Exciting News
Even though this blog post comes out somewhat late, it is still during the holidays and is being posted just before 2023. I do trust you are having a safe and blessed time with your loved ones. In addition to spending time with family and friends during Christmas and now the New Year, I do have some exciting news. Bruce Young, the founder and editor of the Y Block Magazine, has contacted me several times over the course of this past year concerning his plan to hand over the magazine to my stewardship and care. The last time we spoke by phone we had decided it would be best for me to take a trip to Ottawa, Illinois, to receive all of the hardcopy he has stored and filed away. Unfortunately, over the three decades that the magazine has been in publication there has been very little organized. (Bruce has admitted to me that I will have quite a time working to catalogue all of the articles from back issues.) We will certainly let you know how all of this progresses. There are hundreds of subscribers to the magazine worldwide, and taking on a task such as this is no small feat. If this transfer of ownership takes place within the next few weeks you can expect a separate website to be published just for the Y Block Magazine. Instead of a blog, articles will be categorized and archived to the website. There will be a convenient means for magazine subscribers to renew their subscriptions, pay with a credit card, and update any changes to mailing information. Tentative plans are to have article content on the site that are only available to paid magazine subscribers. (ex: digital copy of the magazine, discounts on Y Block merchandise, access to more articles and information, etc) Early blog posts here on HotRodReverend.com will keep you informed as to progress and updated information. Our subscribers here to this blog will be the first to know.
Parts Acquisition
If you read the last blog post then you are fully aware that swapping parts is a hobby of mine, especially for the Y Block Ford and Mercury engine. While visiting my family in North Carolina just before Christmas, I decided to visit Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone had parts for sale. And, just within a few minutes of my scrolling I found a listing in the Hickory area that included all of the parts you see in the two photos below. While not much information was given on the casting numbers for the heads, the rocker arms, etc, I sent a quick message because I spotted something quite small that gave me a good idea these were not early heads. (Looking at the Holley 4000 carburetor gasket in the first photo one may assume these were early heads.) Nope, it was the design of the temperature sender that gave it away. If you examine the upper left corner of the second photo then you will see a temperature sender that has a stud terminal. Ford did not start using these in Y Blocks until 1957. I asked the seller to let me know the casting numbers/letters and directed him to look under the lip of the intake ports... and yep, he replied back with "ECZ-G" and a blow-up photo to show the casting. The price for the lot of parts was low enough that I thought the law would be chasing me down the road once it was known how little I paid!
The Y Block parts lot was on Facebook Marketplace... at a steal of a price!
The seller and I agreed to meet up at his place on the day after Christmas to look over the parts and make the deal. My dad was able to go with me, and sure enough the parts were just as good as advertised. Even better were the extra parts not shown in the online listing - a truck bell housing with the hydraulic clutch setup, a 1956 model year-specfic intake and caburetor, a nice flywheel, and then a very good FE flywheel to boot. When I asked how much he had to have for those items, the price was so low I just handed over the cash and thanked him. Even as I write this blog post there are parts in the ultrasonic cleaner getting ready to be refurbished, and I have already contacted a machinist to let him know that I will be dropping off the heads at his shop within a couple of weeks.
The seller had more parts in his stash to offload - what a find!
Summit Carburetor Installation and Initial Tune
Some of you may be wondering what has happened with the Summit carburetor installation. A few weeks ago I did get into the garage to remove the Holley 1850, secure the Summit carburetor, wire up the electric choke with a relay, and run new fuel lines. (and check for leaks!) Hopefully after the holidays I will be able to fire it up, give it an initial tune, and run it down the road. There were a number of changes I made, and I logged all of this on video and took many pictures for a future post. Getting in the garage and turning wrenches takes time; it takes much longer if you are trying to archive and make "how-to" videos by yourself. I am surprised at how much interest this carburetor installation has garnered, but I am aware that these carburetors are quite popular. Bear with me, and we will have this information up as soon as we can. If you want to visit my YouTube channel you can at least preview the first video.
The new Summit carburetor has been installed and is waiting its turn to fire up the 292 Y!
Fast Fords 2023
The director of the Fast Fords weekend, Tony Fritz, had lunch with me just a few days before I left for Christmas in North Carolina. Tony is a personal friend of mine, and I am privileged to have been asked once again to serve as the chaplain of the race. This year the dates are June 16-18 (Father's Day) and will take place at Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio. We will have more information and a digital flyer in upcoming posts.
2023 is shaping up to be a very pivotal year for me personally, for the Y Block Magazine (whether I take ownership or not), and for the 1955 Ford as I have plans to continue the build of the 312, the installation of a T85 with R11 overdrive transmission, and all the rest. Thank you for sticking with us during all of 2022 - I am continually amazed at how many of you subscribe to a website blog like this. You are an encouragement! For those of you that have answered my request and given permission for me to post your ride and its details on my website, those plans are still in the works as well. I do want to see what happens with the magazine over the next month or two. It just may be that I will need to contact you to publish your story in print.
Stay safe and Happy Holidays!
The Hot Rod Reverend
aka Daniel Jessup