![]() The intake port arrangement was not the engine’s only quirky feature, however. The pinnacle of factory Y-Block development is probably the 1957 312 CID V8 with McCulloch supercharger, below, rated at 300 horsepower. So maybe it’s not as weird as it looks, though the potential for performance modifications was limited. In this case it’s simply been continued into the cylinder head. And while the setup certainly looks unusual, it’s only fair to note that on the typical postwar American V8, the dual-plane intake manifold invariably employs this over/under design. The reasoning behind this unusual layout has never been completely explained, but if we read between the lines of Stevenson’s SAE paper, the purpose was to make the intake ports as short and uniform as possible to optimize fuel distribution and idle smoothness. The ports are turned 90 degrees from the usual configuration, in other words on top of each other, and car enthusiasts have been scratching their heads ever since. But easily the most unusual feature of the Y-Block is its intake port arrangement, above. Indeed: The exhaust side of the cylinder head has a passing resemblance to the 1955 Chevy V8. In most ways the Y-Block V8’s top end followed common industry practice of the time, with a common-plane valve arrangement and shaft-mounted rocker arms. Bore spacing is 4.38 inches-same as the familiar Ford Windsor V8 to come later-which accommodated displacement increases to 256, 272, 292, and ultimately 312 cubic inches. At introduction the engine displaced 239 cubic inches, same as its flathead V8 brother, but with a larger bore and shorter stroke (3.50 x 3.10 inches) to reduce piston speed and extend engine life. ![]() 540266, and there’s also an original 1954 Ford promotional film we’ve featured here. For more on the Y-Block’s engineering strategy, there’s an SAE paper, The New Ford V8 Engine by Robert Stevenson, no. The Y-Block gets its name, of course, from its deep-skirted cylinder block design in which the block extended down past the crankshaft centerline, in part to maximize drivetrain smoothness. ![]() It’s an easy way to spot these engines at a distance, especially when modified. But on the Y-Block and Lincoln the distributor is at the back, driven from the rear of the camshaft and angled to the passenger side of the block. On most Ford V8s down through the years, the distributor is mounted at the front of the engine-it’s sort of a Ford trademark. One highly visible one worth noting is the distributor location (red arrow below). While these first-generation Ford and Lincoln overhead V8s are different engines and share no major components, they do have some common design features. However, the Y-Block wasn’t the Dearborn automaker’s first OHV V8, as Lincoln received a new 317 cubic-inch V8 in 1952. When the Y-Block V8 was rolled out for the 1954 model year, it was the Ford division’s first modern overhead-valve V8, and it was a much-needed replacement for Henry Ford’s final personal triumph, the trusty flathead V8 introduced way back in 1932. The Y-Block of 1954-62 might not be the most beloved of the Ford V8s, but it’s a fascinating engine with some quirky and noteworthy features.
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