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09-25-2011, 03:46 PM | #1 |
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Location: St. Michael, Minnesota
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Y block reliabilty
Some folks have asked if a Y block is a reliable engine. I just returned from a 3250 mile round trip to Bonneville. The 55 blew a head gasket. This summer it has been thrashed on the chassis dyno, then run five times down the 130 course, (one mile to accelerate to a 132 foot trap). The last run it was well on its way to the goal and half way into fourth gear it fell down and smoked out the left side. In true Bonneville fashion, it was repaired the following day in the motel parking lot. I had carried a head gasket and rocker cover gasket just because. The local parts supplier furnished an intake set overnight to fit a 292 truck. With the help of several very good buddies, all was well. The car delivered 15.3 MPG, including the racing. The final top speed was 129.589 The shift points were right at 7,000 RPM. With the number of other brand engines, and the speed achieved, I would consider the Y block the most reliable of all racers I saw. It drove me home with no further problems, at 65 to 75 depending on state laws. The car number this year was T 41 if anyone wants to check the USFRA website.
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09-25-2011, 04:25 PM | #2 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
that's a good testament to the Y for sure. now, i didn't race, but i drove my '54 to bonneville and the hamb drags last summer, and enjoyed a little over 6000 trouble free miles of motoring.
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09-25-2011, 05:00 PM | #3 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
I earlier told of running my 61 Unibody with a 292/3 speed/3:73 gear from CA to AL at 55 - 60 with no issues from the engine.....don't get much better then that.
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09-25-2011, 06:37 PM | #4 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
Hey Don. It was good to meet you at Bonneville. Your old ford Y-Block proved itself this trip. Y-Blocks and flatheads. Gotta love em. Sorry i did not get to talk with you a little more but our streamliner kept us busy. Three runs at 446. 441, and 462 MPH took its toll on broken parts. But there is always next year. Mark.
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09-25-2011, 09:48 PM | #5 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
They are good engines but the problem starts when you break down . No one carries parts for them so you end up sitting to be towed home . That's one reason I sold mine and went with a 302 .
Jim |
09-26-2011, 12:30 AM | #6 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
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09-26-2011, 08:38 AM | #7 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
Most parts stores,particularly NAPA,have almost any part you would need for a Y-block.This includes water pumps,fuel pumps,starters,ignition parts,generators,regulators,etc.Most even have all the internal parts,pistons,valves,bearings,gaskets,etc.
Difficulty of finding parts for a Y-block is not a good reason to replace it with a later engine.
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09-26-2011, 01:15 PM | #8 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
i've never had trouble getting parts. some may not be over the counter, so gratification is not immediate. but never a problem actually getting them. i keep a triple A card in my wallet for the unforeseen, and don't let the 'what ifs' keep me at home.
like i said, 6,000 miles in 3 weeks. and, for what it's worth, about 30k total in 3 years. my '54 is my summer daily, and i drive it all over. keep the oil changed, keep fluids up, and it's as reliable as the day is long. |
09-26-2011, 09:59 PM | #9 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
7000rpm on a Y-Block? What kind of valve train do you have to be able to do that?
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09-27-2011, 10:11 AM | #10 | |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
Quote:
Don |
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09-27-2011, 10:18 AM | #11 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
I had a questionable rocker cover gasket when I left home. So I wrapped up two new ones and a head gasket for good measure. One of the runs put coolant all over the motor. The last of five allowed runs blew the left head gasket. In true Bonneville fashion, the head came off in the motel parking lot. The local Car Quest owner is a prince. He can get anything fast for racers. He found intake gaskets to fit a 64 F100 overnight, the car was screwed together, and I drove home with no further dramma. The gasket did not fail, the dummy installing (me) it dented the fire ring and did not change it then upon initial assemble. It lasted two years. I should add, I carry a complete rocker shaft assembly, a distributor, a fuel pump, and a water pump when I go on these trips.
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09-27-2011, 10:35 AM | #12 | |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
Quote:
Don Last edited by Ole Don; 09-27-2011 at 01:52 PM. |
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09-28-2011, 12:20 PM | #13 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
From a practical everyday driver point of view, the Y blocks gave great service if high detergent oil, like Castrol GTX 20/50 was used in them.. I had several trucks, '59-64 F100/350, in my company fleet for over twenty years. During the 100k's of mile we ran them we only had one blow up, it broke the crank. not a pretty picture.
One of the '64's I had, an F250 that I sold to my nephew in the early 90's with almost 300k on the engine, two rebuilds, is still going strong. I have a '57 Bird with the 312 which I have owned since '73... My wife drove the car for daily transportation for almost ten years... In '81 I had the engine completely rebuilt. I also have a '59 F100 4x4 with a 312 which I bought from Ford as a long block in about 1972.. It was in '59 F-100 that an employee wrecked.. I parted the truck out, keeping the engine until I could find a F-100 to put the engine in. The engine needed a valve job in '94 before I put it in the 4x4.... The engine had been sitting on the shelf for over fifteen years. Lots of people had problems with the Y blocks, mainly rocker arm oiling problems, of course they were using non-detergent oil in them.. which plugged up the oil passages.
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09-28-2011, 08:05 PM | #14 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
Back in the day my father bought a new 57 292 It was in 46 of the 50 states and all the way to Acapolco and all but one province in Canada. I must admit we rebuilt it a few times and repainted it almost every year but we finally drove it to the junk yard after about 300000 mi
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12-03-2011, 04:01 PM | #15 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
Ive got a touch over 300K on my 292 and it is still running great, and fires up everytime. Its had the heads off once in the 80s,dual exhaust and thats about it.
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12-04-2011, 02:51 AM | #16 |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
One culprit causing the rocker oiling problem was the poor crankcase ventilation system. Like all manufacturers then, Ford used a road draft tube to (hopefully) pull fresh air in through the oil fill cap on top, through the engine and out the road draft tube hung off the engine somewhere down low. On the Y block Ford put a filter inside a little canister, which few knew or cared about. This would sludge up, block airflow and then the sludging really began!. Add in the quality of the oil at the time and failure to change it often enough and Presto!, recipe for sludge!
Also, add in short trips in cold weather (people lived closer to friends, work and the grocery store) plus the great backyard trick of removing the thermostat. |
12-05-2011, 11:32 AM | #17 | |
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Re: Y block reliabilty
Quote:
OLD HABITS AND MYTHS DIE HARD. They also killed a lot of good engines.
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