TO BE 100% OF ENGINE CONDITION -

The compression test has to be done dry and wet to determine rings. It may be they are stuck because of sitting all these years. You will also need to perform a CYL LEAK-DOWN TEST as this will differentiate either rings or leaking valve(s). Maybe adjust the valves before the LEAK-DOWN TEST.

QUALITY OIL PRESSURE GAUGE.

You need a GOOD QUALITY COMPOUND VACUUM GAUGE to help diagnose.

Yes, you can use a later larger engine and keep the appearance of the OEM 256. It all depends on how you want to show and drive the car.

This is subject to the opinion of others here as this site has many talented people participating.

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Dark, Sad Monday .....

Today I went back to basics so after confirming the timing Ok I decided to run one more dry/wet compression test, this time with a loaned dial compression meter, instead of my 40+ year old Motometer.

The results have put me in a really depressing mood and proved that my Motometer is only good for garbage...

Using GPT and the 120psi spec from my manual I got results showing among others a dry spread of 35psi (from 70 to 105) when the factory limit is only 15 and an overall spread of 70–130psi between dry and wet!

So while I was stupidly looking elsewhere, the cold number conclusion is that
my engine is quite worn, most likely with moderate ring wear on most cylinders and some really bad ones as well.


I still believe that the 6,000 miles the car came with here with, almost 40 years ago, is not wrong. The fact is that I am only a DIYer self-taught mechanic and I was apparently wrong in believing I could start driving it as if it was new. By adding 40,000 miles on it has taken its toll, as has been the case with my differential that I ended up having to replace it when it went bad some years back.

Now I am faced with hard to make decisions, however this time I believe I have Y-blocksforever to back me up 😅I'm contemplating repairing the 256 locally which with parts etc is an ordeal I have lived many times before with my other classics. Importing a short or long block is an option but in both cases I have to put into the equation shipping and custom duties 😪😪😪.

I read a higher than my 256 block are more available. Could I go higher while maintaining an almost complete authenticity 'look-wise' and use my peripheral parts? Should I go for the Loadomatic or a later one? I still want to keep my 6volts and if possible my 2140 Teapot so how does that chime in?

Your expert advise on this apparent headache will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance!
Aris

I just had a revelation -

If you bought DIST ASSY PN FAE 12127-A, it was released for the 1954 PASS CAR and LT 239CI (EBU), and will have a different timing curve than the 1954 MERC 256CI engine.

FYI - PN FAE 12127-A2 would have been the service replacement PN for the FAE 12127-A DIST.

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Aris, does the new NOS distributor and the new gear you have ordered have the 13 tooth count? Not 14 teeth.

  Dennis in Lititz PA

Another advantage of a NOS unit over one merely sent out to be setup on a SUN machine (assuming it was originally done right at the factory), is the fresh shaft & bushing.  The improved performance compared to one with worn parts is VERY noticeable. 

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

Thanks a million KULTULZ! Am on it this week to determine timing and other parameters however, to make a decision decide first I have to take delivery of the NOS as mentioned.

FORD DEARBORN POSTED -

'The photo with "shim?" with arrow is not where shims are installed, if anywhere. That "collar" is to be tightly held in place with a roll pin. The collar should be pinned to allow a minimum of .020" up and down thrust of the shaft. My 1955 book calls for .020 to .024" thrust. The correct position of the gear is also a critical dimension that must be followed.'

There is your answer for the correct driven gear placement.

If one has a DIST that needs the driven gear relocated, the normal practice is (was) to locate the collar/gear and re-drill the shaft ninety degrees off and insert new pins.

If you have a NOS DIST, all of the adjustments should be correct out of the box. 

Be mindful that the actual DIST ASSY CASTING NO on the bowl is an ID NO and not a SERVICE PN. The SERVICE PN(s) you find in the CHASSIS CATALOG(S) may be superseded PN's and may cause confusion.

The correct vacuum signal from the carb has to be determined first before trying to change the DIST SETTINGS.

If after installing the NOS DIST you bought, if she rattles on acceleration get back as FORD had a fix for that.

Any questions at all just ask and someone will help you with them.

Still waiting for glamour shots of the car ...

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Ted, I can in no way imagine you as being 'bad'.

It finally dawned on me 'shimming' was meant to located the driven gear correctly on the shaft.

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  My bad on the comment about the shims as that was a memory hiccup on my part.  I was originally referring to shims in the vacuum can and not the end play for the lower gear.  0.022-0.030” is the 1957 specification for the distributor end play so it should be similar for the earlier model distributors.

The dual diaphragm L-O-M distributors and the 1957 and up distributor vacuum pots did have some adjustability at the vacuum chambers by using different shims, springs, and spacers.  Looking through my stash of early single diaphragm L-O-M distributors, they all have non-adjustable vacuum pots.
 

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

The photo with "shim?" with arrow is not where shims are installed, if anywhere. That "collar" is to be tightly held in place with a roll pin. The collar should be pinned to allow a minimum of .020" up and down thrust of the shaft. My 1955 book calls for .020 to .024" thrust. The correct position of the gear is also a critical dimension that must be followed.         Trying to precisely  adjust the advance springs while in the engine will be challenging. Standard vacuum gauges are not accurate enough to split an inch of vacuum/mercury into a fraction but  by experimentation you may get the  "feel" of it.  The vacuum advance canister will need to be disconnected from the carburetor and then plumbed to the pump and gauge because with no load on the engine, the air flow through the carb will not provide a good and proper signal. There are devices available that can be plumbed in for precisely measuring small vacuum signals. If you would like to see the one I have, I'll gladly try sending a pic of it.    As stated above, the NOS distributor you have may be calibrated well enough out of the box.  You could push a vacuum hose against the canister connection and with the other end clinched in your teeth, make sure everything moves freely. 

64F100 57FAIRLANE500