The new motor (another 292) for my truck is slowly proceeding. The parts acquisition has been taking place over the last 9 months. Everything short of rebuilt rods and cam bearings is now on hand. The bareblock is at the machine shop, waiting for the machinist to decide to get to work on it.

I had a few glitches so far. NOS Jahns domed pistons were purchased on e-bay. Their domes were 14cc, too much for a street motor to run pump gas. Compression would have been 10.75:1. After looking into it at length, they would have needed milling down to where they were almost flat. Additionally, they called for .007in. clearance, and were extremely heavy. So back on e-bay they went, and are now residing in Sweden. The whole purpose of this motor is to bump up compression from my current dismal 7.2:1, but that was too much! Ended up with some regular cast flattops. Much lighter, and will deal with increasing compression by decking block for decreased quench. Static compression will end up being 9.1:1.

The cam also has been an issue. The big picture objective for the motor is to maximize mileage through use of a mild cam and as much compression as possible. So I ordered a mild cam supposed to be based on 1957 Ford specs, which was the hottest cam Ford ever produced for this motor, but very tame compared to aftermarket offerings now. The parts house couldnt tell me who made the cam. It didnt include a cam card. They were a little evasive about its specs. After receiving, I mailed it to a Co. in S. Cal. for analysis. It came out being ground based upon the LOWEST performance cam ever offered by Ford for the Y. Back it went to the supplier in exchange for some molly rings and rod bushings. I ended up with $160 in it after including all the shipping and analysis, and got $85 back, and ordered an Isky camshaft for $150. So you can tell the valve timing has cost a fair amount to date.

Understanding camshaft performance has always been a problem, so I've ordered two books for study, which have been a big help. Cant wait to degree the cam but will have to. It looks like it wont be until March. In the meantime a degreeing kit is needed.

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46 1/2 ton with 56 292:thumbsup:

Interesting...the perils of engine rebuilding. Keep us posted.

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...... BRIAN ......

The perils of motor building....that is a good description SCrew. And, have others experienced the machine shop that always seems to get work done on jobs other than yours? The one man shop that has the block has been closed the last week for Elk hunting. In the last 4 weeks he has accomplished the cleaning. Line bore and cylinder bore must be finished in the next 12 days, because we are getting ready to go on an extended family visit. Also these guys dont realize that just because the customer can pay for the work one month, that may not be the situation 3 months beyond the time that the motor was due to be completed!

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46 1/2 ton with 56 292:thumbsup:

Yeah...i've got some breakfast spots I go to and they close for hunting or fishing season...it sucks!! I imagine on a motor rebuild it sucks more! lol
When it is all complete you'll forget about all that.

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...... BRIAN ......

Yesterday the machinist said the block has been mag'd and is good. Whew! That is good . The thought of starting a search for another of these old motors worried me. Cylinder bore and crankshaft alignment bore check should be done Tuesday. After it gets home, I have to assemble the crank and one piston and rod to be used on the front and back cylinders of each bank. That way the deck height is measured at TDC, and the amount of deck milling for a deck height of .000 can be determined. Then the bare block goes back to the machininst for decking.

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46 1/2 ton with 56 292:thumbsup: