Something just crossed my mind.  All along I have been under the assumption that I have a 292 engine.  How do you tell the difference from the 4.4 or the 4.8 ci engine.  I have the 2 spd. Fordomatic.  Thanks in advance. 

Checking the blocks’ casting ‘letters’ is the first line of defense.  You’ll need to concentrate on the casting letters on the back and/or sides of the block but not those in the valley.  There are a number of early 292 blocks with ECG in the valley but the outside casting numbers are correct.  If the casting identifiers are EBU, EBV, EBY, or ECG, then you’re looking at a small bore Y such as a 239, 256, or 272.  For the 292 for 1955, ECK is the casting letters you would be looking for.  ECH, ECJ, and ECL blocks are also potential 1955 292 candidates but I’ve yet to see these in a Thunderbird.  Later model replacement 292’s could have EDB, ECZ, B9AE, C1AE, or C2AE as the block identifiers.
 
Checking the actual dimension of the cylinder bores can also point you to the original cubic inch but there’s been a large number of 272 blocks bored out to a standard bore and more 292.  Any bore less than 3.750” would point you to a smaller bore Y but finding a block with 3.750” or more does not guarantee that block originally started out as a 292 as it could simply be a block that is a heavily bored small Y.  Many of the 272’s bored out to 292 by the Ford rebuilders did have the ‘ECG’ ground off of the blocks which is also a tell tale sign that something fishy is going on.  These are confirmed as being small bore blocks originally when sonic testing them and finding that the cylinder wall thicknesses are marginally on the small side.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

If you have an original 55 transmission, it is a 3 speed.





54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

Relax, they all said drive and low. Put it low when you’re stopped, you get low gear, otherwise it starts in second. Or stomp it, it’ll start in low. If you start in low (first gear) and wind it up, it goes to second when you move to drive. Then, you put it back in low, and it holds second till you move it to drive. Always gave me the heebie geebies to pull it back to low, and hope it didn’t go back.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

I destroyed more than one Fordamatic doing just that. Also won a lot of drag races that way.

Miker; For those that don't know, the trick when pulling the shift back into low range to pick up & "hold 2nd" gear, is to ensure you are above 20 mph, both going in and then after when decelerating, kick it back into Drive again, above 20mph. That avoids a hard return to low range. .   


Paul