Im currently rebuilding my 64 292 y block a couple weeks ago my oil pump went out and took a few bearings with it I have finally accumulated all the parts I need and have the engine torn down ready for reassembly I've heard setting timing gears on a yblock is different so if anybody has some advice or pics it would be appreciated as well as valve adjustment procedure and firing order i have read a few posts on these and there are so many different threads all saying different firing orders and ways of setting timing i just want to be sure. I took a few pictures during disassembly but im not positive that any of it was correct to begin with as my chain was really loose and worn and never could quite get it to run right thanks in advance -Mike
They are right when both are at 3:00. You need to borrow or find a big blue Motor Manual from 57. They can be newer but that's the year before Ford went to the bigger FE so it has more on the y. #1 2 3 4 are on the passenger side 5 6 7 8 are on the drivers side.
Y blocks and Ford in general, are notorious for defective vibration dampers. The outer steel ring slips off clock, because the elastomeric (rubber) bond between it and the cast iron basket dries out. The steel outer ring is where the timing marks live of course. What this means in practice is using a timing light is an exercise in frustration. The harmonic balancer/dampers should be replaced (or rebuilt) with new as part of an engine rebuild. Maybe you know all this already. Not just because of timing issues, but if the ring has slipped it is no longer absorbing vibration either. A broken crankshaft is a possibility. Setting valve lash, there are a few different ways and they all work, but some are more trouble than they might otherwise be, because of the upswept exhaust manifolds on Y blocks. I have tried them all and can vouch for the following in terms of ease and accuracy, a rare combination typically. Walt Nuckels must have been a character, and wish I could have met him. Valve Lash "Y-Block enthusiast, let’s talk valve lash. As y-blocks have no hydraulic lifters, it is necessary to adjust the tappets quite often. Unfortunately, the use of a feeler gauge is satisfactory only if the rocker faces are in good condition. If the rocker faces have wear pockets, from contacting the valve stem, the use of a feeler gauge will provide results which are little better than calculated guessing, as the gap will always be greater than the thickness of the feeler gauge due to said condition. About fifty years ago when solid lifters were most common, a tool was developed for adjusting valve lash, utilizing a dial indicator, called a P&G Valve Gapper. These tools were supplied with specific adapters for different makes of engines, including y-block Fords, by P&G manufacturing co. of Portland, Or., but to the best of my knowledge they no longer exist. Can anyone expand on the existence of this company or a source of this tool, or parts thereof? I have found a few at swap meets but not in the last decade. This is the finest tool ever developed for adjusting solid lifter equipped overhead tappets as anyone who owns one would testify. For those of you without the luxury of such a precision tool, may I suggest a very satisfactory method alternative to feeler gauges anyone can perform without special tools. The tappet adjust screw is 20 threads per inch thus 1 full turn represents .050” of linear travel. It works just like a micrometer. Multiply 1 turn turn of travel times existing rocker ratio. Example, .050 ” X 1.54 = .077 ”. As you can deduct, one full turn of the adjust screw used in a 1.54 ratio rocker will represent .077” of tappet clearance. Now divide one turn of tappet clearance i.e, .077” by 60 as in the 60 minutes of a clock face. This number is .001283” = 1 minute of clock face rotation. Thus 15 minutes of rotation will =.0192” Very close to .019” which is the specification for valve tappet clearance on 292 and 312 engines. 15 minutes clock rotation = 90 degrees rotation, an increment most auto enthusiasts can easily estimate quite closely. Get into the engine, with the lifter all the way down obtain some tappet clearance then carefully rotate the adjust screw clockwise to obtain .000" valve lash. Just touching but not depressing the valve. Now rotate the adjust screw counterclockwise 90 degrees. The resulting clearance should be very, very close to .019” regardless of rocker arm face wear. If adjusting 1.43 ratio rockers rotate the adjust screw 16 minutes of rotation ccw. To obtain .01906” clearance. Very, very ,very close. In order to determine the ratio of said rocker, observe the # on the side. 1.54 rockers are marked ECG 6564-B2 or –B1. I am led to believe any rocker with a B1 or B2 suffix will be a 1.54 ratio rocker and all those without suffixes will be 1.43 ratio." Walt Nuckels 12/31/00
When rebuilding a Y-Block we used to reface the rocker arms to remove the "pockets" & make it easier to adjust the valves : there were instructions how to do this in some of the old Motors or Chiltons Manuals : the rocker face needs a radius to allow the rocker to "roll" on the end of the valve, not unlike a modern "roller-rocker".
Thanks for the info fellas my goal is to get it up and running this weekend i have all my parts prepped and ready just waiting on some paint to dry I'll keep everyone updated on the progress and hopefully I wont run into any issues
top is now bottom is before but she's all back together I just have to adjust the timing and the carburetor a little bit thanks for the tech info couldnt have done it without you. -Mike
One thing I notice in the pic, the crossover tube has a clamp on the expansion joint. This would prevent it from doing its job? Can lead to cracked manifolds. So they say anyway. Sounds like BS to me. But the expansion joint should be allowed to do its thing?
Thats what ive heard as well the clamp was on when i bought the truck im guessing to fix an exhaust leak. Im i. Search of a set of headers for a pickup to eliminate it so im not too worried in the meantime. But back on to the progress i got it fired after realizing i followed the plug wiring from the previous set and it was fe firing order and switching it to yblock. With the fe order it wouldnt fire just backfire now it fires but wont idle timing is at 9° btdc wich according to yblock.com 8-10 is where i want to be firing order is15486372 new plugs wires cap rotor and timing set points are set properly. Valves are all adjusted properly as well its late here now so I'll check it out more tomorrow any ideas what it could be?
Check for damper slippage as mentioned. Very common. Alternative method to set ignition timing for now is use vacuum gauge. Disconnect and plug vacuum advance. Advance distributor (clockwise) for maximum steady vacuum. Back off (retard) timing about 1" from maximum figure obtained. This works slick. This is about optimal for pump gas and should correspond to about 12 degrees BTDC or so. If damper ring has slipped, with a light on it the indicated timing will be way off, this is one way of quickly verifying.
Ive seen crossover pipes that where one solid piece. They didn't crack the manifolds. If you can find a set of big truck center dump manifolds they flow better and make installing dual exhaust simpler.
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