Gents, remember your Ford history, the '54 was the first of the low priced three with overhead valve V8 and Ball Joint Front suspension.  The ball Joint Front end with rubber bushes is much different from the king pins and greased A arm bushings.  The 54 ball joint front end has longer lower A arms that attach at the rear to the tube cross member that also mounts the engine.  These A arm bushings are under the engine.  The oil pan sump is at the front of the Y in the embrace of the A arms. The motor mounts are almost at the center of gravity of the engine/transmission assembly over half way back on the engine itself.  The Flatty was mounted on the water pumps at the front of the engine. All this means that the chassis around the engine is much different from 53 to 54. 

There was an article in an old HRM from when they actually published info that you could use, about how to put a Y in the 49 to 53 chassis (they are more or less similar) and they did use some T bird parts.  Bruce's scheme of using a 54 cross member without the A arms is probably a better approach.  You still have to do something fabricated for an oil pan. The body firewall isn't too much different and I think the steering box is located about the same.  New springs would be in order since a Y is heavier than a flatty.

The I6 is different from 53 to 54. It is slightly smaller in displacement and has different motor mounts to match with the flatty mounting.  I believe you could get more power out of the 6 than the flatty without extreme measures and it would be different but nothing sounds better than a Y.

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

That would be OK, but I will have an extra new Y, and having it sit around in the barn on a stand isnt cool.  Given the modifications needed to put it into a 53, I think I will look for a 54.   La Carrerra Pan Americana??...just a dream.

Mike, located in the Siskiyou mountains, Southern, OR 292 powered 1946 Ford 1/2 ton, '62 Mercury Meteor, '55 Country Squire (parting out), '64 Falcon, '54 Ford 600 tractor.

If you like the 53 why not get a 3x1 intake and split the exhaust I was told that this could be a fun engine for something different and not a scrub

I will find out what the sale price is.  If its very high a reasonably priced 54 should come along.

Mike, located in the Siskiyou mountains, Southern, OR 292 powered 1946 Ford 1/2 ton, '62 Mercury Meteor, '55 Country Squire (parting out), '64 Falcon, '54 Ford 600 tractor.

52 Merc has hit on the big difference between 1952-53s & 1954s. Not only did ford introduce the Y-block OHV V-8 that year, ( a year ahead of their nearest competitor) they also introduced the first Ball Joint front suspension in the low price field. I've been told that G.M. paid royalties to Ford use the system for a while. How true that is I can't confirm. I'm sure it would be somewhat easier to do a Y-blk conversion on a 54 than an earlier model...

Paul

I used a stock front sump and just notched and reinforced the crossmember.The 54 had the new ball joint front end and the frames are totally different ahead of the firewall.I used side mounts and made frame adaptors,I also put a T-10 in so I had to slightly modify the trans crossmember. ROY.

52Mercury,292,5-Speed

Mike,

     I didn't realize there would be that much to it. Maybe pick it up, make it run and swao for a '54 when you get a chance. 

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

When I was a kid I did this change on a 52 Customline I cut into the top of the front crossmember to fit stock pan I had a standard tranny so I used the stock tranny location and set the engine and tranny in as a unit and made my own engine mounts and the only other problem I remember was the ball for the Z bar was missing on the Y block I had  I used stock exhaust manifolds. This was only 40 years ago so if you take you time it will work

Like Moonshadow said, 2x4 front frame clip, straight axle, black primer, piece of cake and way cool.

Glen Henderson



Freedom is not Free

Letohatchee, AL

Wow the front of the frames do look much different, and the 53 crossmember looks massive compared to the 54.  I wonder if most all could be removed and a FE style underpan crossmember/mount welded in place.

Good point of concern regarding reardump manifolds and the steering column.  That would not be cool.  I have suffered from the same issue in the 46.  But surely the two generations of frame are the same width? 

A gasser style would be neat.  Or just leave it looking like gramp's old car, with a surprise under the hood .

Thanks for the responses,

Mike

Mike, located in the Siskiyou mountains, Southern, OR 292 powered 1946 Ford 1/2 ton, '62 Mercury Meteor, '55 Country Squire (parting out), '64 Falcon, '54 Ford 600 tractor.