Slepe. Looked at the responses to your post over on the HAMB and feelings would appear to be all over the map. A couple of things I’ve found that gets under the skin of the scrub contingent is first telling them that their beloved small block was a cheap copy of the Y and then mentioning to them that the Y was such a dominant force in 1957 that the AMA banned manufacturer participation in racing. Past issues of the Y-Block Magazine have gone into detail on the ’56 and ’57 racing seasons and how undominant the scrubs were.
But ’57 was the zenith year for the Y even in stock performance. Good heads, great cams, improved rocker ratios, and a multitude of induction setups including dual quads and factory superchargers all contributed to some legendary performances by the ’57 models. And Ford engineering support was there during the year as the posted heads made their debut during the ’57 model year and that was a direct result of what was happening on the racetrack. Performance was so good in fact that the Y was drastically detuned for the ’58 models so as not to be serious competition for the new FE and MEL engines that were being introduced.
As far as tips go, Charlie says it in that the heads are at the top of the list. Beyond that, a good blueprinting including degreeing in the camshaft, insuring the rocker arms are all the same ratio, modifying the oiling for the rockers, and picking out a camshaft that’s optimum for your own particular combination must be included. There’s not a camshaft out there that is a fitall so give that some serious consideration before choosing. And pay particular attention to the induction setup as there are a multitude of aftermarket intakes out there and many are for just the wow factor and not the go factor. A single four setup with either a modified factory 'B' manifold or the Blue Thunder is optimum in most cases.
Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)