Priming a newly built 292 for first start

[jailbar Joe]

just my little contribution re the oil priming.....several years ago I welded a 5/16 ?? socket to a length of 5/16 rod and used that in a reversible drill to prime both a Cleveland and a Windsor......I did get caught out with one being clockwise and the other counter....but soon worked it out......such a simple little tool

cheers joe

 

[zoegrant]

Joe...a great idea...beats using tape as I have in the past...thanks,John

 

[zuburg]

Well, I now have confirmed I have a distributor from the 239 engine with a slot drive instead of the hex drive that I will need for my new 292. I was pleased to see that it looks like it has a pretty new condenser and points.

What is my best option for getting a distributor that will work for my new 292? I don't know how hard or what it would cost to change the slot drive to a hex drive. I don't know if this older distributor would be the best choice for the 292. I found this electronic ignition distributor on ebay. Electronic ignition sounds attractive to me. Would this distributor work well? Has anyone had any experience with something like this? Would it require me to modify my teapot 4 barrel carb?

 

[Ole Don]

That Ebay distributor may be a pretty good deal. I have read that a distributor for a 62 F 100 has close to an ideal curve. They can be bought at NAPA. One other thought; look up Bubba from Indianapolis and give him a call. He builds distributors for near anything. He has put a custom curve in two for me, they were very good. He may have one to sell, or good info on what and where to buy.

 

[dmsfrr]

Well, I now have confirmed I have a distributor from the 239 engine with a slot drive instead of the hex drive that I will need for my new 292. I was pleased to see that it looks like it has a pretty new condenser and points.

What is my best option for getting a distributor that will work for my new 292? I don't know how hard or what it would cost to change the slot drive to a hex drive. I don't know if this older distributor would be the best choice for the 292. I found this electronic ignition distributor on ebay. Electronic ignition sounds attractive to me. Would this distributor work well? Has anyone had any experience with something like this? Would it require me to modify my teapot 4 barrel carb?

Almost any of the '57 and newer style distributors could be better than the '54 version you have...
unless you can get the drive shaft changed to hex for less cost than the other alternatives.
The suggestion to contact BUBBAS IGNITION for that is a good one.

Or, you might be able to find a stock hex drive '56 distributor.

Double check that you have a '56 carb. The first clue is having the choke thermostat mounted on the carb, the earlier ones have it on the intake manifold.
OEM '56 carburetor casting & part numbers? I have no idea.

The original '56 carb vacuum ports only work correctly with a loadomatic dist with the dual vac canister.
It may be possible to modify the carb you have to work with a later dist ('57+)
scicala or TedEaton would be the ones to ask.
.

 

[zuburg]

So does my picture indicate I have a 1956 carb? If so, the previous owner must have changed the original hex shaft to the slotted shaft. Sounds like changing it back to a hex shaft might be the way to go if I can figure out how to do it, or find someone who can.

 

[paul2748]

The picture looks like a 56 carb and in fact the vacuum line coming out the front makes me believe that it is a 56..

It's not quite that easy. The 54 distributor used a different number of teeth than the later YBlocks. What drive do you have for the oil pump - hex or slot. If you have the hex, then the later distributor (a 56) is the way to go (matches the carb) because the carb has two inputs of vacuum for the distributor which has a dual diaphragm.

The distributor you have is probably a 54 and there was no change to the shaft.

The electronic distributor would work but not good because of the incompatible vacuum signal coming out of the 56 carb. As I mentioned before, the carb can be modified to have a compatible signal. I did this with my 56 carb. You still have this problem using a conventional distributor for 57 and up Fords.

So does my picture indicate I have a 1956 carb? If so, the previous owner must have changed the original hex shaft to the slotted shaft. Sounds like changing it back to a hex shaft might be the way to go if I can figure out how to do it, or find someone who can.

 

[dmsfrr]

So does my picture indicate I have a 1956 carb? If so, the previous owner must have changed the original hex shaft to the slotted shaft. Sounds like changing it back to a hex shaft might be the way to go if I can figure out how to do it, or find someone who can.

I'm guessing the person who put in the '54 239 engine used the slot drive distributor that was already on the 239 and just changed the '54 vac canister to the '56 version that would have been on the dist and '56 engine removed from the car.

The rebuilt 292 engine you are about to put in would have been built with the correct camshaft, with the right number of dist drive teeth, for the '55 and newer engines and hex drive distributors.
IIRC the '54 cams have a smaller size bearing dia. than the newer ones and only fit in a '54 block.

An option that would seem to involve the least amount of trouble and parts swapping would be to find an oem '56 dist (or maybe a '55 w/ '56 internal springs, and your existing dual vac canister) and have it cleaned up, then put on the engine.
.

 

[TedEaton]

If the car has sat dormant for over ninety days, then drain all the fuel from the gas tank and add fresh 'premium grade' fuel. The current crop of ethanol laden fuels plays havoc with new valve guides when it gets some age on it. Ted Eaton.

 

[dmsfrr]

... Sounds like changing it back to a hex shaft might be the way to go if I can figure out how to do it, or find someone who can.

I just sent you a PM about the distributor.

You can also try the SwapMeet section here and see if you can find a '56 dist.