Unported Iron Heads Can Still Make Over A HP To The Cubic Inch

By using just the right combination of parts, exceeding that magic 1HP to cubic inch ratio is indeed possible while still doing it with a pair of unported iron Ford Y-Block heads. The key here is in using a modern piston ring design and maximizing the compression ratio while still being able to have an engine that will run on available pump gasoline.  Not to be left out are the intake, carburetor, camshaft, and cylinder head choices which are also just as important.

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Stock Ford Y build or modified? Here are two different approaches.

I was recently given the opportunity to rebuild a pair of Ford 292 Y-Block engines with each going into 1963 F100 pickups.  While both engines started life out as 1963 two barrel pickup engines, one was a restoration project while the other was to be a mildly hopped up version.  The engine for the restoration pickup was to be built as close to stock as possible while the other engine was to use the normal performance upgrades such as four barrel intake and carburetor, larger valved heads, and a better than stock camshaft.

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Oil Viscosity and Its Effect On Engine Power

It’s pretty well known that engine oil with a higher rated viscosity tends to rob power from the flywheel end of the engine. It’s this mentality that has the new car manufacturers using lighter weight engine oils in which to increase the fuel efficiency of their engines as well as pick up some additional power.

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Y-Block Ford – Dual Quad Testing on Aluminum Heads – Part II

With the iron 113 heads on the dyno mule, the Edelbrock #257 2X4 intake that had been ported by Joe Craine did exceed those numbers generated by the stock Mummert intake and single four barrel carb combination.  Now it was time to install the aluminum heads on the 312+ dyno mule and see how those same dual quad manifolds would fare. Continue reading “Y-Block Ford – Dual Quad Testing on Aluminum Heads – Part II”

Y-Block Ford – Dual Quad Testing on Iron Heads – Part I

With the resurgence of the Ford Y engine making a comeback as a viable replacement power plant for more than just mid-Fifties Fords, there is suddenly a demand for both modern performance and old school looks being in the same package.  Continue reading “Y-Block Ford – Dual Quad Testing on Iron Heads – Part I”

Cylinder Head Milling for a 1cc Reduction

In the course of milling cylinder heads for a specific decrease in combustion chamber volume, it becomes necessary to know exactly how much a cylinder head must be milled for a 1cc (cubic centimeter) reduction.  Continue reading “Cylinder Head Milling for a 1cc Reduction”

Milling Heads for a Horsepower Gain

Over the years I have heard a variety of numbers from 2% to 10% for what a point in compression ratio is worth in regards to horsepower output.  The ten percent value obviously sounded a bit exaggerated while the two percent value sounded a bit on the small side. Continue reading “Milling Heads for a Horsepower Gain”