After tearing my 317 Lincoln y block down, I'm trying to find out if my car would lose a ton of value if I didn't keep the original engine. The block and heads are in good condition but it needs to be bored out and finding oversized pistons or the next size up, the 341 pistons is proving difficult. I was considering building a 302 or 351 and put it in but wanted to keep it original. Kinda thinking about all options at this point. Don't want a race car but dependable cruiser. I appreciate the advice

Brad
Sierra Vista Arizona
1954 Lincoln Capri

Engine Swapping:
While it sounds relatively easy to just change to a different engine family, it does tend to be more involved than that.  In most cases that will also involve changing the transmission and that in itself becomes a domino effect in making other changes.  Some of those changes will include a different or relocated transmission mount, the drive shaft length, transmission yoke, shifter changes, potential tunnel modifications, and the speedometer cable being adapted to the newer transmission.  Let’s not forget that the engine may require different engine mounts on the frame and a radiator that must be replaced and/or modified to work with the new combination.  A new exhaust system is also added to the list.

Custom Piston ordering:
I use Wiseco, JE Pistons, and Diamond for most of my custom piston requirements.  These three piston manufacturers are all owned by Race Winning Brands (RWB) and their pricing is similar.  I typically figure about $110 each for custom pistons but piston ring pricing will vary depending upon their widths and the materials from which they are made.  When ordering custom pistons, I typically have them made to accommodate metric rings as both the performance and efficiency of the engine is improved with their use.  Most of my rings come from Total Seal and there are several options on the ring widths and ring materials and it’s those differences that will dictate the pricing.  Most metric ring sets for the Ford Y engines I assemble vary in price anywhere from $125 with shipping up to $290 per set.  The pricing variances are dictated strictly by the sizing/design of the rings I order.  Some bore sizes have more options than others so that’s also a consideration.

When ordering pistons, you will need to first order the rings so that the pistons can be made to accommodate that particular set of rings.  Here’s the link to a discussion started on this site regarding ordering custom pistons.

Custom ordering pistons (y-blocksforever.com) 

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)