By Johnny Mainline - 12 Years Ago
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My 292 is a fresh rebuild, I'm trying to start it for the first time. There is no oil pressure building up. I've tried two different pumps and she turns over nicely... any suggestions or pointers would be extremely helpful.
Thank you,
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By Daniel Jessup - 12 Years Ago
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Johnny Mainline (4/27/2013) My 292 is a fresh rebuild, I'm trying to start it for the first time. There is no oil pressure building up. I've tried two different pumps and she turns over nicely... any suggestions or pointers would be extremely helpful.
Thank you,
OK, when you say "trying to start it for the first time," do you mean everything is hooked up and you are turning the key? I would highly suggest checking the oil pressure a different way. Remove the Passenger Side Valve Cover so that you can see the Rocker Arm Oil return tube. Now, mark the location of your distributor base to the block boss and also mark the location of the rotor to the distributor cap housing. Now remove the distributor. SECURE a 1/4" socket and a long extension to a drill (use some tape or something here so you don't lose that socket in the block!) and put the drill switch on reverse. Pull the trigger and run the drill for 20 to 30 seconds. By that time you should see some oil coming out of the rocker arm oil return tube.
If you have an early block that has a camshaft that is cross-drilled and not grooved, then you may have to turn the crank/cam assembly to the 90 degree mark to get oil to flow. If you have a grooved camshaft journal, then do not worry about turning the crank/cam assembly.
How are you checking the oil pressure? With a gauge, by sight, with the light, or what?
Need a little more info to help.
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By crownvic55 - 12 Years Ago
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I agree with the "Reverend". Don't try to start the engine until you know you have good oil flow or you could wipe out all the bearings. On mine I had to use a deep 1/4 socket to reach the hex oil pump drive shaft. Use a light and make sure the drive shaft is still in the block.Ben
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By Johnny Mainline - 12 Years Ago
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Thank you so much for the quick responses. 
I have a mechanical gauge hooked up. Sorry for the lack of info, I was a little frustrated when I was writing the post. I had the electrical and gas unhooked and was using the starter to turn the motor/oil pump to build pressure before trying to fire it up.
I have a center groove isky cam. I was going to spin the shaft with a drill but someone I know had suggested doing it the other way to bring it up to pressure before starting it. I will try using the socket/drill on the shaft tomorrow.
Thanks again,
Johnny
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By bird55 - 12 Years Ago
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Remember COUNTERClockwise rotation with the drill
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By charliemccraney - 12 Years Ago
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A simple question that is very obvious but has to be asked, did you put oil in the motor?
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 12 Years Ago
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You now have two opinions on which way you spin the pump. Reverend is correct, run the drill in reverse. Counter clockwise, when viewed from the top of the engine.
Another obvious question, did you put the rubber seal on the inlet pipe to the oil pump? Did you tighten the nut snugly?
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By bird55 - 12 Years Ago
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holy cow! Sorry I knew what I meant- I typed it wrong! You're right John-COUNTERCLOCKWISE
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By Johnny Mainline - 12 Years Ago
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I'm going out to pull the distributor and try spinning the drive shaft right now. I have 5 quarts of break-in oil in her and changed the inlet seal to a new one each time I changed out the pump. I think I have two more pumps, but the first one I tried was a brand new, fresh out of the box Melling, same with the drive shaft...
Thanks again everyone! I'll write back and post some pics in a bit after I try this.
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By MoonShadow - 12 Years Ago
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Make darn sure you tape or otherwise attach the socket on your extension. When they come off they follow Murphys Law. They will go somewhere that you can't even see and end up in a spot you can't reach.
It may take a while for the oil pressure to come up with the drill. Use one that plugs into the wall unless you have a better battery drill than I do. You should hear some change in the drill when the pump strikes oil.
If you decide to pull the pump again check the bottom of the drive shaft and where it fits in the pump. I've seen these rounded off to the point the pump dosn't turn. Do you have your gauge hooked into the oil galley on the side of the block? Where the oil sending unit is normally. Good luck. Chuck
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By Johnny Mainline - 12 Years Ago
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Guys, I can't thank you all enough!!! I've got good pressure!
I rotated her to TDC, popped the distributor out and spun the shaft in reverse About 30 seconds later had oil coming out of the return tube. I did have to make a trip to the store between there and get a deep socket. I taped a short socket to my extension first but it didn't reach and it came off in the hole; however, it stuck in the shaft hole and didn't move, and I was able to to put the extension back down there and pull it right out. I nearly had a heart attack...
When I got home and used the deep socket, it worked like a charm!!!
Unfortunately, I couldn't use the galley where the sending unit is normally attached... The machine shop put a plug in it and when I tried to remove it, it started to round; so I had to use one of the galleys closer to the front of the motor.
Now that I have pressure, it's almost ready to start up! Only one wire left to hook up.
I put a pertronix II in and have the flamethrower coil. It says to run a wire from the positive side of the coil to the ignition switch. Now, I just have to get up under there and figure out what one of the posts it goes to.
