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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Hey Folks,
New to this forum, but not to Y-blocks. Way back when I was in high school, my parents had a '57 Fairlane with a 312. They would let me drive it to school to work on it in auto shop class. And when I would drive it I would drive it like a teenager. I've always wanted to get another and now I have - and not any just any Ford. Last weekend I pulled a '57 Skyliner out of a barn on a ranch in the northern Sacramento Valley. It sat in this dry, windowless barn for 43 years. A rust-free, one owner and completely original car, it comes with a 292 automatic with about 140,000 miles. As you can imagine, I'm thrilled with it and just getting started peeling away layers of dust and mouse debris to see what I have here. Given the mileage and wanting to do this right, I may want to pull the engine and have it rebuilt by someone more knowledgeable than I. My first question to the membership is if anyone knows of a re-builder in the Seattle/Western Washington area experienced with Y-blocks? I look forward to posting my progress and picking your brains as I bring this car back.
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By 2721955meteor - 9 Years Ago
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Ihave 2 short blocks,1 is 292 .040 over size new pistons with molley rings,reground came to 57 312 specs, new lifters,new oil pump,timeing chain and gears.Ilive in surrey bc 15min from blain border.. asking 1200 us with your core.i could redo your heads as i am out of eczg heads. the engine has a pan and front cover for a car. if interested phone at 778 574 1940,or e mail at ct1940@shaw.ca
this engine short block is a proper reman ,no short cuts. cliff
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Thanks Cliff, that sounds like a good deal. However, I think this is the original engine (haven't had a chance to check the numbers). If it is, I will be more inclined to rebuild it. If not, I may just give you a call.
Jim
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By YBLOCKMERC - 9 Years Ago
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Where are you located? I had my 292 rebuilt by Pacific Auto Machine in Renton. They rebuild all the Y-blocks for one of the top T-Bird restorers in the country who lives in Newcastle. This is a very small shop who know the Ys inside and out. Talk to Gary @ 425.226.0930; tell him Marc sent you. BTW, I only live a couple of miles away from the shop so if you go down there, give me a call @ 425.235.8383 and stop by.
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Hey Marc, thanks for the tip. Sounds like I'm going to give them a call when I get the engine out. Until then I have more mousey surprises ahead.
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Oh and by the way, your Merc looks awesome. How long have you had it? I live out on the Key Peninsula so I'm not too far away.
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By YBLOCKMERC - 9 Years Ago
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Thanks Jim, I've had it since 1992. It's a fun road car.
I'm familiar with the Key Peninsula. I've camped at Penrose Pt. a number of times. It's one of the closest getaway spots I can think of. Great place to kayak.
There is a very active Retractable group in the Seattle area. I can get you contact info if you need it. That T-Bird restorer I mentioned has a supercharged '57 Skyliner also.
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Thanks Marc, if you'd forward that contact #, I'd love to pick their brains.
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By NoShortcuts - 9 Years Ago
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jdwilker (2/15/2015)
Thanks Cliff, that sounds like a good deal. However, I think this is the original engine (haven't had a chance to check the numbers). If it is, I will be more inclined to rebuild it. If not, I may just give you a call. Jim
Welcome to the site, Jim. Unlike some other vehicle makes, numbers on your y-block engine do not directly correspond to your vehicle's data plate VIN number. IF you're a purist looking to do a 'correct' restoration, casting ID letters/numbers and/or casting date codes on the engine block or cylinder heads are the only thing to be concerned about that I can think of. IF the casting ID letters/numbers are correct, then the engine casting date codes need to be prior to the production date code for the vehicle.
When you dig into the cost of rebuilding your original vehicle's y-block engine, you will quickly realize that the engine Cliff has offered to sell you is well worth considering. You can't go through a y-block for the price he has quoted. IF your engine has 140,000 miles on it, plan on some significant machine shop work coupled with numerous replacement parts. While all 'rebuilt' engines are not equivalent to others, Cliff is one of our regular Forum participants who has a well grounded career in engine rebuilding.
Car restoration is a time consuming and a costly endeavor. Rebuilding your engine is likely a small piece of what will need to be done to get your car road-able again. Regardless of how much you are able to do yourself, most of us find that we have more cash, time, and sweat equity in our vehicle undertakings than we can feel good about IF we are forced to sell them. Unless you enjoy and get personal satisfaction from what you do yourself, all of this will get 'old' long before you're near the finish line. Put another way, it is not unusual to be 'upside-down' in a vehicle that you've brought back from 50 plus years of normal existence in our country. Comparing your actual monetary 'investment' with actual 'market value' can be frustrating IF you can't view all of this as a personally rewarding hobby. 
The above has been REVISED for accuracy of information.
Regards,
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Thanks Charlie Brown, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I have been rebuilding cars for 40 years now and here I am doing it again (much to the disbelief of my wife). For many years I focused on British sports cars, MGB's in particular. My last project was a '49 scruby 1/2 ton pickup. I have consistently lost money on these projects, but continue to go down this road. I know, it's an affliction (Isn't admitting it the first step to recovery?). But like they say "It isn't the destination, it's the ride". The process of finding a car that's seen better years, taking it down to it's bones and bringing it back is what gets me going.
