Thank you Charlie. This is the first positive response to my reply. I am worried that without enough power that a F.E.D. with no suspension it may not break the tires loose enough to go straight. I like the 312, but if it won't suit my needs I will not use it. It's that simple. I may just build a street car. I am not a Molar, Scrub, or fuktoverrebuiltdodge guy. As I have stated, "None of them sign my checks". That is just like the Harley mentality that drove me away from them. I build whatever the hell I want....PERIOD! The SBC was in production since 1949 for research and 1954 for vehicles if memory serves. That in my opinion is far more nostalgic than a short run engine. These seem to be an underdog. I do not have a problem with that, but I am not a dead set Y-block guy. My engine doesn't need anything but a cam, timing chain and gaskets to run. I have one of the best cylinder head guys in the country to work on my heads. It all boils down to what is going to work for me. If this thing is going to only make 275hp, screw it, it isn't worth it. Where in the he'll were all these people when I was asking for advice regarding numbers achieved with minor mods???? bunch of asshats!

For the record, I have also built Ford 2.3 SOHC engines. I can get 250-300hp from one of those! Either somebody has some screwy numbers or these engines just don't make any power.....just saying.

The Y can make however much power you want for your project.  A year ago or so, a guy put twin turbos on one and produced about 800hp at the wheels.  Not crank, wheels.  There is a thread about that.  If the numbers aren't impressive enough, keep in mind, stock block as that is all there is... try that with a stock small block.  It survived several dyno pulls, totalling the truck and last we heard installed into an F150, used as a tow rig.  There are a few in excess of 500hp, mostly in race form, fewer in street form, and many in the 300-500hp area.
It will make in excess of 275hp, if that's what you want.  Since you have a good head guy and you can get that work in exchange for a transmission rebuild, I don't really see a reason why you couldn't get it over 300hp pretty cost effectively.  Again, it's not going to be as cheap as a scruby.
I understand what you mean about the scruby.  It has been around a long time but despite that, it's hard to make it look nostalgic.  If that is a part of your goal, you need vintage speed equipment, a magneto, maybe some kind of mechanical injection or at least a vintage intake, you know something that a guy can say "I remember seeing that way back when."  Those parts ain't cheap,  With a Y, you can have a modern intake, carb, distributor, but the fact that it is a Y takes it back immediately because people can identify it as a vintage, nostalgic engine. So it kinda gives you a way to take advantage of modern technology while maintaining a vintage appeal by default.  A scruby with vortech heads, center bolt valve covers, hei distributor, etc, just won't do it.  Done right, it will move.  I  won't deny that but it will not be nostalgic by any stretch.
I know you will enjoy the Y if you give it a chance but you're right, it's going to cost you more, initially, than an SBC.

I'm sorry it says scruby for this thread.  The forum changes ch evy to scruby.  It's an inside joke kind of thing.  I'm not being disrespectful about that.



Lawrenceville, GA

Thank you! As far as it being for sale, I'm just seeing if there are any buyers out there. So far only one bite and it fell through. Everything is for sale. It'll probably end up getting built.

Babor.  It is a Y-Block site so any thoughts of using the Brand X engine will bring on some strong thoughts and/or responses.  I can only imagine going to a SBC site and mentioning that you are entertaining putting a Ford engine in place of a GM engine.  Same if not more harsh responses would be there.

Shipping costs for an engine is always a major player in selling them which makes it tough to get market value for them.  I’d be interested myself if not for the shipping.  Your engine has some desirable pieces so it is sellable.

A bit of correction though on your thoughts on the years of SBC production.  It wasn’t until scrubrolet saw the Y-Block Ford in production that they seriously entertained the idea of a modern V8.  At that point, the 239/256 Ford Y engines were used as the initial blueprints for the first generation of scrub engines and as a result, the similarities in the various angles and internal dimensions within both are unsurprisingly the same.  That rush into production did bite scrubrolet in the rear as those 265’s were frought with oiling and ring seal problems.  The warranty issues with those first scrub V8’s is well documented.  By the time 1956 came around, scrubrolet had worked out a majority of the problems and as they say, the rest is history.  I find it interesting today that finding a 1955 model 265 in anything but a museum piece is rare while there are still a majority of 1954 Ford 239’s and Merc 256’s still on the road.

