y block freshman


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By lucy55fair - 12 Years Ago
Anyone know of any good machining shops in the NY, specifically westchester county area?  I have a 272 that I have refurbed the carb on, replaced the distributor cap, wires, ignition coil, gas lines, and gas tank.  Filled her up and it runs.  Now I have to spend $2.95 to get the throttle return spring so the gas pedal works.  I hope after that I can see whats up with the brakes, but I am eager to see what I can do to get more power out of this plant without spending thousands right off the bat, and without just looking into a into a 292 or 312.  Thanks to all for any input. 
By charliemccraney - 12 Years Ago
The cheapest way to get more power is to fine tune what you have.



The next cheapest is bolt-ons, exhaust, intake, distributor, rocker arms etc. But before you do this, identify everything you have, block, heads, distributor, intake, carb, rocker arms, etc. Without knowing this, it's difficult to make suggestions. If you're really, really new to the Y, prepare yourself for the prices - it is not a cheap engine no matter how you do it.



A good place to start is http://www.ford-y-block.com/technical.htm, in addition to the search feature of this site.
By lucy55fair - 12 Years Ago
Cool thanks. Should have time this weekend to itemize everything.
By lucy55fair - 12 Years Ago
So here is what I could come up with given the little time I had.  (2 little ones).  It appears the intake manifold is not that of the 272 so not sure it that helps identify 292 vs 272.  The distributor is not stock as I attempted to buy stock points and cap that do not fit see pictures.  The manifold has a cast number on it that appears to point back to the 272.  I will attempt to get better information when I can get under the car, but this is what I have for now. 
By lucy55fair - 12 Years Ago
RM - 18 sticker on the distributor

On the manifold "firing order" 15986372 not sure if this has value

back of manifold has ECG9425 b under what looks like a side ways L, and below that a 1 with a dot under it. 

By lucy55fair - 12 Years Ago
last but not least, is there a better way to add photos?  with todays devices 512KB goes very quickly, and they are not showing in a string of my post but as attachments.  Sorry again to all as I am new at this.  I feel like an idiot.  lol
By paul2748 - 12 Years Ago
As far as the points are concerned, there are two basic distributors. One is for 54 to 56. This distributor has a straight points base and the advance springs are on top the the plate in the distributor. 56 distributors have two diaphrams.



The 57 and later distributor has a curved points base and there are no advance springs showing above the plate (they are below). The cap is slightly larger that the 54-56 cap.



The distributor you have is probably a remanufactored one (hence the RM)



Usually, 272 and 292 manifolds were the same, even with the four bbl carbs so your 2bbl intake is probably the correct one for either engine.



Regarding the pictures, I don't know why the pics show up the way they do but not to worry, they can be seen just the same. Just something with the software



You didn't mention the year of the car/engine. The only way to verify what size the engine is is the casting number on the block, works with 272 vs a 292/312.



Since you a new guy, it would be nice if you would list your city and state and the cars you own to make it easier to help you. Look at the bottom on my reply to see where it is shown. Pics are optional.
By lucy55fair - 12 Years Ago
Thanks for the info.  I think I am going to pull the RM distributor, and buy another one.  I will attempt to get under the car this weekend again to get the block number.  The manifold/headers appear to be that of the 292 as there is no cross pipe in the front of the engine.  Maybe I'll get lucky.  Updated my signature.  not to far from you.  Know any good machining shops assuming I want to got that route?   
By GREENBIRD56 - 12 Years Ago
If you open the distributor top - and this is what you see -

This is the older model distributor (Load-O-Matic) - its NOT the one you want. Key here is that two springs are visible. 

You would perfer to have a later version as shown below...

If you go to buy a remanufactured distributor at an auto parts store - ask for the part that fits a 1964 292 cid truck engine. It will have the vacuum and centrifugal advance mechanisms you want.

By GREENBIRD56 - 12 Years Ago
Just to continue on the theme of adding some horses to a 272 - and not breaking the bank - you might look at a bit bigger 2 barrel carb arrangement. The later model "four bolt" manifold is a lot cheaper than one of the four barrel set-ups - and perhaps easier to come by as well. Use it with an Autolite 2100 or one of the Holley two barrels......

The PCV will be a good addition - it will help you seal the engine up and avoid leaks and drips.

By MoonShadow - 12 Years Ago
I had one of the larger two barrel intakes for awhile. I ran a Holley 500 2bbl on it without any problems. Since 500cfm is about right for a basicly stock Y this would probably be a cheaper way to go. Make sure you get a carb with the linkage on the correct side to mate up with your current accelerator. Chuck
By PF Arcand - 12 Years Ago
The firing order you list is incorrect. Should be 15486372. Then, how well does it run? Is it in good enough condition to warrent up grades? Then the entire engine could use a good cleaning & some spruce up such as repainted Rocker covers etc. Unless I'm mistaken the distributor you have is not incorrect & is likely correct for the carb in the photo, even though 57 & post engines used the later distributor. And what vehicle is it in? Are you looking for high performance? The numbers you listed are not block or head #s, so it's hard for someone to suggest suitable upgrades...
By Daniel Jessup - 12 Years Ago
If you are in the mood to drool, go here...

www.ford-y-block.com

lol

By ejstith - 11 Years Ago
I just never liked the looks or the idea of a 2bbl carb. but in reality wouldn't a Holley 500 2 bbl be more carb with equal or better performance than a 390 4bbl? The first thing I did with mine was put a 390 Holley on it....
By The Master Cylinder - 11 Years Ago
Lucy, Don't get in a rush and get ahead of yourself... yet. w00t Identify what you have first. If you change the distributor to a later ('57 up) it will be incompatible with the '55? carburetor. Go slow and learn about the different nuances of the different year/model Y-Blocks.

Get the car running good and drivable while on your learning curve. There are many (somewhat) knowledgable people on here that are willing to help.

Have fun...Smooooth