I just got back early this morning (about 3 am) from Silverhill, AL, chasing a Y block 55 Sunliner. Finally caught her - I dragged my Father-in-Law along with me for the 935 mile trek down to the Gulf coast. (we traveled 32 hours of road time in less than 48 hours of being away from home) She needs a lot of work, no doubt, but $2700 caught her, er...me,, and now I am off to rip into sheet metal. You fellas would not believe the cross member and that frame underneath, not to mention the excellent, and I mean excellent, floor panels. She is not complete - missing some interior, etc, but a good starter. A Y block is going back in her (the current 272 - I have not checked, but it does look to be original, no doubt.) The big X member on the convertible frame - if I wanted to put in an aftermarket transmisison, would that cause any problems?

I have several blocks and what look to be a good set of C heads. May go for a mild build here, but memories of a Y block mag article about Frank LaForge's 55 Suliner come to mind, complete with Jerry Christenson headers. Let the fun begin!

Dan

Looks like you are in for a lot of Fun.

Keep us posted with some more pics,

           good luck with that project, looks like a handful. I have a question about the Uhaul trailor. We tried to haul a 56 4 dr. on one  a while back, and it wouldn't fit up on it. It was too wide and I think too long as well. Didn't know this till after we rented it of course. Did you have any problems concerning that?? Maybe Uhaul has a couple of differnt size trailors?

                                                                            Michael

Seriously, congrats!  I am jealous - I need another project!  How did you find it?  Do you know the history (how many owners, etc?) 

The x-frame makes trans stuff really hard.  Had I known then what I know now, I would have converted to a modern trans while i had the body off.  Probably not that big a deal now, but I dont have a lift to work on the car which would really complicate things with the x-member.  Of course, the fordo works pretty well too.

BTW, I have the stainless window frame for the drivers door glass (big "L" shaped piece that goes on the window that rolls up & down) that I was going to be listing on ebay.  Let me know if you need it and maybe we can agree on a price?  Its in good shape, just needs a polish...rather have it go to someone here...

No problem-It"l buff out 

Nice score,Oldmics

My mom had to chime in. She has been supportive since I was 16, getting into my first Y block. After she saw the photos I e-mailed to her, she said, "you got a good deal. people were paying more than that 25 years ago!" Go mom!

She needs some sheet metal work, no doubt - all that bondo has GOT to go. The inner fenders are in excellent shape - they are really solid, with no pitting.

Michael - About the U Haul trailer, this is the first I have rented from them. My buddy who has a 68 Charger with a real bad Hemi that Goldberg tried to buy one time (don't ask me, I don't know much about Mopars, but Mike's a good guy) was going to let me borrow his nice trailer. One of his employees dropped the thing, the eletrics all went out, etc, etc., so I had to rent one. I called ahead to double check fitment. This one was perfect. The car went on with 0 clearance issues. How old it is, I don't know. I can remember that the fella on the phone had asked me if I wanted a 1 axle or 2 axle car trailer. That may have made a difference.

I "found" this one on the Ford barn website. I have bought a few parts from people that list items on the site, but never a whole car, and never this much money. The owner said that quite a few people had e-mailed him to buy it, but no one ever called him to speak with him - evidently I was the first, so I got first dibs, and he was pretty good to me. Threw in all that he had - even a new convertible top pump, new ignition switch, a couple of extra fenders that can be repaired, etc.

rgrove - I don't need the stainless around the door windows, but I do need the actual glass channels (both pass and driv sides) that the regulators attach to. Sounds like you know a little about 55/56 convertibles. I have only helped on a 67 Mustang convertible for my brother. Question: there's jsut about no interior in this car, not even the old panels, etc. What kind of material were those rear door panels (the ones that hid the sides of the bows and doubled as armrests I guess) made of? metal? fiberboard? Looks like they would have been a few pieces to make up the whole panel.

On a different note, I have heard tell that the best replacement sheet metal to buy outside of NOS is EMS brand panels???

I know a "little" about the cars.  Certainly no expert, just enough to be dangerous.

If the channel you are looking for is the metal u-channel that attaches to the bottom of the door glass, your best bet is to get repros.  I just found out mine were really rotted out.  Tee-bird prods has them for about $35 ea.  P/N: B21458-C for right side and B21459C for Left side... They are really pretty nicely made parts; nice heavy guage metal.  How do I know?  I just got mine from them friday!  However, they do not come with the corner bracket to attach the bottom channel to the "L" shaped trim.  For new parts, the guys at tee-bird products have always been spectacular to deal with.  Huge catalog, and VERY helpful.  For used parts, Ive dealt primarily with Bob Burgess in Bellbrook, OH.  Both advertise in hemmings and fomoco times; let me know if you need their contact info.  Also, be aware that there are a few odds n ends that are interchangeable between some t-birds and full size fords, but they dont always show up as listed compatible.  for example, the instrument jewels (rings/lenses for turn signal indicators) is the same on the 56 as it is on the 55 or 57 t-bird.(not sure which one.)... takes some sleuthing to figure out.  Another example is that the t-birds used a polished stainless cap for some of the pivot pins on the convt top (at least they are sold new from suppliers). I used those to cover the pin heads on my top frame for the pivots that were riveted in place.  I also used some of the smaller diameter pins to replace 2 that were missing on my top frame... i had to JB Weld in the groove and dremel a smaller groove for the e-clip, but it was the only option i had.... sorry i digress....T-birds catalog has good diagrams, as do the service manuals, etc.  Im mentioning all of this assuming you havent found these resources.... apologize if this is redundant.

