first block 1957 I purchased a 1955 meteor with a 272 y. put 90000miles on it, just plugs and points, and oil changes(worked in  a logging camp shop and changed oil every month using scrubron series 1 and Fram spin on filter.never set the valves as plenty of oil went to the top ed. could beat any 265 chef  who ever tried to come by man was a 3speed manual 

I bought a really nice 55 stick shift 2dr wagon from a junk yard that had a Y block with a rod through the side of the block, this was 1965. I bought another 292 from the same junk yard and rebuilt it to go in the wagon. I actually knew nothing about Y blocks at that time, I was only 18 years old. I bought some Jahns Hi compression pistons, a reground 3/4 cam from the auto parts store along with all the other rebuild parts. I bought a used 2 x 4 manifold and a used Mallory dual point from a local speed shop.  My goal at the time was to build a FORD because all the others I knew only wanted tri 5 scrubys. I beat plenty of those scrubys.
I crashed the wagon but the engine survived to power two more cars, a 58 in 1966 and then a 57 in 1968. Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures back then.

in 1963 I was 10 years old  our family car was a 56 ford  4 dr sedan and I loved the sounds of the Hollywood duel exhaust! my older brother had a black 54 ford with a 239 it was cool but suffered rust problems having come from Minnesota.my first yblock was a 56 ford 4 door 292 bored to 312 with a 3 on the tree,thats when I learned a valuable lesson about rear main leaking and you need to check the oil once in awhile  I was16 and had a lot to learn the car quit and wouldn't turn over,my older brother helped get it running but it spun a bearing shortly after that and it has been helping keep the Flathead river from flooding in the spring since then.about a year later I bought a 54 ford convertible without a transmission for $20 towed it home when it was cold and snowy . bought a used 3 speed with a hurst mystery shifter for $15 and had it running in the spring ,I sure loved those duel straight pipes! didn't run very well,loadmatic distributer,adjust valves,timing how do you do that? its sad because there wasn't a whole lot wrong with the car but at the time I just had other young guys say the car is "shot" I left it at a car crusher and it probably ended up having enough scrap iron to make a couple of datsuns.

First was in a 57 F 100 I picked up for 150 dollars back in the early 80s,was told it had a 312 and did have a 57 and up 4 bbl intake.


Butchering up everything I can get my hands on in Dayton Ohio

Got my first and still only Y-Block in 2012.  Took my '65 Mustang convertible to the Mecum auction.  I'd had it since 87.  (Thought I'd drive it a lot after I retired but didn't.  Possibly also having a 5.0L GT Convertible which WAS fun to drive contributed to the decision to sell the 65.)

The Mustang sold on Friday night.  Saturday I bid on the '55 Fairlane and drove it home on Sunday.  I had NO INTENTION of buying another car.  But it was SO SWEET and I took a flyer and lo and behold I won..

Of course I had some experience with 50's Fords.  My brother and I adopted our grandparents 57 Custom after they literally put it out to pasture.   Rebuilt that (223 6 cylinder) with the help of my father and paid a local part time body man and part time alcoholic $300 to paint it black (it was an awful medium brown).  Got some seat covers from Warshawskis and some chrome wheels with 60 series tires on the rear (with shackles and air shocks to clear the fenders).  Add in an 8-track player and some rear shelf speakers and we thought we were pretty much the coolest dudes around.

I drove it through 4 years of college (almost).  Sold it to my baby brother and he still has it - now with a 390 FE.

When we were in high school, my future wife's parents bought her a 1954 Ford Victoria.  It was cascade green with a white top, 239 Y-Block with an automatic transmission.  Her car had a white vinyl interior and power windows.  Here's an old grainy photo of her standing beside that car.  This photo was taken about 1964.

I’ve been loving reading everyone’s stories about their first Y blocks, keep them coming!

Me on the other hand, my first y block was only 4 years ago in 2016 when I purchased a 56 f100 with a 272. I pulled the engine and completely rebuilt it and put it in a 59 f100 as a temporary engine until I build an engine for the 59. Even after the short 4 years working on the 272 I have some great memories (failures and victories) so I can’t even start to imagine how many great memories you fellas have after having a life of experience with these y blocks!




Thanks, Dennis.

56 F100 - 272 Y Block
NSW, Australia.

Where were you when I needed you?  

In 1967 when I was 17 I really wanted a 2 seater. Dad was a Ford guy, I I found out the Thunderbird didn't carry a "sports car premium" for an underage driver. I found a 55 bird with a new interior and a fresh engine. A local fireman was marrying a gal with 2 children and the car had to go. By coincidence a co worker of Dad's lived next door. Dirt racer, Corvette racer, serious car guy. Joe told Dad he'd watched them build the engine, and it was done right. He didn't tell Dad it was a 40 over 312 with 11.25 to 1 Jahn's piston, and an Isky RPM 300 cam. Or that the guy that built it also drove a local AA fueler. Only told him he owned an upholstery shop. I replaced the fordo with a T-85 o/d and the rear end with a 6 cylinder wagon o/d rear end. 4:27.1 IIRC. Surprised a lot of small block cars.

Gas prices and the college commute finally put me into something more economical in 1971. But I found a Thunderbird Blue T-86 o/d car in 1999 and still have it.

I bought the first car for $1200, and sold it for $1200. When I redid my current car in 2003, I paid $1200 for the power windows, without the glass. Times changed.



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

Florida Phil, I would bet my last dollar that the rear cam plug was dislodged when you changed the cam.  Just don't ask me how I know that. 

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"