100 or more on average. The ports will be slightly larger than your C heads but will work. There is also an early '60s 4 bbl. truck intake with C-size ports that will work, but the casting # escapes me..C1TE, maybe. They are not real common. The Blue Thunder intake is overkill for you & pricey. Pretty, though. I'm not a Pertronix fan, truthfully, but lots of guys have good luck with them. The resistor & coil choices seem to be critical. Crane makes a good kit, & Mallory as well. Tim's web site is a great one & he's a super-nice guy. The site is very worthwhile to read.
There is an adapter that will fit your old manifold so you can use the 57 and later carb bolt pattern. Summit or Jegs or Speedway has them.
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