As for the interor parts, on the 56's, the rear side panels are made up of 2 parts.  There is the lower portion that goes to the door opening and has an itegral arm rest, and an upper portion that is about where your shoulder/forearm would be if you sat in the rear seat.  Does that make sense?  If those are the parts, they are both metal, and the lower one in particular are prone to rot.  Also, if you dont have them, the lower mounting brackets for where the power top cyls mount are getting to be really hard to find....start searching now if you dont have them in your parts bin.

Hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any questions or need any pics, etc.  Ours is a 56, but they are more similar than different!  And good luck!!

http://fairlanecompanymi.com/ShoppingCart/RCatalog.asp

Ive never used them, but might be worth looking at if yours are trashed.

       thanks for letting me know on the trailor, we sure had a lot more problems out her in Vegas when trying to use/rent one. There must be different sizes and I probably had some inexperianced people that I was trying to rent from.

                                                       Michael

I am down in NC this week visiting all of my family for Christmas and New Years, showing off photos of the 55 sunliner. My uncle charles has a 56 - he is a little jealous. He told me that he started with something a whole lot rougher and had to pay a little more (almost 20 years ago!). He gave some good info too, but unfortunately Charles is so old he has forgotten half of what he already knew. He also had 2 or 3 Y blocks sitting in his shed with the 56. One of the blocks had a double 2 barrel setup for the Y??? Never have seen that one before. Should have asked him about it, but we were so busy going over Sunliner information.

He did have a super straight, super clean door (drivers side, from a 56), and only wanted $200 for it. No glass, but the regulator and door mechanism are there. He has forgotten how different the 55 and 56 doors are. I told him I assumed that only the holes for the exterior stainless trim are different. The door had NO rust in the bottom end, and no dents anywhere!

Then my other uncle Franklin has a 55 4 door parts (272, 2 barrel) car he wants to sell me....for $300! It has a 3 speed and is mostly complete, but still missing that hood I am looking for. I will need most of the dash and the heater parts.

So...I am coming back when the ground freezes over down here in Mt Airy, picking up that parts car and getting that door. I showed Charles and Franklin the Y block magazine and some of the other materials, told them about the new heads about to come out, etc. Both of them are about in their 80's, don't know much about computers, and have forgotten quite a bit. But Charles said to me, "Well, sounds like the rest of the world has finally caught on to what we always knew - the Y block motor was one of the best engines Ford ever made!" (Then he picked up his claw hammer banjo and strummed a little...)

Christmas is still here

Dan

On a different note for the convertible, I finally got a chance to unload all of the extra parts from the trunk and really have a solid hour or two with the car checking things out. The floor pans were welded in exceptionally well, along with new(er) inner rockers. I will probably look to EMS to get the outer skins I need.

About those mounts for both of the top cylinders - they were still attached to the cylinders (unbolted from the car and laying in the trunk). BUT I freaked out when I noticed that there were two pieces of sheet metal - triangular shaped, about 1 foot tall, that looked as if they had rusted away from somewhere in the well or inside the quarter panel. They looked like the pieces that hold the mounts for the cylinders (both had a U shaped center so I assume these are for the top cylinders) I will have to post some pics later.

After going through everything, I could not identify about 20% of the parts! I know sedans pretty well, but I have not been around convertibles too much. My Uncle Charles has forgotten half of what he knows - by the way, I posted a pic of his 56 Sunliner. He has owned this one for over 30 years. He did say that I am starting with something nicer than what he had to begin with.

I would really like to go with a floor shift 3 speed trans hooked to the Y. I have a few 3 speeds I could check out. I think they are all T86's though. Anyone know of a good source for floor shift/shifter - one that works right and won't hit the stock seat?

Here are couple more photos of the "damage"...

Oh yes - did I mention he also has a daily driver 57 Ford F100, 292 powered, with an automatic greasing system??? It is nice. Next time I am down, I will take another photo.

Dan

New  ones are available from a fellow out of Florida. His repos are very well built. Strength in this brace is very important as a weak brace will allow body flexing caused by closing the doors. This will cause your body to crack along the top of the rear quarter panel by the rear of the quarter windows

marv

I got a quick response - he told me $450. That would cover shipping too. How did yours fit up to original sheet metal? How did you like the mounts for the cylinders?

