The 5/16-18 tap ran down that aluminum rocker shaft stand like butter.  Now my rocker arm shafts have slots ground across the bottom oil holes, and the overflow tube holes are replaced with bolts.  I ground the threads off the ends of the bolts, so they go into the shafts for positive location.  I was careful not to leave metal chips in the rocker arm shafts, by blowing air through the oil inlet hole.

I fully expect my oil pressure will improve, and the rocker arms will squirt oil at 40-psi.  The pressure will keep them clear of varnish and residual dirt.

Head machining is expensive (but necessary).  Heads are the single most important and technical piece of the Y-Block.  They're done boring the block .060", now, it's a respectable 300-cubic inches.  The heads are being machined for hard exhaust seats, the guide towers (to accept viton seals), and all valves and seats are being ground.  New springs were $1.25/ea.

All sheet metal went out for chrome, yes, including rocker covers with the "FORD" emboss, valley cover, down tube, dipstick and tube, and other hardware (generator brackets, side cover, oil filler cap, etc).

I will paint the block black as soon as I get it (and the heads) back.  I can't wait to assemble this engine with moly rings, a real roller chain set, and Clevite-77 bearings.

Royal Oak, Michigan (Four miles north of Detroit, and 12 miles NORTH of Windsor, Canada).  That's right, we're north of Canada.

Ford 292 Y-Block major overhaul by simplyconnected

Thanks again, Tim.  I found Mr. Gasket keys on Amazon for just over two bucks each!  If they're a little big, I can take it down a bit.  Even if I get 3* I'm happy.

In my old Pontiac days, I used to install 6* keys, purchased from Royal Pontiac (dealership in Royal Oak, MI).  Being high school kids, we rarely ran our cars on the expressways, so having the torque curve at low-to-mid rpm was the cat's @$$.  (Especially on Woodward Ave.)

My Galaxie won't be taking too many long trips.  In fact, it only comes out for cruises.  Around town, it makes sense to have lots of low-end torque, especially for a heavy car.

My valves and guides are worn a little.  I'm on the fence.  To do my heads properly (all new springs, guides, valves, exhaust seats, and machine the towers for viton seals), will cost a fortune.  Again, they are marginally worn and I'm on the fence.  This isn't a race car, it's a cruiser.  So, I've decided to keep the guides, install hard ex seats, and grind all the valves and seats.  I am also machining guide towers for viton seals and installing new springs.  I thought of ARP rod bolts, but I nixed that because I don't believe they're worth over $60 ($3.75 EACH BOLT).  The old EBU bolts will do just fine.

It turns out, we had to bore the cylinders .060" which will bring my compression ratio over 9:1.  No block deck or head machining.  I'm real good with that, and I'm good with the 2-bbl it came with.  I don't need 750cu.ft. of air @ 660 ft above sea level (to cruise).

I'm contemplating moly rings, just because they last so much longer.  Most new cars come with moly rings, and they all get 150k miles (at least).  Down the road I'll install a Pertronix ignition.  - Dave

Royal Oak, Michigan (Four miles north of Detroit, and 12 miles NORTH of Windsor, Canada).  That's right, we're north of Canada.

Ford 292 Y-Block major overhaul by simplyconnected

 

Beautiful car Dave,

The Y cam key is a little smaller than the chebbie crank key, I have found that you can file an offset key for the Y out of an SBC crank key.  It's not that hard. But remember, 4 degrees on the cam is 8 on the crank.

Even if they look OK I think you should install new Ex valves. There is a couple of guys on this site that can tell you about the regrets of installing used ones.  

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

I have been sending people to Dennis for a while now but I have also had a few problems with his NOS stuff lately. Not a bad problem just stuff marked/boxed wrong, it creates a hassle when you go to assemble something and find they have sent you the wrong part and it takes another week to get the right one. (I'm on the left side of the country)  In his defence, they have always replaced the part no questions asked. But it's the time thing.

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

Look for a Chevy 6 cyl. offset key. Someone makes them.



You've come to the right place for help. There are a lot of knowledgeable, helpful people here.



I recently had a 59 block into the machine shop. I was going for a zero-deck with my pistons. The machinist found that the head surface was all over the place. Do a search on this site for 'zero-deck' or similar and you can find the information.



Sounds like you've got the good 113 heads.