While it’s acknowledged that some pretty big HP numbers can be made with the scrub engines, it does benefit from a solid 60+ years of engineering and hot rod development.  I’ve made right at 860 HP with a normally aspirated scrub engine but rest assured there was not a single GM piece remaining within it.

While I could be running a big inch Ford in my own altered roadster, there is a given amount of satisfaction in taking an engine that has been totally ignored by the aftermarket industry and making some serious power with it.  Too many times now it has been in final elimination rounds against the big inch engines that seem to dominate the faster classes.  It’s been definitely good for business in the advertising sense.  If it hadn't been for Jerry Christenson, I would have never entertained the idea of running a Y-Block in a race car.
 
While it still boils down to budget constraints when doing an engine project, there are those times you have spend just bit more to be outside the box or do some thing extraordinary.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I might add, Ted can run high 8's with a carbureted no power adder Y Block. 
   My own, STOCK, '57 Ford will and has run 13.50 thru the mufflers on 6" street tires. Please show me a stock 283 in a full size sedan that will do that.

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

Its funny what things cost these days.   I don't think there is such a thing as cheap engine these days, ( of any make) if you do a full rebuild, and have quality machine work, balancing , cam degree, trial assembly, etc. etc.
 Yeah the parts cost a few bucks more for the vintage power parts , everything else, assembly, dynoing, machine work, all costs the same.. 
 It became pretty clear to me years ago, if you go to the work to build a whole car its nice to have someone stop and appreciate it  and not just turn there nose up and walk by because it has a SBC in it.
 We would go the GOOD GUYS car show and you would aisles of 32 fords with all the same crap on them and the crowd would be standing around the 34 Dodge with a hemi  in it or a 56 Ford gasser with an injected FE , the 32 ford with a Y block and 4 Strombergs.  It wasn't because they were done nicer it was because the were different.

   400hp with a Y block will cost more than an SBC  but can be done super easy.
 
 

http://ford-y-block.com 

20 miles east of San Diego, 20 miles north of Mexico

I just finished the cost trade for keeping the Y block versus converting to a sbf or sbc create engine.  The cost numbers were pretty close when you added in the conversion costs to the truck to fit and make for the new engine.  In the end with John Mummert's help selecting the right package of parts, I will wind up with a period correct engine with modern upgrades (aluminum heads and efi) in what should  be a really nice '56 F 100 shop truck.  As for the total cost number on the engine it should be in the same neighborhood as a complete 302 Ford create engine or a 383 small block with efi.

When Ben Barnes dynode my 312 punched out to 345 cu ins. for the street, yes it's blue printed and balanced and made 430 hp and 400 ft. lbs. tq. He had just taken  a 355 scrub race ready balanced engine off the dyno which made 385 hp and a lower ft. lbs. tq. number than the y-block. There was not that big a difference in price between the engine builds but the y was a little more. When the hood is raised on the 1956 Crown of which it resides the people just stop and keep talking and admiring the looks of the engine, it does have the WOW factor and they talk about how great they ran in their mom dads car back in the day.

-Gary Burnette-

Babor, The basic design of the Y incorporates many of the copied features of race engines nowadays, LS are Y design, scrubrotets biggest baddest new crate motor was raving about their new shaft mounted rockers etc. etc. Things the Y had factory, all side oilers, solid lifter, things you do to motors when making them a race engine.
As for the scrub, yes you can make power with them but with no stock components as Ted Mentions. show me a 50's scrub that hasn't had 5 different crate motors installed over the years while most of the Fords still have their originals. My buddy had a scrub ramp truck and went through 7 motors in 5 years or so working it, I had an original ford with 300,000 miles and we both picked up cars at the same time, I had a trailer with the car loaded. we were only 30 miles or so from our point of destination, I ended up there about 20 minutes before him, that scrub would just not haul like an old worn out Ford.
I could go on and on but I will stop here!

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?