I recently noticed the oil filler/breather tube on a 312 '57 Mercury is somewhat shorter than the one on my '64 truck. Since the trucks had the exhaust crossover,  I'm guessing the filler tube was made longer to provide a safer access. The truck tube is 8". What is the length of the shorter versions? I believe the 60-62 Y-block Ford products anso had a short filler tube with a slight offset to clear the cooling system expansion tank?  I'm going to trim some off just because I think it looks a bit neater/cleaner. Thanks in advance...............

64F100 57FAIRLANE500

ive noticed that as well.what your saying i would think is right.i wonder haw many versions of that fill tube were made.the cab overs a two inlets on the filler tube.

The exhaust crossover pipe as used on the ’54-’56 cars or all years of Y powered trucks with a single exhaust system did not require a different valley cover.

The length of the oil fill tube had much to do with the available hood clearance.  The ’54-’56 cars had oil fill tubes that were ~7½-8” long (as measured on their long sides above the valley cover) while the ’55-’57 Thunderbirds had an oil tube that was ~6” long.  The dual quad valley covers had a 6” long oil fill tube for both the cars and the Thunderbirds.

As the hood profile became lower on the later model cars, the oil fill tube shortened to 6¾” in length. The pickup and truck oil fill tubes were 8”-8½” long with the extra length facilitating or helping with the adding of oil to those vehicles due to the cavernous engine compartments.

The valley covers with the curved oil fill tubes could be found on those later model cars equipped with factory air conditioning.  Those valley covers with the curved oil fill tubes are ~6½” long.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Thanks all for the information and dimensions of the various tubes used through the production run. Good to know before the pipe cutter touches metal.  

64F100 57FAIRLANE500