Although there were a multitude of Ford 272 Y-Block engines used in both cars and trucks, they are pretty much disregarded as the basis for a high performance build and for that matter, as a replacement engine when a 292 or 312 is available instead. While building a high performance 272 Y has been on the ‘like to do’ list for awhile, it has been a hard sell when the larger Y engines simply make those higher power numbers much easier to come by. That all changed recently when a customer wanted to use the original 272 block from their 1956 Ford pickup as the basis for a new engine in that same truck. In this instance, they wanted modern performance upgrades applied to it including a pair of Mummert aluminum heads.
Tag: Mercury
Unported Iron Heads Can Still Make Over A HP To The Cubic Inch
By using just the right combination of parts, exceeding that magic 1HP to cubic inch ratio is indeed possible while still doing it with a pair of unported iron Ford Y-Block heads. The key here is in using a modern piston ring design and maximizing the compression ratio while still being able to have an engine that will run on available pump gasoline. Not to be left out are the intake, carburetor, camshaft, and cylinder head choices which are also just as important.
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Stock Ford Y build or modified? Here are two different approaches.
I was recently given the opportunity to rebuild a pair of Ford 292 Y-Block engines with each going into 1963 F100 pickups. While both engines started life out as 1963 two barrel pickup engines, one was a restoration project while the other was to be a mildly hopped up version. The engine for the restoration pickup was to be built as close to stock as possible while the other engine was to use the normal performance upgrades such as four barrel intake and carburetor, larger valved heads, and a better than stock camshaft.
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Oil Viscosity and Its Effect On Engine Power
It’s pretty well known that engine oil with a higher rated viscosity tends to rob power from the flywheel end of the engine. It’s this mentality that has the new car manufacturers using lighter weight engine oils in which to increase the fuel efficiency of their engines as well as pick up some additional power.
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Hi-Volume Oil Pump For the Y
Although I normally wouldn’t advocate a high volume oil pump for a run of the mill Y block (1954-1964 Ford 239, 256. 272, 292, 312), I did run into a situation where the use of one would at least be a temporary fix until a new engine could be built to replace the current one. Continue reading “Hi-Volume Oil Pump For the Y”
Y-Block Ford – Dual Quad Testing on Aluminum Heads – Part II
With the iron 113 heads on the dyno mule, the Edelbrock #257 2X4 intake that had been ported by Joe Craine did exceed those numbers generated by the stock Mummert intake and single four barrel carb combination. Now it was time to install the aluminum heads on the 312+ dyno mule and see how those same dual quad manifolds would fare. Continue reading “Y-Block Ford – Dual Quad Testing on Aluminum Heads – Part II”
Y-Block Ford – Dual Quad Testing on Iron Heads – Part I
With the resurgence of the Ford Y engine making a comeback as a viable replacement power plant for more than just mid-Fifties Fords, there is suddenly a demand for both modern performance and old school looks being in the same package. Continue reading “Y-Block Ford – Dual Quad Testing on Iron Heads – Part I”
Y-Block Ford – 3X2 Intake Testing
What started out as a simple dyno test to evaluate the performance differences between the small and large port Edelbrock three deuce intake manifolds ended up turning into a full blown test where seven different 3X2 intakes were compared on an engine in a back to back dyno test. The other intake manifolds being added to this test included three different intakes wearing the Edmunds brand, a Weiand intake and an Offenhauser intake.
Continue reading “Y-Block Ford – 3X2 Intake Testing”Modifying the Holley Teapot four barrel carb for late model distributors
The Holley model 4000 four barrel carburetor that came as original equipment on single four barrel equipped 1956 and earlier Fords, Mercurys, and Lincolns is not up to its full potential when used with the ’57 and up Y-Block distributors. Continue reading “Modifying the Holley Teapot four barrel carb for late model distributors”
Y-Block, 585HP without a supercharger or other form of power adder
While a dynamometer is a great tool for sorting out engine combinations, there are those instances where some of the data provided conflicts with other data also being recorded. A case in point here is where the EGT’s (exhaust gas temperature) do not match up with the results of the oxygen sensors. Continue reading “Y-Block, 585HP without a supercharger or other form of power adder”