For me, part of the fun of owning a Y block are the great memories. When I was in high school my Dad bought a two tone green and white 1957 Ford Custom 300 with a 272 two barrel automatic.  The car ran pretty good for what it was and I remember getting my first speeding ticket in that car.  The lifters clicked so loud that you could hear it coming 2 blocks away, but I didn't care.   I took my future wife to the prom in that car.  We've been married 52 years now, so I guess it was good enough for her.

My buddy was a serious hot rodder and had a green 1954 Ford 2 door sedan with a 292 4 barrel and a three speed on the floor.  He jacked up the car in the front with blocks of wood and I thought it was the baddest car around.  Back in the day we knew that the 57 engines ran better, but we had no idea why.   Compression ratios, bigger valves and better distributor curves weren't in our vocabulary.  All we knew was all 57 V8s ran good.  Back then we couldn't afford T-85s, so we bought Ford three speeds for $20 a piece and went through a bunch of them.

My first real hot rod was a 1956 Ford Victoria with a 292 and a three speed manual tranny.  With my limited budget I did all I could to make it as fast as I could.  A friend had wrapped his Mom's 57 custom around a pole and I bought the engine out of it.   I still remember the smile on my face when I hit the gas on that 57 engine...  sweet!   I always wanted a big cam, so I installed a Melling cam.  It sounded good, but didn't run that good in that old engine.  The motor started pumping oil out of the main seal after that and I traded the car. 

Our favorite movie was "Thunder Road".  Every time it came to the local drive in, all the car guys would come out to see it.  I'll bet I've watched it over 100 times since then.  Still the best Y Block movie of all time. 

When I was in college another friend of mine was in a band and was making good money.  He was also a hot rodder.  One day he drove by my house and showed me a car he had bought.  It was a black and white 1957 Ford Victoria with a full race Y Block.   The engine had three two barrel carbs, a big cam and headers.   We drove around in the car for a day and it was pretty impressive.  Eventually, he blew out 2nd gear (of course) and traded the car. Back in the eighties I duplicated this car with a hopped up 312 Thunderbird Special engine I found in an old car sitting in a vacant lot.  When I bought the cam, I spoke with old man Iskenderian on the phone and he fixed me up.   Once I got the motor tuned right, I took my wife out for a performance ride.  The car took off like a rocket.  When I hit 2nd gear, the tranny blew just like the old days.  "No worries!" I told my wife, these old Fords always get you home and it did.

My latest Y Block is a '55 Thunderbird 292 manual with overdrive.  I always wanted one of these, but it wasn't in the cards.  I developed some back issues a few years ago and was told my car days were over.  I sat around for a few years and turned into one of those old guys sitting on the couch all day.  I finally decided that I was going back to my car hobby despite whatever handicaps I had.  It's rejuvenated me and my wife says I'm 10 years younger.  I feel great again and now have more to think about than when I'm going to get my next hair cut.  Funny how Y Block guys keep coming back.

Thanks for posting that Phil.

  Dennis in Lititz PA

Good stuff Phil.  Thanks for the post. 

Great stories. My first Y block was a '58 Custom 300 4 door sedan in '63. My uncle had bought it new and it had been well taken care of. 292 2 barrel, Fordomatic. First night I had it I raced most of the locals. Beat a 59 Elcamino, 283 2 barrel stick, 59 Pontiac 389 2 barrel took me by 1/2 car. Beat '63 Ford fastbac, 352 2 barrrel 4 speed which was an od combination at the time. '57 Pontiac 347 4 barrel took me by 1/2 car. Had a ball. Over the next 2 years or so I replaced the automatic with a 3 speed all syncro 3 speed out of a '63 Ford with a Hurst shifter. Added dual exhausts with cutoutouts. Intalled 3.89 rear end.  Ford Sprint tach on the dash. Added a Carter AFB 4 Barrel and intake from a '57 Merc. The 4 door was not prety but it was a clean straight solid can that ran great. I never went inside the engine. It had ECG heads from the factroy which is one reason it ran so well. Had a ball with that car until I traded in off in '65 for the '57 T-Bird that I still have. Beat a lot of 265-283 scrubys with it. The T-Bird is whole another story for another day. The memories are great.

We street raced the heck out of our Y Blocks back in the day.  283s never had a chance in stock trim.  Even some 348s bite the dust.  We would buy an entire engine out of a wrecked 57 Ford, hose it off and go racing.  You could buy whole running 56 Crown Vics and 57 Customs all day long for $200 bucks back then.   Engines were $50 complete and ready to run.  We didn't have much money, but we had plenty of enthusiasm.

As you know, American Graffiti was pretty close to reality.  We would all gather at the local Pizza Palace.   We had a 1/4 mile marked off on a road out in the country.  We would open our dumps and drive out in a line.   The cops left us alone until the crowds got too big.   Some of us had pretty decent jobs.  My Buddy, the one with the 54 Ford, bought a 1961 Galaxie 401 HP with a 4 speed.  I raced him with my 292 and that was the end of my Y Block days.  I think he was waiting at the end of the strip when I finally got there.  I had a bunch of big block cars since then, but nothing brings back those old memories like a good running Y Block.