The mechanic who recently carried out the disc brake conversion (plus an oil/filter change) on my '56 Crown Vic mentioned that he thought I had the wrong dipstick in the engine: 312 Thunderbird.
He put in the 5qts as mentioned in the handbook but I was wondering if there are different length dipsticks for the Y block motors. I'd hate to over or under fill the engine with oil....
Colin
What did he see to make him think the dipstick is wrong? Does it somehow not look like a normal 50's Ford dipstick?
The '55 I have came to me with the wrong dipstick, the cap at the base of the handle didn't fit correctly on the top of the dipstick tube.
If the dipstick tube in your '56 Crown Vic has ever been removed there may(?) be a slight lip inside the recess in the block preventing it from seating fully. (photo #1)
Double check the oil level shown on the dipstick when the engine has the correct amount of oil in it. Five & a half or six quarts, depending on which type oil filter it has.
If it's not at or very near the 'Full' mark the dipstick may well be incorrect. You can re-mark it as
Sal suggested, or look for a better one.
The *Thunderbird 312* in full sized cars was just a sales option package that IIRC included a 4 bbl carburetor, dual exhaust, hi-perf rocker arms(?) and some decorative items. The option package was very nice, but not some sort of magical mysterious thing. (as the sales & marketing dept would have you believe)
'55/'57 Thunderbird's used the same basic engines as all other Fords of the era. The only differences were some of the bolt-on and optional parts. (and most of those were just to get the engine to fit in the engine compartment)
There is no way to verify the engine is actually a 312 while it is installed in the car. The 292 and 312 blocks are identical on the outside, and the oil capacity is the same.
The same front sump oil pan was used in all the Full-Sized y-block powered cars, to fit around the steering linkage & frame, not for any engine option package differences.
Oil pans in a '55/'57 Thunderbird are the rear sump type, also to clear the frame and steering components, the engine sits lower and farther back in the car.
In any case... the shop manual I have does not list a different oil capacity for Full Sized cars vs. the Thunderbird's. (5 qts, plus 1 more for a filter change.)
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IF ... the car has the factory T-bird 312 engine in a full size car, would have had the dipstick entering the right side of the timing chain cover (whereas T-birds had the dipstick in the middle of the engine block on the side)......
Yes, the Thunderbird's have a different dipstick location for their rear sump pan, which won't fit in a full-sized car.
The engine blocks often have both dipstick holes. The right side center position is also used on trucks. The unused hole is closed off with a small plug. (photo #2, block for a T-bird)
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