I just bought a '50 Ford Tudor sedan a week ago. The car has a good running flat 6 with a 3 speed. I plan on driving the car with the flat 6 for awhile, but I have a chance to get a y block. Of course I'm going to have to rebuild the y block, but is that a pretty easy swap? I want a good reliable motor that I can drive at interstate speeds, but I know I don't want a SBC. Do y'all think a y block would be a good choice? What kind of engine swap was popular for these cars back in the late 50's? Thanks in advance. Phil
They aren't any harder than any other engine BUT the parts will cost you a lot more than a Ford 289/302/5.0 PLUS the parts are dirt cheap and super easy to find for a SBF . You will also get a lot more HP and Torque for the money from a 5.0 . Take a look on John Mummerts web site , ford-y-block.com ! He is the Y block go to guy and he has all the parts , cams , heads , stroker kits you can ever want for a Y block ! One other thing to consider is , if you ever break down someplace , they will have 5.0 parts to get you going . Now if you have a Y block and break down , you are pretty much screwed until the brown truck brings you the parts you need to fix your Y block . A 5.0 is a fairly easy swap to do . The Y block would be a good engine to use if you have the money to rebuild it . Just which ever engine you do choose make sure you use an Overdrive trans for that highway driving ! Retro Jim
Great points Jim! I first considered a 302 with a C6 or AOD trans. That probably would be the better route.
I am a Y block lover. That being said, please dont use a C6 on a 302, the AOD or a five speed is the way to go. The C6 will suck way more HP than anything you can bolt on a 5.0 or an older 302.
I got a buddy who might be parting out a 80s crown vic with a 302 and a AOD. The only problem is that it's fuel injected. I may just get it and the y block if the price is right. I can save the y block for another project. It shouldn't be too hard converting that 302 to carb. I love the look and sound of the y block, but I live 9 hours away from Austin and we go to the roundup every year. I want to be able to jump in that 50 and go. I'm torn now between the y block or 302.
Tge y block if built right and taken care of regularly will last and be dependable. It just comes down to your personal preference I guess. I personally love y blocks! My 60 f100 jas one and so does my 56 mainline. So will my hot rod. Only one that doesnt is my 51 chevy hard top haha.
DO IT... one of the big issues ford had with the yblock was the wax based oil would plug up the oil lines to the heads- with new detergent based oils this is no longer an issue at all and yblocks are super durable or they wouldnt have been in service in trucks well into the sixites. you have to use a 3 speed bellhousing- it'll bolt to the stock ford 3speed trans- you use the stock ford clutch plate- just make sure the splines match the input. The 57 and up ford 3 speeds had the same input and bolt pattern they were just stronger transmissions- nothing wrong with your stock transmission the stock rear end will fail long before the trans does... trust me I've beat the shit out of those transmissions and I always snap axles first. you have to flip the column to get the shift linkage to set back from the engine- you do this by flipping it so that the shifter is hung on the bottom of the column. If you don't do this you'll understand why you have too once the engine is in the bay and try to shift it... you use a truck pan- and you can use the truck mount too- and make mounts forward of the crossmember- the crossover seems to work good- the rear dump exhaust comes out by the steering I think- or you end up using a set of headers like I did- i found some old belond headers. you have to oblong the holes on the rear trans mount because it all has to come forward a tad- maybe a half inch? its not long enough to mess with the driveshaft so you can leave that alone- EASY PEASIE Tuck
Oh... and you have to make a drop down for the drag link. You do this by making the drop down a inch or so, welding it on the drag link... THEN you cut out the bar above it... then just cap a hole top and bottom on the stock rad and drive it- ;-)
Put the Y Block in it! This "reliability"; "parts availibility on the road" thing is way over rated. If you rebuild it and do it right, there's no reason you can't embark on 9 hour trips without worrying about breakdowns. The next time you go to the Roundup, check out some of the cars that DON'T have S.B.C.s or S.B.F.s in them and ask how far they drove. You have to remember, those engines were the everyday transportation for millions of people back in the day and they weren't all paranoid about driving out of town.
i drove my y-block powered 54 to bonneville and back, 6000 miles round trip without a hiccup. what on earth is gonna break that you can't get quickly? besides, it isn't gonna break down anyway. and, they sound better than ANYTHING else.
On my Y block powered 55, I carry a spare water pump, its pulley, a spare complete rocker shaft loaded, and a tool box. The past four years I drove it to Bonneville, 1650 miles each way, raced it, kept the rpm's down to 7,000, drove it home and washed it. Reliability???
I'm putting a mildly built 8BA in my '50 and plan on making it to the Roundup next year... from Utah. If my flattie will do it, a Y-block certainly will.
Go for the Y Block. I don't go with the parts availability thing, if you carry a few spares you'll be fine, and what's the worst case, you can get most anything you'd need to fix that car overnighted anyhow. I might piss some guys off, but SBFs are like SBCs to me, a bit of a cop out. Oh, and like Ole Don said, a C6 is the wrong trans for any small Ford V8, they're heavy duty monsters and you don't need one. I'm toying with the idea of throwing one in my car.. behind a 465 lb/ft Lincoln 430.
If you want reliable put in a computer controlled LS3 and 4L60E. If you want a cool and unique hot rod (and reliable too) build a blue printed and balanced Y-block with a C4. Don't go crazy with bore, stroke, cam, etc. You can easily make 300 hp while having a cool running, fuel efficient engine.
Thanks everybody for the input. Hearing all y'all talk about the y block sounds like it can be a very reliable engine. If I stick with my stock 3 speed, should I change to an 8 or 9" rear end?
Unless you're planning on hammering it, the stock rear is pretty stout. A Maverick rear end is a popular swap if you can find one. Regarding Y-blocks talk to Tim McMaster at www.yblockguy.com. He's a regular HAMBer (mctim64) and can help you select the right parts, and even build a complete engine for you. The stock 3 speed is supposed to handle 300 horse well, but if I had 300 horse I know I'd scatter it.
Like the guys said above stick with your stock Spicer rear end... the only rears that had problems were the 49 model year- they had poor quality axle shafts- but fixed the problem in 50- If you change rears to a 9" down the road a 57-59 ford 9" is a direct bolt in... same width as stock shoebox. Wagon and Ranchero rear ends are most sought after because they're the big bearing heavy duty 9"... Tuck
One last question I think, haha. With the y block, stock 3 speed, and stock rear end, will I be able to run 70mph? With the flat 6, all I can do is around 50-55 without revving the engine high.
ok sounds like you have a overdrive rear in it- check the rear gear ratio- overdrives came with 4.10 gears... standard 3 speeds had 3.50's... and if its 3.50 you should be able to do 70 no problem.
Hell yea go with the Y Block, im a big fan of em, have one in my T Bucket and its super reliable. Plus theres nothing better than a vintage Ford engine in a vintage Ford.
My 2ct... Had a 50 Merc years ago. Pulled the flathead when it started smoking because I added a turbocharger. Put in a fresh 312 Y-block with a top loader 4 speed. The motor was too long,had to modify the firewall, had to modify the oil pan, make a clutch linkage.......Made one trip to Houston. The clutch linkage broke, the oil pan leaked. Pulled the Y-block , put in a 302 that looked like it was made for it. Fit perfect, like it was meant to be.
I try, lol. I've seen too many shoeboxes with Chevy 350's. Nothing wrong with a 350, just don't want one in mine.
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