If you haven't already found the site, Dennis Carpenter sells good parts cheap. Dennis Carpenter

Best regards,



Paul Menten

Meridian, Idaho

Thank You, Tim.  Your video speaks for itself, and is EXACTLY what I wanted to see.  I am doing a major overhaul on this 292. This is the block (last week):

I just left my my machine shop.  They boiled, magnafluxed, and shot blasted this block.  Today, they bored  the cylinders .060".  They are installing new hardened exhaust seats, and grinding all the valves and seats.  Surprisingly, the guides look pretty good, and so do the valves.  Of course, if I need anything replaced, I will.


I bought it from a guy in Massachusetts who is parting-out his '59 Galaxie.  Being an "unknown" engine, I had already planned to rebuild it before its arrival.  The seller said he drove his Galaxie into the garage, with intentions of restoring the car.  When he found the frame rotted away, he stopped the project and began selling everything off.

My '59 Galaxie has three on the tree; something my wife asked me to convert to automatic.  So, I got his 292 (w/1.9" intake valves), his Cruise-o-matic (that I'm rebuilding in two weeks), brake pedal assembly, driveshaft, and the whole steering column assembly including gearbox and pitman arm.
Here's my Galaxie:

I found a good Elgin ROLLER timing chain set (made in Elgin, Illinois), and a set of oil pump rotors.  Actually, I tried to get some prices from John Mummert; two days ago I called but got a voice mail recording which said all his phones are busy, but please leave a number and someone would call back.  Never happened.  Oh well, I bought my parts now, so, no need.

My next search will be for a 4*-offset cam key.  I'm sure they're out there, I just have to find one.  By the way, all the lower-end parts were beautiful.  Lifters and cam look like new, all the crank pins and mains measure and look great!  The rings had .100"-200" end gaps, oil pump was real 'tired', and the umbrella seals traveled with the stems.  You know about the rocker shafts.  I was very lucky to save the rocker arms, now they are on new shafts, and they feel good.  - Dave

Royal Oak, Michigan (Four miles north of Detroit, and 12 miles NORTH of Windsor, Canada).  That's right, we're north of Canada.

Ford 292 Y-Block major overhaul by simplyconnected

Welcome to the site Dave,

Thank you for the vote of confidence on the rocker mods. I assume you will be doing more than just replacing the rocker assemblies on this engine. If your shafts are worn for lack of oil I can only guess that the guides, and the rest of the heads for that matter, have seen better days.

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

This 292 rocker shaft ass'y hasn't seen oil in many miles of operation.  It's pure stock original.

Those two little tiny holes in the rocker arms?  I had a hard time finding them.  ALL were packed with dirt and varnish.  ZERO oil flowed through these rocker arms (and the shafts were screwed).  All the oil simply drained down the overflow tubes.  The section of shaft that wasn't in the oil path was full of sludge, like heavy bearing grease.

Tim McMaster's video bears compelling witness; it shows plenty of return drain without flooding valve stem towers, at 4,000 RPM.  That's impressive!  Good job, McMaster.

Now that I have new shafts and clean rockers, I will pressurize the shafts, causing positive rocker arm oil flow & healthy (increased) oil system pressure.  By stark contrast to the original method, any piece of dirt (or air) will be pushed out by 45-lbs. of oil pressure instead of lodging forever.

Pressure is produced by restriction to flow. Simply opening the oil to a drain tube is the WORST thing the engine engineers could have done.  Another oil-choked area is the timing chain set.

Dave Dare

Royal Oak, Michigan (Four miles north of Detroit, and 12 miles NORTH of Windsor, Canada).  That's right, we're north of Canada.

Ford 292 Y-Block major overhaul by simplyconnected

Great thought on the potential for bearing issues off of the center main but apparently it’s a non-event as the center main bearing and the #2 and 7 rod bearings do not show any more wear than any other bearings on the Y as a general rule.  The same non-event for bearing wear is also observed on the Ford FE engines where the #2 & 4 main bearings and the #2, 4, 5 & 7 rod bearings do not show any additional wear as a result of oil being supplied to the topend from main journals #2 & #4.  Bernoulli’s Law helps to explain why the pressure drop is not as severe at these particular locations as would be imagined.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Neat!- Thanks, Tim! /Duck

BOO- YA!!!