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

Jeff Petersen

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!

-Johnny

Portland, OR

Not necessary, he has a Pertronix Ignitor II/Flamethrower II Coil. He can run 12v directly from ignition switch to coil. No ballast resistor.

"The Master Cylinder"

Enjoying life at the beach in SOCAL

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)

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

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

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.

  

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

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

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!!!!

-Johnny

Portland, OR

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

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

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.

-Johnny

Portland, OR

Johnny, should be the same wire that was already going to your old coil from the ignition switch...

"The Master Cylinder"

Enjoying life at the beach in SOCAL