Tag: YBlk

Four Barrel Carburetor Testing on The Y

I recently had the opportunity to dyno test a variety of carbs on a stock ECZ-B intake.  The engine itself is a sixty over 9.2:1 cr 312 that has stock (unported) G heads.  The camshaft being used is a Crower Monarch grind with 238° duration at 0.050” and 0.400” lift at the valve.  Advertised duration is 280°.  While the camshaft is ground on 110° lobe centers, it’s installed in the engine at 2° advance or at 108° intake lobe centerline.  Aftermarket 1.4:1 rockers are being used.  The exhaust used for this particular test is a set of Reds (might be old Hedmans) headers running into 2” lead pipes ~4 foot long with no mufflers.  The test range was 2500-5500 rpms.

The original ½” four hole spacer was used under the carbs in those instances where the carb bores were not too large for the spacer.  Where the carburetor bores were too large, the spacer was changed out to either a 1” Moroso or Wilson four hole spacer with matching larger bores.  The Moroso spacer had slightly larger bores than the Wilson spacer but both created a lip or shoulder within the bore where the spacer met the intake.  Just another variable that must be considered.

The performance of the carbs were looked at from several different perspectives which included peak HP and torque, average HP and torque, and a calculated score.  The score is derived by adding the mean (average) HP and torque together, dividing by the cubic inch of the engine, and multiplying by 1000.  A score gives a better indication of the overall performance of the carb versus just looking at the individual peak values or averages.

The carburetors tested are listed in descending order from best to worst as based on their dyno test scores. Continue reading “Four Barrel Carburetor Testing on The Y”

Head Gasket Volume Calculation

Because an engine may be borderline in regards to the compression ratio when it comes to ignition timing or fuel octane requirements, it’s important that all values used in the compression ratio calculation be as accurate as possible. This includes the head gasket volume which many times isn’t stated on the package or in any reference material. For a conventional or mainstream engine where the fire ring in the head gasket is perfectly round, the hole size in the gasket can be measured and the volume calculated appropriately. But the Ford Y-Block has an irregular shape to the fire ring seal which throws special nuances into the measuring of this volume. But there’s no need for guess work when it comes to obtaining this volume value as it can be derived by doing some simple measurements on an existing head gasket and then performing a little bit of math. Continue reading “Head Gasket Volume Calculation”

The 2010 EMC Y-Block Entry Breaks The 500HP Mark (on pump gas)!!

After submitting the EMC entry form for 2010 and then the list of competitors was published, I found that I was again on the alternate list. Continue reading “The 2010 EMC Y-Block Entry Breaks The 500HP Mark (on pump gas)!!”

Ford Y-Block Aluminum Head Testing Part I

The much awaited for Mummert aluminum cylinder heads for the 292/312 Ford Y-Block engines are now a reality and have been tested on the DTS engine dynamometer. With no modifications these new heads were found to be worth a solid 56 horsepower increase over the stock “G’ heads with only the heads being swapped out on the test engine. Continue reading “Ford Y-Block Aluminum Head Testing Part I”

Preparing a 375 inch Y-Block Ford for the 2009 EMC Competition.

By the time this is published, the 2009 Engine Masters Challenge (EMC) will be history and the final results very likely posted all over the internet.  Because this is being written as the engine is still being tested and before the competition takes place, I’ll do a followup article on the actual competition and what took place there.  But in the meantime, here’s the short version of what was involved to get a Ford Y-Block engine readied for the EMC competition. Continue reading “Preparing a 375 inch Y-Block Ford for the 2009 EMC Competition.”

The Ford Y-Block engine

This is a first in a series of articles about engine families and their history/ idiosyncrasies. Eaton Balancing offers services for all types of engines. Continue reading “The Ford Y-Block engine”

Warped Rear Seal Retainer on a Y

It’s simply amazing how many times the rear crankshaft seal gets blamed for an oil leak when there are so many other places at the back of the block that can either be the root cause or at least a contributor. The rear oil seal retainer on the Y-Block is just one of these items that more often than not gets overlooked when it comes time to address an oil leak at the rear of the engine. Continue reading “Warped Rear Seal Retainer on a Y”

Spark Plug Indexing

In attempting to squeeze out that last bit of potential output from the Ford Y-Block (and other engines), there are those items that can be applied that may not be immediately measurable but they will be done because they will not be detrimental to the power output.  One of these items is spark plug indexing which tends to vary in its benefit depending upon the application it is being applied.  Indexing the spark plugs simply insures that the spark plug ground electrode is in a specific orientation within the cylinder to promote a more beneficial flame front when the fuel is ignited.  In those cases where detonation is a risk, spark plug indexing is of a proven benefit in that the flame front will not be split by a worst case scenario of the spark plug electrode being in a position to divide the flame path.  Indexing also allows the ground electrode or strap to be intentionally positioned away from the higher heat areas it would be subjected to if randomly placed closer to the piston and/or exhaust valve which can increase the propensity for pre-ignition.  In a normal situation where a set of spark plugs are randomly installed, the spark plug straps end up running at a variety of temperatures simply from the random placements of the straps.  In this case, indexing would provide a more accurate visual means towards optimizing jetting and ignition timing by eliminating potential variances in the spark plug readings themselves.  And if running a domed piston that’s marginally close to the spark plug, then indexing also helps in preventing the ground electrode from contacting the piston and potentially closing the gap.
Continue reading “Spark Plug Indexing”

Spark Plug Side Gapping

Included on that list of old racers tuning tricks is spark plug side gapping.  What’s being discussed here is not a true side gapped spark plug but a gapping procedure or electrode modification that allows the spark to actually fire off of the very edge or ‘side’ of the spark plug’s ground electrode.  In lieu of a better description, this gapping process will simply continue to be called ‘side gapping’.  Side gapping is performed even though the end result may not be measurable but a logical thought process will maintain that doing this will not be detrimental to efficiency or performance and in fact, should help it. Continue reading “Spark Plug Side Gapping”