Jim Yergin Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 I am overhauling an older Ford Y block V8 and have a question that is really a general engine question that I would appreciate some guidance from the knowledgable members of this forum. The connecting rods I removed were all stamped with numbers 1 through 8. However, several of them were not in the corresponding cylinder (e.g. Stamped #4 was in cylinder #1). Fortunately the cylinders and the crankshaft do not require any machine work and I am just going to install new piston rings and connecting rod bearings. I think someone may have been in the engine before so I wonder if the mismatch of the stamped numbers and the cylinder numbers was intentional or just carelessness. On reassembly, should I put the rods back into the cylinders they came out of or should I make sure they go into the cylinder that corresponds to the stamped number? Thanks. Jim Yergin Quote
rumble48 Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 Jim, if I read your note correctly, no machine work is to be done, and no piston replacement, and you said you see no evidence of odd wear, I would think you would want the pistons/rod to go back in the same holes they came out of...... just an opinion, craig Quote
Dave72dt Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 Since the pistons have developed wear pattern to the cylinder they were in, I'd replace them in the hole they came out of. As long as the locating lugs for the brgs and squirt holes are properly oriented and there is no offset to the rods themselves, you should be able to put them in any hole on that bank. Do remove the ridge at the top of the cylinder if you haven't already. Quote
bones44 Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 Jim, as long as the bores and pistons specs are the same and the cap and rod are matched it does not matter whether you put them back in the hole they came out of or in order. If the rods were not numbered it would not be an issue. Remember it is a Ford. Or put them back in the same way and just renumber them. Quote
Niel Hoback Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 Put them back where they came from. The individual bearings are worn to fit the journals they were on. Don't mix them up. Been there, done that. Wound up taking them back out and putting them where they were. Quote
Jim Yergin Posted April 2, 2015 Author Report Posted April 2, 2015 Thank you all for your comments. The machine shop doing the heads also advised putting them back where they were. I just wanted to be sure. Dave72dt, there were no ridges to be removed. Jim Yergin Quote
Don Coatney Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 Jim, What will this Y block go in to? Is it a 272 or a 312? Quote
Jim Yergin Posted April 2, 2015 Author Report Posted April 2, 2015 Jim, What will this Y block go in to? Is it a 272 or a 312? Don, It is a 312 out of a 1956 Ford Thunderbird. After 26+ years of ownership, I decided to take on a new project and I sold my '41 Plymouth wagon at the end of this past February. I owned a '56 Thunderbird for a short time 40 years ago and decided to buy another one. I only wish there was a forum for my "new" car that is as helpful and as much fun as this one. I will say, however, finding parts for the Thunderbird is a whole lot easier than it was for the Plymouth. Jim Yergin Quote
Don Coatney Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 Sorry to hear you sold your woody. Did you point the new owner to this forum? Don't be a stranger here as your comments are always welcome. Quote
Dave72dt Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 Put them back where they came from. The individual bearings are worn to fit the journals they were on. Don't mix them up. Been there, done that. Wound up taking them back out and putting them where they were. New rod brgs are going in. Quote
Barry Maxwell Posted April 2, 2015 Report Posted April 2, 2015 Don, It is a 312 out of a 1956 Ford Thunderbird. After 26+ years of ownership, I decided to take on a new project and I sold my '41 Plymouth wagon at the end of this past February. I owned a '56 Thunderbird for a short time 40 years ago and decided to buy another one. I only wish there was a forum for my "new" car that is as helpful and as much fun as this one. I will say, however, finding parts for the Thunderbird is a whole lot easier than it was for the Plymouth. Jim Yergin Jim: If you are not already aware of it, you may want to consider joining the International Thunderbird Club (www.intl-thunderbirdclub.com/index.html). It is dedicated to all thunderbirds and is a very active organization with a nice publication (International Thunderbird Script) that is published several times a year. Although the website is helpful, it can not hold a candle to this Forum. I have a 1960 Tbird that was my parents and was completely restored by my son a number of years ago. I have taken it to several ITC Conventions and received First Place awards at each one. All the credit, however, goes to my son. I am currently doing a total restoration of a 1951 Dodge 3/4 ton truck (B3C). I can only hope that I live long enough to finish this puppy. Barry Quote
Jim Yergin Posted April 2, 2015 Author Report Posted April 2, 2015 Thanks Barry. I regularly visit that web site. As you say, we are spoiled with the quality and activity on this forum. Jim Yergin Quote
Ulu Posted April 3, 2015 Report Posted April 3, 2015 IMO, if you are going to polish the crank & hone & size the rods & install new bearings & bushings, then the rods can go the way they are numbered (barring other issues like a mis-stamped rod or "handed" rods that are mis-placed.) If you're just going to toss some new bearings in and run the crank & pins the way they are now, then I wouldn't move the rods. The truth is you probably have no evidence that this is an original matched set of rods. It may be a set culled from different engines. Quote
Niel Hoback Posted April 4, 2015 Report Posted April 4, 2015 You've got a can of worms here if you start moving stuff around. Move the rods; keep the pistons in the same holes or move them too, pins will go with what, pistons or rods? In your original post you said the crank and cylinders don't need any work, so why complicate this? Polish the rod journals, slip in new bearings and be done. Personal feeling: its a Ford, if it runs, you can't ask for more. Quote
Ulu Posted April 6, 2015 Report Posted April 6, 2015 (edited) . . . its a Ford, if it runs, you can't ask for more. LOL I own a Tacoma pickup, and lots of people on the Tacoma forum gripe about the little rattles and squeaks, the loose window trim, and the mediocre radio...minor stuff like that. But that truck really hauls, and when I mash the gas she never bogs, hiccups, or hesitates. Push the pedal & it takes off like a raped ape. As long as a vehicle keeps doing that, I can forgive a lot of minor flaws. Edited April 6, 2015 by Ulu Quote
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