Remanufactured Y-Block for my car

[ROKuberski]

I've decided to replace my leaky smoking engine with a re-manufactured original engine.  Even though it runs okay, I'm sick of the leaks and watching the smoke on start up and acceleration.  Of course it also consumes oil.  Yes, I've considered upgrading to a more modern engine, but I will stick with the Y-block.

I was going to get a local shop to rebuild mine, but it's either way too much money or way too much time or both.  Online I found S & J engines in Seattle and they will furnish me with a long block with everything on it new except the crank and connecting rods.  I've already got a new water pump and found DamperDudes in California who will rebuild my harmonic balancer ($123 + shipping) with a 1 day turnaround. I have a factory three groove pulley that I am pretty sure is a one piece unit.  I don't think there is anything wrong with it, but I don't want to rely on 65 year old rubber.  I'll also get my radiator serviced while it's out of the car.  I think my grand total cost will be about $3,500 and that includes round trip shipping of engines.

While the engine is out, I'll clean and repaint the engine compartment and make a few minor mods on wiring routing to clean things up a little. 

If curious, this is what they do the to the engine.  I have to install my sheetmetal parts, water pump, manifolds, and other bolt on's.

--------------
Engine block and cylinder heads: 800 degrees (F) 8 hours in Burn-Off Oven - Bead Blasted to remove all waste, carbon and buildup - Cylinder walls bored and diamond honed - Oil and water galleys pressure cleaned - Cylinder Heads pressure checked - New Valves - New Valve Springs & Retainers - Diamond Honed Valve Guides - Three-Angle Cut Valve Seats - All Cylinder Head Surfaces Broached - Engine Block Bored with Deck Plates - Cylinder Walls Diamond Honed - Crankshaft Ground & Polished to within .002 Clearance of factory specs - Camshaft is brand new - Connecting Rods Sized to .002 Clearance of factory specs - New Pistons - cast aluminum pistons - New Pin Bushings - New Cast Rings - New Timing Gears - New Camshaft Bearings - New Timing Chain/Belt - New Lifters - New Push Rods - New Rockers - New Oil Pump - New Performance Gaskets and we ship your engine with Lucas Performance Break-in Oil.
-----------------------------

I'll strip my engine before sending it back, so I'll have some decent used parts lf any on is interested.  My engine was rebuilt in 1995, but the guy that did the project died and the car sat until I bought it in 2011.  I've put about 12,000 miles on it since then.

I have a good starter and generator, and will have valve train, water pump, draft tube, timing gears & chain, and if someone want it, I will pull the cam. 

[RICH MUISE]

Great to hear from you, Rich............I was wondering what happened to you. I'll be anxious to hear how this works out for you. Be sure to keep us all posted/caught up. If we ever heard how the aod issues got resolved..I never saw .

[ROKuberski]

Rich,

Yes, good to hear from you too.  I can tell you this, I am a master of removing an automatic transmission from this car.  Watch this video for the full story.  I can now remove the transmission in 40 minutes, as skill that I will use one more time as I do the engine transplant.

The transmission was way more of a project than it should have been, but it's done and and working well. There were a few bumps in the road to completion.  Hopefully the engine replacement is smooooooth sailing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-L2kuIHpLI&list=PLpOcKSzessf5SqJFFHV3x6DDX1Ra9kFLf&index=2&t=1s

I plan to remove the engine about a week before the long block arrives.  That will give me time to clean and paint the engine bay and remove the parts I need from my engine.  I want to get them media blasted and painted in advance so reassembly can go quickly.

Updates to follow and of course there will be a video on this project too.

Here is a link to all of my automotive related videos, only three of the videos are about my Fairlane.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpOcKSzessf5SqJFFHV3x6DDX1Ra9kFLf

On another note, I was watching the car auction on TV for a little while this afternoon.  I saw a 59 Chevy Impala convertible sell for over $200K.  It had won some restoration award.  Lots of 60's & 70" muscle cars were bringing big $$$$$$.

[hiball3985]

Thats a very reasonable price for a long block motor. A friend had his done at a local shop and it was $5000 and took the idiots 3 months to do. What cam are they using?
If you pull the cam the engine has to be upside down. Then when turned right side up all the lifters will fall inside.

[ROKuberski]

It will be a stock cam.  This is not a high performance upgrade.  If the lifters fall in, it won't matter.  I'll strip my engine before sending the core back.  Transportation between Seattle and Denver is $175 each way and there is an $800 charge for the core.  I'm not a collector of engine blocks, so back it goes. 

I have been quoted between $4,000 and $6,500 for a local rebuild and 3 - 4 months to do it.  S & J wants 6-8 weeks plus a week for shipping.  I would guess that some engines that are more popular than Y-blocks may be in stock for a quicker turn around.  I don't remember how many engines the guy I talked to said they do a year, but it is in the thousands.    They must have a huge shop.

I looked on line for S & J videos and some are kind of clunky, but this one shows final testing of the assembled engine.  I would liked to have seen a tour of their shop, following an engine through the various operations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBKJdKZlLIM&t=1s

[hiball3985]

I would ask about what cam and who they are getting it from. The best OEM cam is the 57 cam, that and the heads are why 57 Y blocks run better then other years. Most stock replacement cams aren't the equivalent of the 57, they are more like truck cams. The only people I know who make one is Oregon cams.

