56 Ford Fairlane hardtop.

There's good news and bad news. The good news is I remembered another 292 block that is probably good, out of my old high school pink car. So that's plan 'H'.
The bad news is, the second partial 312 was also no good [picture below]. so, there goes plan 'C'.
Plan 'D' is in motion. I took another 292 to the machinist. He was able to get one stroker crank out of the first 312 and all of the rods. So, we can make a 312 yet, ---- I think.
To get this Plan 'D' motor to town quickly took some doing. It was dang cold out. I had to plug the tractor in for a few hours to get it started, then take the snow blade off. My black '36 Ford truck was in the road in the machine shed and it wouldn't start, so I found a log in the bush that was about 18 feet long, jammed it into the front-end loader, and chained it solid and kinda slanty out one side of the tractor. With this contraption I could drive the tractor into the shed as far as I dared, and reach over some stuff and just pick up this next Y-block candidate. [pics below].
Dutch, I reached right over that Hemi that you thought would go nicely in my classic Ford, [Wrong]. So here's a close-up of it. Also, at the left of the Hemi picture is a block and crank, that's my old pink car 292.

Can`t go wrong with a hemi my friend...
That hole doesn`t look to healthy tho

Always a work around..[cl

Have to ask, what made that gaping hole???
[P[P[P

Tough break.

OI, this motor sat outside, uncovered for years before I got it. Water slowly snuck in through the carb and then through an open valve to fill up a cylinder. When winter hit, the water froze, expanded and broke the cylinder. The other 312 looked about the same, for the same reason.
Even though I was quite optimistic about the 'plan D' motor, my machinist texted me some pictures and it doesn't look really rosy. So with the weather deteriorating quickly today, [a cold front blowing in hard], I started the tractor again and dragged another Y-block close to the man door of the machine shed and reached in and grabbed it. It is now in the back of the pick-up truck ready to go to town if need be.

Bud, you're having a Helluva of a time. Hope ya get one weeded out soon.

Wow...that's quite a hole in that cylinder wall! Up to plan "H"! That's a lot of planning Mac!

At least you have inventory to choose from!

Oneeye. I have been calling it inventory for years, but Mrs. Mac calls it junk. Recently, I've considered listening to her. Let that be a lesson to ya.
Coup, I'm skipping over Plans 'E' 'F' and 'G' for now for different reasons, and going with Plan 'H' on stand-by.
OI, flaming optimism sometimes distorts my dreams. I thought it would be easy to make a 312 Y-block and then brag about my rare motor. Now nobody will hear my bragging because of all of the whining.

How many more tries before you go 302 ford or SBC?

Flipper, there are lot's more letters in the alphabet, so there.
Y-blocks forever.
Nobody in their right mind puts a SBC in a Ford. Let that be a lesson to ya.

Is it possible to sleeve one of the busted blocks?

Years ago I took an FE block in to another machinist. It had a crack running down the cylinder, so he sleeved it and it worked.
These two 312 blocks were left outside a way too long, so there were big holes broken in the cylinder walls in a few places. We discussed sleeving the first 312 but I wasn't confident that the block was sound any more. That was before they took the rotating assembly out. When all of the pistons are firmly seized in there, you have to get rough to get them out and the block deteriorates even more. And I thought I had quite a few Y-blocks yet. I could afford to be cavalier about some of the broken blocks. Well, my arrogance is dissipating.
I told you that the machinist took the stroker crank out of the first 312 and saved all of the rods, so we can still make a 312. He threw that block away. I brought home the second 312 and took the crank out of it. It also looks OK. Now I'm trying to take the pistons and rods out.
#1 pic one way to tell you have a 312.
#2 pic the crank is out. I had to make two different wrenches and use many different U-joint sockets and wobblys and cursing.
#3 pic the other way to tell you have a 312, the aspirin shaped bump on the back flange of the crankshaft.

Quotith MM "Nobody in their right mind puts a SBC in a Ford. Let that be a lesson to ya."

And all this time I believed it took an SBC to drag an old 91 year old Ford around... But I'm not known for brilliance and mental acuity!!!

MercuryMac said:

Flipper, there are lot's more letters in the alphabet, so there.
Y-blocks forever.
Nobody in their right mind puts a SBC in a Ford. Let that be a lesson to ya.

Click to expand...

Does that mean I'm not of sound mind?

05snopro440 said:

Does that mean I'm not of sound mind?

Click to expand...

A bunch of us maybe...

I applaud your determination to stay with the Y block. Not that I'm a died in the wool Ford guy, it just seems right to use what belongs there. Y blocks can produce decent power and still be reliable. When I was a kid there was a guy in town that drove a 56 Ford done gasser style with a beam axle, 312 with 2 4bbls. and 4spd, it beat the crap out of most other cars in town. To me, putting in a SB Ford or the ultimate sin, some form of Chevy is an insult to these classy cars.

I’ll agree on the Chevy in a Ford, I’d much rather stay true to the bloodline. That’s why when the opportunity arose, I snatched the SBC out and put in the 302 Windsor. It takes thinking and planning to run a Ford in a Ford! I’ve never ran a Y block other than in a piece of equipment, so can’t say on how they are on the road.

zzrodder said:

I applaud your determination to stay with the Y block. Not that I'm a died in the wool Ford guy, it just seems right to use what belongs there. Y blocks can produce decent power and still be reliable. When I was a kid there was a guy in town that drove a 56 Ford done gasser style with a beam axle, 312 with 2 4bbls. and 4spd, it beat the crap out of most other cars in town. To me, putting in a SB Ford or the ultimate sin, some form of Chevy is an insult to these classy cars.

Click to expand...

I agree. On something as pretty as this Fairlane, it deserves a nice Y-block.