Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry Floored
Walt I mean this with all due respect either OHV Ford engines were actually terrible or they they had an undeserved terrible reputation during the 50's because it appears to me that hot rodders would convert to any brand OHV except for Ford.
This has bothered me my whole life. Seems like a shame that Ford let their reputation as a V8 company go to hell after the Flathead era.
It is kind of an ironic twist that for two years straight a Ford Y-block has taken top honors in the "vintage engine" class at the Amsoil Engine Masters competition. The class is only two years old.
Now the winners were pretty well built Y-blocks obviously created by two different true "engine masters", but there were also solid performances by less aggressive combinations and even a surprise result from a 368 Lincoln and a 430 MEL.
What was wrong with OHV Fords in the 1950's?
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Well, they were low on HP compared to other engines and as someone said, a little sludge clogged the oil passages to the top end and that would quickly kill the valve train.
I have a Snap-on tool used to forcibly eject the sludge out of the top end oil passages for Y blocks, so it was a known problem.
It really wasn't until the 312 did Ford get their OHV engine worked out. Unfortunately, their reputation preceded them. Plus, weren't they heavy and long compared to other OHV engines?
It's hard to even compare a 283 SBC to any Y block. Shortly after the 283 came out, guys had a lot of tricks to wake up those 283's. Plus, there was a host of A/M support for the Olds and SBC engines, not so much for the Y-block.
Ford's OHV engine was a day late and a dollar short.
I think that about sums it up.