When I got my first look at this '57, I could barely believe my good luck. Up here in the Pacific Northwest, if you have an older, possibly collectable car, it's traditional to first park it in a cow pasture for 20 years. Then when it's covered in rust and moss, post it on Craigslist for big bucks. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled up the carpet on a car only to find a hole where your feet are supposed to go. On this Skyliner, when I pulled up the carpet, I found floor pans with the original paint - they looked brand new. Then I got down to look at the underside. If I hadn't been lying on the ground I would have keeled over because it had been undercoated when new. That's how solid this body is.
Thanks for info on block numbers and that ringing endorsement of Cliff. I think I will be contacting him.
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By glrbird - 9 Years Ago
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Start taking pictures and share them with us. Sounds like a great project.
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By YBLOCKMERC - 9 Years Ago
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Email me at roadqwesty914@comcast.net and I'll send the info that way.
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By NoShortcuts - 9 Years Ago
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I agree with Gary. It sounds like you've got a GREAT project, Jim.
While FoMoCo y-block information and insights are part of the exchange of information here, anything y-block related is of interest and welcomed for sharing or discussing.
I've found this Forum to be a tremendous source of others technical information, knowledge, and unvarnished hands-on-experiences that have provided me with insights that have saved me time, missteps, experimenting, frustration, wasted money, and other headaches.
I have the highest regard for the many Forum members who generously contribute to this web site and my efforts as a hobbyist working on a y-block related bucket list project. Former members have left us the Forum Archive which is an invaluable resource, too..
Keep us abreast of what you're doing, Jim.
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By YBLOCKMERC - 9 Years Ago
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Hey Jim - you can get info on the Retractable group by emailing Gerry at fliptop59@hotmail.com
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By lyonroad - 9 Years Ago
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NoShortcuts (2/16/2015)
When you dig into the cost of rebuilding your original vehicle's y-block engine, you will quickly realize that the engine Cliff has offered to sell you is well worth considering. You can't go through a y-block for the price he has quoted. IF your engine has 140,000 miles on it, plan on some significant machine shop work coupled with numerous replacement parts. While all 'rebuilt' engines are not equivalent to others, Cliff is one of our regular Forum participants who has a well grounded career in engine rebuilding.
I can second this. I know Cliff personally, have crawled around the wrecking yard with him and converted a few distributors to the Ford Dura-spark ignition. He is a good teacher and I do the learning. Also prehaps miker will chime in. He is in the Seattle area, knows a ton about Y blocks and where to get them worked on. I know him too and he has helped me out a lot.
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Here's some pics - pulling her from the barn and later at home after a bath. She's not that shiney, just wet.     
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By speedpro56 - 9 Years Ago
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That's really a great find, a great rare car that needs to be done right and it sounds like you're gonna do just that.
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By snowcone - 9 Years Ago
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She looks beautiful. A great find!
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By miker - 9 Years Ago
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That's really cool. Going to be a great project. I'll send a PM with some OT info.
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By ian57tbird - 9 Years Ago
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It is hard to tell in the pics but the paint looks complete, it would be interesting how it polished up. Great find.
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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The paint is a little chipped up and thin here and there as it is original. You could polish it up and it would be OK as a driver. But the deeper I get into this, it almost demands new paint.
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By charliemccraney - 9 Years Ago
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For many vintage and antique vehicles, faded, chipped, but overall good original paint is worth more than new paint. From that perspective, if the dollar value of the car is important to you, you may not want to touch the paint.
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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I guess the dilemma I face is do I do just enough to make it a driver while maintaining its original condition or go full out and restore it to as new condition as possible while keeping it stock? When I bought it, this question was still in the air. My initial plan is to clean it up, ascertain its condition, both aesthetic and mechanical and then decide which way to go. While I am still early in this process, given what I've seen so far, it seems just too good a candidate to not bring it back to its former glory. With 140,000 miles, I will be pulling the engine and tranny for overhaul, no doubt about it. If I do that, it would be the perfect time to clean up the underside and dress up the engine compartment. And if I do that, why not paint it? What do you folks think?
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By ian57tbird - 9 Years Ago
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For me original paint is nice if there is no more than a few small blemishes otherwise a good paint job is the way to go. The problem is getting a good paint job done. The original paint from the factory would have been no more than about 200 microns total from surface to steel, but these days they plaster it on so thick it does not look correct as you loose the sharpness of the panel shapes and it also makes it weak and vulnerable to cracking. Unless you know how to do it well yourself getting a good job will be expensive, and a rare find like your's deserves to be done wright.
Many will talk the talk, but few can walk the walk.
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By NoShortcuts - 9 Years Ago
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The frustration I've experiences is setting out to fix one area that needs attention and upon getting it appropriately fixed, finding that an adjacent area that seemed perfectly 'okay' now looks dingy next to the restored section.  I've had this situation bite me particularly on interior upholstery. 'The door panels looked GooD, until I redid the seats.' OUCH!
