Ford Y-Block "A Performance History" Charles R. Morris

I recently found this book on Amazon and it's a must read for anyone interested in Y-Block Fords.  I got my driver's license in 1964.  By then, our heroes were driving  406s and 427s.  My first car was my Dad's 1957 Ford Custom 300 with a 272 and an automatic transmission.  My buddy down the street had a hot rod 1954 Ford with a 292 and a three speed transmission on the floor.   Y-Blocks were on the way out by then, but they were cheap and readily available.  We didn't appreciate Y-Blocks as race engines.  We knew they would lay down 100 feet of rubber.   I bought a 1956 Ford Victoria off a car lot.  It had a tired 292 with a three speed on the floor.  After I blew that engine, I bought a 292 out of a friend's 57 Ford after he wrapped it around a tree.   The improvement in performance was immediate.   I eventually installed a 3/4 race cam, a Holley carburetor and a 3.89 gear set.   My Ford was fast, but it couldn't keep up with my buddy who had moved up to a 401 HP 390 Galaxie with a 4 speed.  I moved to FEs after that, but I always remembered the old Y-Blocks I started with.

This book changed my outlook on Y-Blocks.    I never thought they were anything but has been engines.  Nostalgia was my motivation for owning one.  This book is full of interesting stories and photos of the times Y-Blocks ruled the raceways.  Every Lemans winning 427 can trace it's heritage to the Y-Block.   Shaft mounted rockers, bushed rods, side oiler blocks, it all there. 

If you like photos of 1957 Fords, you will love this book.   Reading through it is like taking a tour of my neighborhood in 1965.   There are names in this book who are still on this forum.  We owe them a lot.   Younger members, who weren't around back then will learn Y-Blocks are much more than antique engines.   They are a piece of history.  If you love Y-Blocks like I do and don't own this book, buy it and tell us what you think.