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Willowbilly3

A *real* tin magnet
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
7,847
Location
Black Hills South Dakota
A couple weeks ago I was at the alignment shop and they had a nice 54 Ford glass top in there. They told me he was going to modernize the drive train so I left my card. He calls today, yadda yada and I seem to have bought a compete 239 Y block with a 3 speed and overdrive for $400. It's supposed to run good, I'm going to listen to it tomorrow. 312 heads and intake with a Carter AFB, and dual exhaust manifolds. And I guess that means I need something to put it in, hmmm (sound of gears churning)....,
 
I'm hoping I find out it's a 292 or 312, I don't think he really knows for sure. Then it would go in my 59 F250 4x4 but I don't think a 239 would have enough beans for that heavy truck.
 
The '54 239 was a oddball one-year only design, so lots of the later 272/292/312 stuff will not interchange - including the intake. That is likely why the heads were swapped for later units to accept the 4BBL. However if they are truly 312 heads they likely killed the compression by putting larger combustion chambers on the short stroke 239. IF that is what happened, I can see why he is wanting to modernize the drivetrain, as it was likely a slug.

Still some good parts there, and the OD trans was worth the 4 bills. You didn't get hurt...
 
That being said... There are two different 239s. (as Ford loves to confuse everyone)

If it is the original block to the car, you likely have the Dearborn version of the 239. It was made in '54 only and installed in the '54 cars and early '54 trucks. It has cam journals that are 1/8" larger in diameter, different cam bearings, a 13-tooth distributor gear, slightly different cooling passages in the block/heads, different head gaskets, and "small" intake ports. It also uses an upside-down fuel pump.

The Cleveland 239 was made in '54 & early '55. It was produced for trucks starting in mid '54 production & continuing into early '55. It was replaced in mid '55 by the 272 in trucks, although FoMoCo continued to use the same glove box tag engine code letter & identifier. This engine is essentially the same as all later Y blocks...same small cam journals, a 14-tooth distributor gear, and so on. However it does still have the "small" intake ports on the heads.

So there's a little bit of info. While Y-Blocks are very cool, they are definitely a beast all their own and take quite a bit of research and trial & error to build...
 
I have been digging some and now I'm a bit more confused. I did notice it had freeze plugs in the end of the heads, which would indicate 239 (not 312 like he thought they might be) but it definitely has the square bore 4 barrel intake with AFB bolted on, no adapter. So somehow a po made that fit.
 
I have been digging some and now I'm a bit more confused. I did notice it had freeze plugs in the end of the heads, which would indicate 239 (not 312 like he thought they might be) but it definitely has the square bore 4 barrel intake with AFB bolted on, no adapter. So somehow a po made that fit.

It could be "made to fit" with the right gasket, but with the difference in port sizes it's not benefitting (and probably hurting) the performance. The 239 was factory rated at 130HP, so it definitely doesn't need any hindrance. Haha.
 
Yeah, BED, it definitely does not need an AFB. I haven't ran the numbers on the carb but it looks like the generic aftermarket 600 or 625. Info on the new AFBs is kinda sketchy at best, maybe they made a 450 cfm but even that would be over carbing a 239 IMO.
 
oh yep...

put it this . and send it to my address""

Al S. Nelson, New Zealand,
 

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No problem 23. It's hard to turn down a good running V8 with the drivetrain but I'm having a little trouble conjuring up a project I'd be satisfied with 130 hp in.:confused:
Fenderless 36 roadster pickup maybe? Since I whacked off some of the roof and door tops for another members chop and I can't give this away, already has a 9 inch in it.
 

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early heads

There is a forum dedicated to Y blocks, and when I was at
Bonneville a few years ago acouple guys were running Y;s. I asked if they figured out how Carrol Miller made them go so fast,He beat the Ford factory team. We have a Lincoln Y in a 46 truck we got about 9 years ago and have never tried to get it started. The early Y heads had weak castings in the roof of the combustion chamber.. later castings were changed to add reinforcement. If you are going to up the compression it needs modifications. The fix is to bore a hole up thru the head, all the way thru.. then use a long tap all the way thru then use thread sealant and install a long threaded bolt, then grind the ends off.
 

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