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By alanfreeman - 13 Years Ago
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I am putting a '61 292 Y Block in my '54 Mercury which I thought was supposed to be a direct swap. Everything was going fine until I tried to install the radiator. I discovered that there is only about 1 1/4" clearance between the end of the water pump shaft and the radiator core. I am using and 1 1/4" fan spacer but with this small amount of clearance I can't see how there would be enough room for even the thinnest spacer and the fan. Anyone else had this problem? What am I doing wrong? I am not sure how to attach pics through the website but I can send pics by email to anyone who thinks they can help me. Thanks, Alan S. Freeman
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By Grizzly - 13 Years Ago
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Alan, I'm running a seven blade flex fan on my 56 and the fan instructions say a minimum of 1" clearance. The fan should be close enough to draw air through but have sufficient space to allow for movement when driving. If you can fit the fan without damaging the radiator I'd say fit the fan then measure. You can swap out spacers to get the right clearance they are common ford bolt spacing and pin size so easy to get. With your installation did all the mounts fit? cheers Warren
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By rick55 - 13 Years Ago
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Did you fit the engine mounts the right way around?
Should look like this.
Regards
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 13 Years Ago
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Six cylinder engine mounts look like the V-8, but the mounting studs are in a different location, thereby moving the engine forward. Could you somehow have the 6 cylinder mounts?
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By charliemccraney - 13 Years Ago
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Did the engine come from a car or a truck?
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By alanfreeman - 13 Years Ago
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The rear mount on the transmission lined up perfectly with the crossmember so it appears that the engine is in the correct position in the frame. I would think that if the front mounts were wrong or installed backwards the rear trans mount would not have lined up...right? Alan
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By charliemccraney - 13 Years Ago
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Truck water pumps have longer shaft. You might have a truck engine.
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 13 Years Ago
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If you are using the '54 transmission, then your theory is correct. If the trans is of a different year, the mount pad could be in a different location. Also, T-Birds used a 1" spacer between the water pump and the timing cover. Could you have such a spacer on your engine?
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By lyonroad - 13 Years Ago
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A fellow I bought a bell housing from had this problem on a 54 convertible as I recall (it was a while ago and I wasn't being really attentive when he explained it). It was something to do with mounting the rad on the front or rear of the rad support or reversing the support or something like that. Check this out. If necessary I could call this guy and get a full description of what he found out.
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By alanfreeman - 13 Years Ago
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I think that Charlie (see above post) might be right about the problem being due to a longer shaft on the truck water pump. I have a spare water pump from a 1954 239/256 engine which I know is different from the '55-'62 car water pumps. However, the distance from the pump flange (where the pump mounts to the engine) to the tip of the shaft is 4 1/4" whereas the distance on the pump on my 292 is 5 1/2". The other thing that I noticed is that the shaft on the pump on my engine is thicker diameter than the 239/256 shaft so the 1" fan spacer I am using will not go over the shaft. Before I buy another water pump on the assumption that the pump on my engine is for a truck, can someone measure the distance on their 292 car pump to see if it is the same 4 1/4". If so, this will solve my problem as I will have another 1 1/4" of clearance. Thanks, Alan
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By charliemccraney - 13 Years Ago
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The truck pump has a 3/4" pilot whereas the cars are 5/8" The car pumps I have look to be about 4 1/2" from the gasket surface to the fan mounting flange. The only truck pump I have looks to be about 5". So I only see about 1/2" difference.
I also thought truck pumps have extra ribbing on the snout but some of my car pumps also have the ribbing and do match the dimensions of one I know is for a car application.
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By pegleg - 13 Years Ago
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Charlie. The factory HD truck pumps may have had an extra rib, but all the aftermarket pump castings I ever found used the same basic casting as the pass car.
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By 58rancho - 13 Years Ago
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Alan, per your request I measured flange to end of shaft length on my 292 in a 58 Ranchero. It is 5 1/2". I don't think this is what you were hoping for!