Dan

I just wanted to tell you that on our New Years excursion to the California Coast in our '58 Alaskan camper my wife was reading some of my YBMs and told me she really enjoyed your $1000 engine article, she said you had a writing style that kept even a non-engine minded person interested. I hope we can look forward to more writings on this new project.

Thanks!

I was going to contact Jim, the site administrator, to see if he had any space for some of us to start a blog on our motors/vehicles (dedicated only to Y block power, of course).

Otherwise, I will keep the articles going out to Bruce. He seems to enjoy them too, and from what I understand the articles in the magazine have had a good response.

I am going to Harrisburg, PA this Saturday to pick up 2 parts cars. One has an excellent hood and really good fenders -- with a running 272. The other is a customline with a 3 speed and a few other goodies. Hopefully the weather will hold out...

Dan

I will be making two trips, weather permitting, on Saturday. I plan to be in Annville between 8:30 - 9 am that morning to load the 55 Fairlane Town Sedan (it's a running parts car with pretty good sheet metal). Then I will return later in the day between 2-3pm to pick up the rough parts car that is also a part of the deal.

How far are you off of I-81? If memory serves, you are in York, correct? I guess you could hop on 283 West and come in to 81 at some point in Harrisburg...

Give me your phone number (danaxjessup@yahoo.com), and I will give you a phone call sometime tomorrow or Thursday.

Dan

Also...boxes of extra Y block parts. rocker arm sets, EXCELLENT exhaust manifolds, engine sheet metal. Nice stuff. To top it all off, you can see the gas can there under the hood - this car runs, and suprisingly, she runs quite well. Stock 272, but 12 volt conversion, and she fires right up on command. NO SMOKE, NO LEAKS!!!, EXCELLENT oil pressure!!! I may end up putting this in my convertible. After yanking the motor, I will probably go with a new cam and lifters, new rocker arms, and a 4 barrel setup. What do yall think?

Jessup

Edit: My bad - now they look fine after I refreshed my browser. seems to be a good size for posting...

I will be getting my father-in-law, Dave Martin, on this site, too. He has been asking me, "Now what are you going to do to the Y block in your convertible? Gonna hop that up too?"

"Yeah, a little," I told him.

He told me, "Dad, I sure hope I get a birthday card with an old car on the front..."

"Yep, that would be nice, son," I said. (thinking to myself - Where in the world can I find a B-day card for a 6 year old that has a Y block-powered car on it?)

This photo is of us in the front seat taking out the glove compartment. He was pretty handy with a screwdriver - I let him do quite a bit. Sure, it's pretty slow, and yes, I didn't make much headway after an hour or so...but we had a good time together and that is what it is all about!

One thing I will add. As we went back in the house and took in a few boxes of hardware and other parts, he asked me, "Dad, can you pay me a dollar?" I about fell out - this boy's an old fashioned entrepeneur! Ok, I said - you earned it.

I am truly blessed

Looks like you have a great project ahead of you . That was a smart move buying the parts car .That will save you heaps on money .I think your son has already figured that one out ??? Smart boy you have there . He probably has plans on taking it to school when it's finished already ??? He is the "Y-Blocker " of the future . Teach him well .Also wish him a Happy Birthday from the Y-Block Family .There is a lot of kids in the world that would wish for a father like you .

Regards Lon .

I could not find the tag for the rear end on that sunliner. Anyone happen to know what the 55 sunliner came with originally when it had a 272 and a Fordomatic? I do have a 56 station wagon rear end assembly that I could switch out for the whole works. I am planning to go with one of the 3 speeds I have laying around, make a floor shift car with the Hurst kit I have (I really want to get a set of Christenson's headers - they look good, and I'll bet they will really perform). One of these days I would like to put a blown 312 in her...when the economy picks up

Jessup

Barring me finding NOS patches, what are y'all using for 55 and 56 Ford passenger cars for patch panels? Someone has told me about EMS and that they have high quality. I did order a quarter panel from them the other day, but have not seen one of their fender panels...

Any pros/cons??

I have been pretty busy lately, with not much spare time to work on anything other than my job responsibilities which have been over 60 hours a week at times. Include a little honey do's and family time with the kiddos, and the projects take a back seat.

Anyway, if anyone is interested, I am putting together a quick engine run stand by a simple modification of a Larin Engine Testing Station (that Eastwood Company sells - I believe the unit is actually made in Canada, eh?). Their model is really put together for a scrub, with a couple of Kurt Stumpf's block supports, for about $380 total, I will have a pretty good looking stand for a Y with tach, gas can, oil pressure gauge, temp gauge, ignition switch, etc.

I will try to post a few photos when Kurt's pieces arrive.

Dan

The mounts are actually sitting backwards of their final spacing (weight towards the rear). The other piece would hold the bellhousing.

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