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Charlie's point is a good one, too. Vehicles that are truly original, are often more appreciated or even more valued by an enthusiast than those that are total body-off restorations. All of us know that paint can hide a lot of former 'issues'.
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While it's nice to see an unbelievably straight car body, today we know that it likely means that the entire body skin was skim coated with plastic body filler and then blocked smooth (more true and straight) than anything that ever came off a manufacturer's production line.
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In some ways, Jim, with the quality of the car you're starting with, you've got decisions to make going forward that I will never even have to think about because you've got something that is sound to begin with.
Thought. Consider taking LOTS of picture of whatever things you decide to re-do to show how good they were BEFORE you chose to refurbish it. You're not bringing back a rust-bucket. If you strip an area to repaint it, get pictures of the bare metal body sections before you start any re-painting.
Best wishes going forward. Enjoy!
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By carl - 9 Years Ago
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jdwilker (2/15/2015)
Hey Folks, New to this forum, but not to Y-blocks. Way back when I was in high school, my parents had a '57 Fairlane with a 312. They would let me drive it to school to work on it in auto shop class. And when I would drive it I would drive it like a teenager. I've always wanted to get another and now I have - and not any just any Ford. Last weekend I pulled a '57 Skyliner out of a barn on a ranch in the northern Sacramento Valley. It sat in this dry, windowless barn for 43 years. A rust-free, one owner and completely original car, it comes with a 292 automatic with about 140,000 miles. As you can imagine, I'm thrilled with it and just getting started peeling away layers of dust and mouse debris to see what I have here. Given the mileage and wanting to do this right, I may want to pull the engine and have it rebuilt by someone more knowledgeable than I. My first question to the membership is if anyone knows of a re-builder in the Seattle/Western Washington area experienced with Y-blocks? I look forward to posting my progress and picking your brains as I bring this car back. I have a 1957 Ford Retractable Hardtop shop manual that I got with some other manuals at a flea market,non't need it so if you can use it send me your address and I will mail it to you Carl
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Thanks for the offer Carl, but I've already got one and boy am I going to need it.
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By carl - 9 Years Ago
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jdwilker (2/19/2015)
Thanks for the offer Carl, but I've already got one and boy am I going to need it. OK,The offer is good for anyone else in need of the manual
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Thanks so much for all the feedback. You guys have got me re-thinking this project. Normally I would just jump in and start tearing her down, getting ready for paint and body work. However, I'm hitting the reset button and may modify that plan. Maybe focus on mechanical - engine and tranny and at that time deal with prettying up the underside and engine compartment and the interior which requires a complete replacement. Money-wise, that should take care of any "disposable income" I might have. Then as far as the exterior goes, detail it as much as possible, warts and all. After all, a paint job could always be done later. A sound body like this opens a number of options.
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By PF Arcand - 9 Years Ago
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Jim: Welcome to the site.. Just a couple of thoughts on your engine overhaul. A Skyliner is a heavy vehicle, so the 292 is working hard. So, you might want to consider some performance upgrades, hidden or otherwise. There are good people on this site that can steer you in the right directions, and we have the benefit of downright experts here.. By the way, I also have a 57 Ford & am living just South of Vancouver B.C. & always willing to talk Y-Blocks.. Good luck with your project.
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By jdwilker - 9 Years Ago
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Thanks Paul, I will be buying a rebuilt 292 from Cliff (from your area) and will also have him rebuild my heads. The block is bored out .040" so there may be a slight improvement in performance. The one thing I'd like to do is keep the car data plate correct. That means a 292 2-barrel so no change there. Would you suggest some improvements I should consider that still keeps it "original"?
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By PF Arcand - 9 Years Ago
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Some of the engine gurus may have other suggestions that don't show, but you might consider a street porting job. However, Y-heads are tricky & some of the old hogging out ideas don't work well on them. They have been extensively re worked and tested by John Mummert in the past & more recently by the fellow that goes by Joe JDC on this site. The other thought that comes to mind would be to use a 57 "B" intake & 4 barrel, only a concours judge would know it's not correct to that car & it can easily be restored to original..no harm done..
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By Ted - 9 Years Ago
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jdwilker (2/22/2015)
Thanks Paul, I will be buying a rebuilt 292 from Cliff (from your area) and will also have him rebuild my heads. The block is bored out .040" so there may be a slight improvement in performance. The one thing I'd like to do is keep the car data plate correct. That means a 292 2-barrel so no change there. Would you suggest some improvements I should consider that still keeps it "original"?
Balancing, milling the heads, and decking the block for minimum piston to head clearance are just some of the ways to increase the performance while having the engine look stock. As you’ll be replacing the pistons during a complete rebuild, then using a more modern piston that uses metric rings can be worth as much as twenty horsepower by itself. Swapping out the original 2V carb with a later model and larger Autolite two barrel carburetor will also help the overall performance while still retaining the look of the original carburetor.
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