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By alanfreeman - 13 Years Ago
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Thanks 58Rancho for measuring your pump. You are right...that is not the measurement I wanted. I will just have to wait to see what I get from NAPA on the pump I ordered. I may have to cut off a piece of the end of the shaft and/or adjust the position of the pulley hub and use a thinner spacer in order to get proper clearance and belt alignment. Thanks, Alan
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By Pete 55Tbird - 13 Years Ago
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Alan My water pump from flange to tip is also 5 1/2 inch so it seems you should try to replace the water pump with the shorter one if you can. The belt alignment is much more important. Back in the day, when guys swapped 390 FEs into 55/59 Fords it was common to remount the radiator in front of the vertical brace that it attaches to to gain some room. Pete
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By alanfreeman - 13 Years Ago
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Pete55, your idea would be a good one if I was working on a '54 Ford and not a '54 Mercury. The Ford core support/hood latch panels were designed to take the radiator either behind or in front of the support. The V-8 car radiator mounted behind and the 6 cyl. in front in order to have room for the longer 6 cyl engine. Mercurys all came equipped with V-8's so they were not set up like Fords. I am trying to do this car to look original other than the '61 292 so I don't want to do any major cutting or fabricating. Somebody out there must have put a 292 in their '54 Mercury so please let me know how you solved the fan clearance problem. Thanks, Alan
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By alanfreeman - 13 Years Ago
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I received the correct water pump today. It has an "ECE" casting # so it was from a '55 or later passenger car. The center shaft is 5/8" in diameter but only about 1/2" shorter than the one on the truck water pump which was on the engine which had a larger 3/4" shaft. I went through my extra parts and the thinnest fan spacer I have is 1" thick. I set up the pump, the fan and the spacer, with the radiator in the car (without actually bolting it together). It looks like the fan will only be about 1/2" from the radiator. Two questions: Does anyone know of a Y-Block fan spacer thinner than 1"? Also, with so little clearance, I am going to have to assemble the pump, pulley spacer and fan and then install the radiator last. It will be impossible to install the fan last as there is insufficient space to insert the fan bolts with the radiator in place. How am I going to wedge the radiator in place last without messing up the fins bu scraping the radiator on the fan blades. Any ideas? Remember, this is a '54 Mercury , not Ford so the radiator will only go in one way. The smaller '54 Mercury water pump is more than 1" shorter than the '55 and later pumps. Thanks, Alan
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By charliemccraney - 13 Years Ago
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I think 1" is about the shortest spacer possible because the pilot is about 1" Do you have to use a spacer?
Make sure that your pulleys are lining up.
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By alanfreeman - 13 Years Ago
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That, my friend Charlie is a brilliant idea...just leave the spacer out entirely. I just bench assembled everything without the spacer and it looks like it goes together fine without it. Does anyone see any problem with leaving out the spacer? Alan
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By brokengate - 13 Years Ago
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I had pretty good space on mine but still taped a cardboard panel to remedy my clumsyness when I removed mine. Thinking now would have been wiser to pull fan, might help.
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By MoonShadow - 13 Years Ago
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Speed shops and parts stores have a packet of thin spacers for fine tuning the fan spacing. If you need to further adjust the fan I would pick up a set. Chuck
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By YBLOCKMERC - 13 Years Ago
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Sounds like you may have it solved Alan, but I took some measurements on my '54 Merc with a '61 292 with passenger car water pump. Distance from rear of pump to front flange looks to be 4.5". I'm running a 1.25" spacer and have 1.5" clearance from the leading edge of the fan to the radiator. This looks to be a later model radiator as it has a cooling chamber at the bottom for the liquid cooled transmission. A long time Ford mechanic guessed it to be around a '57. The radiator itself is just under 3" wide from the mounting support to the inside edge facing the fan. Hope this helps.
BTW, a 292 in a '54 Merc is stunning. I opened mine up on the freeway last week for the first time - it romps....and sounds good doing it.
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By GREENBIRD56 - 13 Years Ago
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The fan mounting flange on the pump shaft can be (carefully) moved a bit using a puller or press. All I've moved have been snug -but not stuck. Its a way to make the alignment "nuts-on" without having to futz with little spacers. 
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By alanfreeman - 13 Years Ago
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Thanks Marc for the information. The stock radiator in my '54 Merc is nearly 4" thick so this explains why you have so much fan clearance with your later 3" thick radiator. I am going to need at least 1/2" of fan spacing because with no spacing at all the fan blades will hit the add on power steering pulley bolted to the crankshaft pulley. I will try to buy a 1/2" spacer or cut down a thicker one. Alan
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By charliemccraney - 13 Years Ago
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You can always trim a bit off the end of the pump shaft to gain a little more clearance.
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