Ted’s comment about the cam journals jogged my memory. Had that problem on my block. I had a non performance reason to use the block with the 56 mercury casting numbers, otherwise I’d have gone the 292 block route.

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

Well, that's the story of my life.....a day late and a couple thousand miles short. Lol! It'll all work out here I'm sure. It was just something I didn't expect to find. With all of the research I've been doing, I kinda like these little motors!

That looks like the clunker I sold to that "boob" in Mayberry! Sorry, I just couldn't resist ,one of my favorite Andy Griffith episodes. A beautifull car,my 54 was a convertible in high school .too bad freight costs so much my brother has a 292 out of an old ford truck.very clean inside .he put gaskets in and rear main seal,also painted it. Sitting in the corner of his garage on an engine stand.if you were near kalispell Montana he would give you a very good deal on it.

You guys have provided some really good info and I thank you! I myself was leaning towards turning down the mains and using the 292 block, but this just confirms that! That is of course, the block checks out.

My vote goes towards using the 292 block with the 312 crankshaft mains turned down to the 292 size.  This is dependent upon the 292 block checking out as ‘good’ as why the rod bearing spun in that block must yet be determined.  Don't rule out a misaligned oil hole or other issue.  The ECZ 312 blocks are notorious for having crooked cam tunnels and that just creates a lot of drama when attempting to install the camshaft.  And then the smaller mains on the 292 are good for some extra horsepower over the 312 sized mains.  Have you priced 312 main bearings lately?  And the list goes on.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Lots of decisions to make there, especially if the 292 block, or the 312 block, don’t need to be bored. Reusing (after reconditioning) the rods and pistons saves a ton of money.

I’ve got a 312 crank in a 292, and a 312 crank in a 312. Both bored, both offset ground strokers. Which ever way you go, I’d sonic check the block even if I wasn’t going to bore it. Just so you know your not starting with a bad core shift before you spend the money.

My 312 block had been line bored before, and I had to order a custom timing chain/gear set up eliminate looseness. I don’t know if those are available any more. I used studs in the main caps on the 312, since over torquing caused some cracking problems. I know that was extra caution, but it’s a 340 cid blower motor.

Deck height, align bore, head surfaces, etc are kind of how far do you want to go. Just make sure if you use the 312 crank (stock) you don’t get a one of the “orange” rear main seals. They’re really orange in color, and mine failed in under 500 miles. The current black neoprene one seems to be holding up. Ted has details on the rear main installation on his site.

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

Back to the internals, all original Ford parts stamped as such. Bore checked at standard with no ridge at the top of the bore?! Mains and rods both standard as well with C1TE heads, 2 barrel manifold and Holley carb. At this point, figuring out what's going on and what happened is moot. I've got a good 312 crank that mic'd up at .010" under rods and mains, so that should clean up nicely and I've got a 312 block ECZ-B that I haven't checked for cracks yet. If it checks out, my next decision is if I should turn the crank to the 292 mains, bore the C2AE block and use that or prep the ECZ-B block.

Yeah, we got a really good deal. There's some sketchy rust repair in sports and a few others that should be addressed, but the frame is solid and all the trim is there. Even with the engine issues, still a steal considering it's already been converted to 12v with a Painless harness, it's got a new clutch and radiator. As far as the distributor, it's an MSD billet.

$800? The local law enforcement must be chasing you down the street! Nice score my friend!

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

That’s pretty cool for that price if it’s anywhere near as good as it looks. Since it was originally a 239, you might want to look up some casting numbers on John Mummert’s site, and see exactly what you’ve got. Same with the parts you buy. Who knows what parts might have been carried over. My first thought is to make sure you’ve got the later (larger) water pump and timing cover. Next would be the distributor, hopefully it’s a 57 up with the centrifugal advance and not a load-o-matic. Maybe some other items others will mention. Those distributors are getting hard to find, and some sold as replacements are wrong, so don’t just turn it in as a core without making sure what’s going on.

Lots of good info at the bottom of the page in the “information center”

http://www.ford-y-block.com

Welcome to the site and have fun.


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