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By The Master Cylinder - 12 Years Ago
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Johnny, should be the same wire that was already going to your old coil from the ignition switch...
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By Johnny Mainline - 12 Years Ago
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That's where I really dropped the ball on this one... it's a 53' and has all the old cloth covered wire(most of it is cracked and a fire hazard)... Sometime in the last year, when I was cleaning the 60 years of sludge off everything, the marked tape I put on some of the wires fell off and I can't figure out which one it was. I marked everything when I pulled the flathead out, but can't find the one that says coil
I'm going to tear everything out and rewire it next month with an EZ kit, but that one wire is the only thing keeping me from an initial start-up. I have the PDF Ford shop manual for 52-54 but have had no luck figuring it out yet.
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By MoonShadow - 12 Years Ago
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Does the engine turn over with the key? If it does all you need to do is run a hot lead from the battery to the coil and it will run. Chuck
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By Johnny Mainline - 12 Years Ago
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Again, I have to thank you all for all of the enthusiam in the posts and help that you have given me!!!
When I pulled the cracked flathead last June, I found this truck load of Y block parts:
 
 
This is Yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgBItHv2hxU
My friend and I had to create a Jig and built a center sump oil pan to make it clear the front crossmember and drag link. It works super slick, and I didn't have to mess with putting a dropped draglink in, or screw with the steering. I still have to put my Ford Rockers and Ram horns on it like in the last picture, but she's a runnin'! I built it all in a single stall apartment garage and put it in all by myself... I got yelled at by a lady in our apartment building right after the video shut off for being too loud
Oh yeah, strangely enough the post on the Switch is labeled ING where you run the wire for the coil, go figure
Thanks again, everyone!!!!
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By MoonShadow - 12 Years Ago
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Looks nice and sounds good too! I rebuilt my first Y-Block in Missouri, in December, in the trunk of a 1951 Pontiac convertable. Big trunk! But our hands would get so cold we couldn't hold the wrenches and we had to go in and warm up. A truly unforgetable experience. Don't ask me how we did it because the memory of the actual event appear to be blocked for some wierd reason.
Welcome to the wide world of Y-Blocks. You are now officialy a Y's Guy. Chuck
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By oldcarmark - 12 Years Ago
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The original 54 with 6 volt did not need a bypass from the solenoid to start the car.When you switch to 12 volts you need the solenoid with 2 small terminals to get full 12 volts to the coil to start it.
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By Daniel Jessup - 12 Years Ago
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Johnny Mainline (4/30/2013) Again, I have to thank you all for all of the enthusiam in the posts and help that you have given me!!!
When I pulled the cracked flathead last June, I found this truck load of Y block parts:
Ok, I will be the first one to ask... how did you "find" all these Y block parts, lol?
Did the neighbor lady make a donation or what? 
(you may have posted before, forgive my ignorance)
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By The Master Cylinder - 12 Years Ago
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oldcarmark (5/1/2013) The original 54 with 6 volt did not need a bypass from the solenoid to start the car.When you switch to 12 volts you need the solenoid with 2 small terminals to get full 12 volts to the coil to start it.
Not necessary, he has a Pertronix Ignitor II/Flamethrower II Coil. He can run 12v directly from ignition switch to coil. No ballast resistor.
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By Johnny Mainline - 12 Years Ago
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Looks nice and sounds good too! I rebuilt my first Y-Block in Missouri, in December, in the trunk of a 1951 Pontiac convertable. Big trunk! But our hands would get so cold we couldn't hold the wrenches and we had to go in and warm up. A truly unforgetable experience. Don't ask me how we did it because the memory of the actual event appear to be blocked for some wierd reason.
HAHA NICE! I'm from Iowa, those winters are brutal. I cleaned the engine compartment to do a swap in my 51' F-1 in Dec., when i was sixteen. I was lucky that my dad got me a space heater, it helped a little. 
Ok, I will be the first one to ask... how did you "find" all these Y block parts, lol? Did the neighbor lady make a donation or what? 
A guy in a town called Sweet Home, Oregon was collecting for a while and decided to just sell the lot. He's a 100% Ford guy, but decided not to go with a Y. He sold me the truck load of motor parts and a 3spd overdrive pretty cheap. Then the fever took hold and 3 292s later, I'm poor now When I get the 53' in better shape (she's pretty rough), I've gotta save for another project to put one in. Someday, I think a Y powered Gasser would be pretty cool!
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By Jeff - 12 Years Ago
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Regarding the original solenoid (I'm assuming the '53 is like the '51 and earlier cars). These worked a little different. The starter terminal on the solenoid is hot all the time. The starter switch on the dash simply provided the ground necessary to activate the solenoid. The flathead cars could be turned over any time you touched the starter button, immaterial if the ignition switch was on or not. If you replace it with any 12 volt, Ford style, solenoid you should be fine.
Jeff
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