Need rocker arm assemblies? I have a few for the Y Block.
HotRodReverend.com Store
Over the past several months I have been selling parts off and on by request. Mostly, that has included parts for the Holley 4000 carburetor, various internal parts for the Y Block, and some odds and ends. For a long time I have had the best deal running on 50's Ford parts manuals. I used to have it on CD about 10 years ago and then went to thumbdrives. Now, all the files are available for a download to your computer for only $10. You can see the listing here. The listing describes all the files you receive and contains quite a few photos.
Also as promised, I have finally begun adding parts to the store. Click this link to enter: https://www.hotrodreverend.com/shop. I am starting with rocker arm assemblies. Recently, I had quite a few Y Block rocker arms rebushed and reconditioned at Rocker Arms Unlimited. Both the low ratio and the high ratio are in stock right now. The assemblies come with new shafts but do not include the adjusting screws. The stands and the hardware are ultra clean and the assemblies come to you ready to install. Various parts such as the drip trays, used adjusting screws, sets of hold-down hardware, and the like will be all available soon. If you have a need, contact me. I just might have that part that will finish off your build.
The 1955 Ford Fairlane really stands out in the neighborhood!
Restoration Tips
When you get into restoration work you find that there is an ever present need for tools and supplies. Expendable supplies like sand paper are certainly standard fare when even the simplest of body work and paint projects are considered. One of the best things I ever did when organizing my sand paper was to purchase an inexpensive expandable file folder. Each tab is labeled with the appropriate grit and each pocket is deep enough to hold 25 sheets or more of 8.5x11 sand paper. The expandable file certainly makes storage a breeze. The bonuses are the protection of each sheet and quick access to sand paper inventory to know what I have on hand.
An expandable 8.5x11 file folder is an excellent way to store sand paper!
While I do not claim to be an autobody expert, I am very satisfied with the results I have received over the years with proper approaches to sanding and polishing. This showed up lately in a scenario with a couple of late model cars my wife and I own. Our Chrysler Town & Country and our Honda Civic both have those wonderful plastic headlight lens that get fogged up with oxidation over time. The internet, YouTube, forums, and your local auto parts store gurus all have their recommended processes and snake oils. Knowing that our headlights lens on our cars were showing that awful discoloration making the lights dimmer than normal, I researched quite a bit on DIY and "how to" methods of restoration.
I finally settled on the solutioin of wetsanding through three different grits and finishing with my favorite polish. There was quite the difference in the end as the video clearly shows. I chose not to clearcoat the plastic lens. There are mixed reviews out there on whether or not to spray paint on your plastic headlight lens.
The next tip concerns my recommendation to install a backup electric fuel pump. Early in the blog posts you can read about the installation. Make sure you purchase one that enables the gasoline to flow through the pump even if it is off. I rarely run my electric pump, but it is there if I need it. I do have it wired through a separate relay and a toggle switch under the dash. If you plan to run with an electric fuel pump full time then by all means install a safety switch that will turn off the pump in the case of an accident. Most often, these are switches that actuate when the engine loses oil pressure. The safety switch will keep you from continuing to pour fuel out everywhere if you have an accident.
Last month while driving the car quite a bit, I was not paying much attention to the gas gauge. It was on an 1/8 of a tank and wobbling just a bit below that. Thinking I had enough to tool around that day and wait until later to fill up, you guessed it - I ran out of gas. I was only half a mile from the house by that time so it was not that big of a deal, but still, what an embaressment. While on the side of the road, just to make sure I was empty, I turned on the electric fuel pump and heard the familiar whine. It sounded like it was not getting any fuel. (By this time, I can tell the difference when the pump is under load with fuel or if it is running empty.) Looking at the sight glass on the carburetor's fuel bowl just confirmed what I already knew.
On the side of the road, slap out of gasoline!
Several minutes later a buddy arrived with a gas can. I put a few gallons of fresh gasoline in the tank, turned on the electric pump and within a couple of seconds I could hear the difference - fuel was now running up to the carburetor. Later that evening in the garage I decided to completely empty the tank and run some tests on the gas gauge. I also wanted to verify the limit of 17 gallons of gas that Ford always said the gas tank can hold. (It ended up being just a bit above 17.) Since I have the electric pump I can completely empty the tank without having to crawl under the car.
Installing an electric fuel pump as a backup is highly recommended.
It does appear that I need to adjust the float arm of the sender up just a bit so that my gauge reads correctly when the gas tank is almost empty. Until then, we will keep motoring along in the old 1955 Ford Fairlane! I do not believe I have had the sender out of the tank since the time I had a local radiator shop "cook" the tank, reseal it, and install a new pick up tube. That had to be way back in 2008.
Y Block Long Tube Headers
Many of you know that over the past few years I have been experimenting and searching for long tube headers for the Y Block. The blog has a few posts like this one "Header Failure and Success" that chronicle the specifics. One of the major hurdles of header design for 1954-57 Fords is how tight the steering box is to the engine. There is very little room with which to navigate four tubes squeezing their way into one as the header forms into a collector. The RexHP headers that I have been running for the past few years have worked well, but reaching the collector flange is quite the chore. I really believe a set of long tube headers would be the ticket.
My friend Ted Eaton has just finished some dyno testing of a prototype set of long tube headers manufactured by Red's Headers. He posted the information over on the Y Blocks Forever Forum. We do not know when the headers will hit the market, but I have already contacted Red's asking for a set to try out in the 1955 Ford and post the results here on the blog. I will certainly let you know where all this leads. If I know Red's Headers, they will most probably offer a coated and uncoated version. I am curious to know what the final retail price will be for there is certainly a limited market for such speed equipment.
Ted has an excellent article on his website that gives dyno results on the various sets of headers and exhaust manifolds available for the Y Block. That article is at this address. If you have never visited Ted's site, I encourage you to do so. Very helpful information!
Red's Headers is considering mass production of a long tube Y Block header.
September is already shaping up to be a busy month, but I hope to post again before we reach October. The number of subscribers to the blog continues to grow each day. Another outlet that continues to grow is my video archive for mid-50's Fords. If you have not done so already, I encourage you to visit my YouTube channel. Most of the content centers on the 1955 Ford and the Y Block engine, but you can find reviews on tools, off topic restoration tips, and a boatload of information that is sure to help.
Over 100 helpful videos are archived on my YouTube channel - subscribe today!
How is it Going in California?
Most readers of the blog are aware of what is going on in our world today. While much political and economic unrest abounds around the globe, the United States does not go untouched with societal problems. For all that is wrong, all that is evil, and for all that people are running from these days, California leads the way in people exiting for greener pastures. Make no mistake, the spiritual climate out west needs a strong front of the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ to see its course changed for the better. My life has definitely been altered these days. I find myself busier than ever in the work of pastoral ministry. Truly, the needs in the lives of people are great out here in LA County. And in some way I feel like a fireman that has run across the landscape to fight the largest fire he can find. Some may question why I ever made the move to California...
Preaching the gospel at Lancaster Baptist Church in the Antelope Valley.
Lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ - that is why I moved to California. All of us need to respond to the gospel, no matter how good or how bad we think we are. The Bible declares us all as sinners, but in the same texts God has made it plain concerning the exclusive claim of Jesus, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12
Are you ready to meet God? You can be. Repent of sin and turn to Jesus today.
The Hot Rod Reverend
Comments