it  is  to bad ford wouldn't have  put the 292 crank into the 289  to block with a .030 over bore  to make a 338 ci engine like Shelby did for his race  Cobras and  Jack Roush did for the 1979 Indy Pace car!
This was not the simplest  thing to do  but it put some torque into the 289!
 

if  you were  going to go to the trouble to make the swap to the  W engine  I would recommend the 351, the  W series engine   has the same bore spacing as  the Y block and a lower  deck hight  so other than  oil pan  to fit  the  cross member and engine  mounts  the 351 w engine should fit any were  the  Y block does!  Like has already been stated  the 302 is  ok in  a lite high  rpm application  but has low torque!

302 into 55 ford
I dont think you have thought this threw,ys are not that expensive to rebuild if you use your gray mater above the neck.bore the 272 to 292 set of pistons molley rings ovhaul gaskets,reground cam(57 312 profile), refaced lifters.etce you get som 56 heads,do your own asembly,i can build 1 in canada for 2000 cn, that will out perform a early 302.just dont get caried away with info frome sources that are not in tune to what you want to wind up with. like 302s with roller cams ,expensive heads but with the conversion you are not saveing any gold,especialey when you look at resale and asociating with guys who are in no mans land. if you want power buy a twin turboed eco boost frome a wrecked truck or mustang. thenyou will have atentionbeyond a nice running y. to have a 55ford with a strong 292 with 4v carb later ign.you will give a stock 66 mustang 289 a run for its money .
just think you should re think you direction ,good luck in what ever way you go

I have a 351-W in my 55 at the moment and it seems like the 272 had more bottom end torque then the 351 does,the dipstick that built the 351 stuck in the wrong cam.  I am getting all the parts to put a 292 in it eventually and use the 351 for another car.


Butchering up everything I can get my hands on in Dayton Ohio

The only advantage to using a 302 is that it's lighter & newer, so it's easier to get parts for.. other wise it's a negative. 


Paul

Stick with the Y, It belongs there, much less trouble, more torque and you wont regret hacking up a nice old car in the future!

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?

I would think you could freshen up your 272 for less money?Certainly less trouble.

Unless you just need a drivetrain to get the car on the road and the 1982 302 is the only option, don't bother with it.  302 were dogs until the roller cam, fuel injected versions came out in the mid 80s (1985, I think).  At best that swap will be a step sideways, but most likely a step back from what you have.  Sure, you can modify a 302 easily but the cost of the swap plus the modifications probably won't be worth it and can be better spent on getting that 272 running a little better.

You will have motor mounts, transmission mounts, drive shaft, plumbing for fuel and coolant hoses, throttle linkage, transmission actuation (shifting, kickdown, maybe clutch), wiring and several other things that you never think about until you're doing it to take care of.  That's a lot of work (or money if you have to pay someone) for a step sideways at best. 



Lawrenceville, GA

this is the "y blocks forever" site lol... most of us here and going to be telling you to keep your Y block.
However, we can certainly understand the idea --- replacing/rebuilding a Y block can be a real expensive task depending on the expertise (or lack thereof) of your machinist, what parts you need, etc. The 1952-59 Ford Hamb Social Group has quite a few guys that are more knowledgeable and have done the swap successfully. I would suggest you post this same question there.
Whatever you do, promise us you won't go with "scrub" !!!


Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

I dunno but anything except a Y-block looks out of place in a 8th or 9th gen full sized Ford.


~DJ~ AKA "Bleach"
1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan 30K original miles