[thomasso]

I used the ISKY 300 series cam.  3/4 race.  Good idle.  Defiantly perks the engine up.

[ROKuberski]

I would ask about what cam and who they are getting it from. The best OEM cam is the 57 cam, that and the heads are why 57 Y blocks run better then other years. Most stock replacement cams aren't the equivalent of the 57, they are more like truck cams. The only people I know who make one is Oregon cams.

Are you talking about these guys?  I'm reluctant to experiment with a 3/4 race cam.  This is a mild car and I'm okay with that.

http://www.oregoncamshaft.com/order.html

If not, give me a direct link.

I recently got a '57 sales brochure.  Cheap and kind of cool.  Here is one picture from it.

[lalessi1]

Rich, great to hear from you again! Curios about the company you are using and the quality of what they will be providing. Keep us informed please. My two cents on the cam is stay with stock (or not far from the original specs).

[59meteor]

Are you talking about these guys?  I'm reluctant to experiment with a 3/4 race cam.  This is a mild car and I'm okay with that.

http://www.oregoncamshaft.com/order.html

If not, give me a direct link.

I recently got a '57 sales brochure.  Cheap and kind of cool.  Here is one picture from it.

Yes, Ken at Oregon is a great guy, and a Ford collector and drag racer. I have been running Oregon Cams in my cars for decades, in my drag FEs, and currently have an Oregon Cams solid flat tappet cam in my 59s 428 FE. Not sure what availability of new Y Block lifters is, but Ken has a lifter refacing machine, so he cam resurface you old lifters, providing they are in decent condition. Instead of asking for a specific cam on your own, give Ken the information, about your engine combination, your car, including transmission and the rear axle ratio, and how you plan to use the car, and let him chose the cam.

[ROKuberski]

Rich, great to hear from you again! Curios about the company you are using and the quality of what they will be providing. Keep us informed please. My two cents on the cam is stay with stock (or not far from the original specs).

Lynn,

Good to hear from you too.  I'll give information and post a video of the project when complete.

As to the cam, it will be new as will the entire valve train, right down to the solid lifters.  I'll ask what cam they intend to use, but I can't imagine that there are all that many sources for new stock cams for a Y-Block. 

I suggest that you watch some of the S & J videos, especially the one I posted a link to below.  I was impressed with their after assembly testing of the engine.  If I had the work done at a small local shop I'm sure this type of testing would not have happened. 

I feel pretty comfortable with the scope of this project, but I haven't pulled an engine since I was 15 years old.  Ready for a story.

When I was 15, a guy down the street had two 1950 Plymouth sedans.  He took the best of the two cars and made one car for himself.  Talking to him one day he offered me all of the leftovers for $5.00.  I accepted on the spot.  However, before pushing this home, I did run this by my Dad.  He completely supported this project.  So, with the transmission in the trunk and the drive shaft poking out of one rear window, my friends and I pushed the car to my house, only about half a dozen houses down the street and it was downhill to my house.  We parked the car by the side of the house and took stock of what was there and what was not.  It took a year of my earnings mowing lawns and many trips to the local junk yard and auto parts stores.  My Dad bought me the few tools needed that he did not have, ring compressor, ridge reamer, torque wrench, all of which I still have.  Once this car was running another guy I knew made me a very good offer for it and I sold it for $100.  Not long after that I got a 1955 Ford Custom for $150, a very fine piece of crap as I remember.   Had to rebuild the transmission after some minor abuse one night, but that's another story.

Did I mention that I graduated from the Busted Knuckle University?  Got the wall plaque to prove it.

[hiball3985]

You want to stay as close to original cam specs as possible with an auto trans and if you have power brakes. Off the self replacement cams are milder the the 57. Ask what cylinder heads come with the engine, heads after 58 are lower compression and smaller valves. That combo will be a lot less performance then a 57 engine, But that may even be better then your currant engine if it's in bad condition.

[ROKuberski]

You want to stay as close to original cam specs as possible with an auto trans and if you have power brakes. Off the self replacement cams are milder the the 57. Ask what cylinder heads come with the engine, heads after 58 are lower compression and smaller valves. That combo will be a lot less performance then a 57 engine, But that may even be better then your currant engine if it's in bad condition.

Jim,

I'll contact the shop today and ask some questions.  I do have an auto trans, but mine is now an AOD, my power brakes are hydro boost, so that should make no difference.  I've also got the Holly Sniper EFI system installed.  I've never read that power went down in later years.  But, this link supports what you said.

https://www.enginefacts.com/ford292/

[hiball3985]

Jim,

I'll contact the shop today and ask some questions.  I do have an auto trans, but mine is now an AOD, my power brakes are hydro boost, so that should make no difference.  I've also got the Holly Sniper EFI system installed.  I've never read that power went down in later years.  But, this link supports what you said.

https://www.enginefacts.com/ford292/

You shouldn't have any problem since you use the hydro boost. After the FE engine was introduced they detuned the Y block. The later engines are lower compression and smaller valves and a milder cam, and the 61-64 truck heads are even worst.. you don't want those..

[ROKuberski]

I have asked to get a '57 block/heads if possible.  They will let me know soon.  They have noted that these blocks are getting in short supply.  Does not surprise me.  It's been a long time since any were made.

Thanks for all of the input on this project.

Rich