Ford Y-block engine

By 1948, the famous Ford Flathead V8 had been developed about as far as it could go,[1][better source needed]and it was antiquated by the early 1950s.

[1] In 1954 the Y-block displaced 239 cu in (3,910 cc), the same as the old Ford Flathead V8 but with a bigger bore and a shorter stroke.

One of the design qualities of the Y-Block V8 is its deep skirting which makes for a very rigid block for added strength in the bottom end.

This being Ford's first OHV engine, they had to feed oil to the rocker arm shafts through a passage from the center cam bearing.

The distributor is located at the back of the engine and off to one side and the valve covers are held on with two studs/washers/nuts through the domed tops.

The first Y-block on Ford automobiles and F100 trucks was the 239 cu in (3,910 cc) version as released in 1954 with EBU casting numbers.

The Y-block was the same displacement as the old Ford Flathead V8 that it replaced but with a bigger bore and a shorter stroke (3.5 x 3.1 in).

The original Mercury Y-block, introduced for the 1954 model year, displaced 256 cu in (4,194 cc).

The optional "Power Pack" M-code used a four barrel Holley carburetor and was rated at 182 bhp (136 kW) at 4,400 rpm.

A new building was opened on November 21, 1958, by the Brazilian President, Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, to produce the first Ford engine in South America.

Automatic vehicles were rated 212 bhp (158 kW) at 4,500 rpm, torque and compression ratio are not listed in the Ford 1957 workshop manual as being any different from the manual car, which seems unlikely given the power difference at the same engine speed.

In 1971, the engine was modified to accept a new-style cylinder head with a different valve arrangement (E-I-E-I-E-I-E-I versus E-I-I-E-E-I-I-E), new intake and exhaust manifolds and was renamed Fase II (Phase II).

In this form, the 292 Fase II continued into the 1980s in the F-100, and was also used in the Argentine Ford Fairlane (built from 1969–1982, and based heavily on the U.S. 1968 model).

The 312 cu in (5.1 L) V8 engine came out for the 1956 model year and was again used in high-end Ford and Mercury cars, including the Thunderbird.

At the beginning of the model year, a 210 hp (213 PS; 157 kW) version with 8.0:1 compression ratio powered Mercury cars with manual transmissions (including three-speed plus overdrive), while a 225 hp (228 PS; 168 kW) version powered cars with automatic transmissions.

The kit consisted of a hotter camshaft, revised cylinder heads, and an intake manifold mounting two four-barrel carburetors.

When Ford Y-block debuted its power making ability was already hindered by its inherent displacement limit.

A quick reference to the engine specifications for 1955-57 shows the Ford V8s ahead of the Chevrolet counterparts in displacement, horsepower, and torque.

[citation needed] However, larger CID V8 engines made by Cadillac, Chrysler, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile clearly showed the small CID architecture of the Y-block would need revision in order to keep pace with the other automakers.

The result was the introduction in 1958 of the 332 CID "big block" Ford FE engine which ultimately grew to 428 cu in.