The Y-block engine is a family of overhead valve V8 automobile engines produced by Ford Motor Company. The engine is well known and named for its deep skirting, which causes the engine block to resemble a Y. It was introduced in 1954 as a more modern replacement for the outdated side-valved Ford Flathead V8 and was used in a variety of Ford vehicles through 1964. Development By 1948, the famous Ford Flathead V8 had been developed about as far as it could go,and it was antiquated by the early 1950s. Ford was the most conservative of the major automakers, holding onto older designs longer than GM or Chrysler, but market forces pushed Ford to develop new designs in the 1950s. Management at Ford instructed its engineers to develop a new engine for the future. By 1952 Ford had new OHV 6-cylinder engine (215 in³ I-6) and Lincoln had a 317 in³ OHV V8. The company had designed the Y-block for a 1953 introduction, but a shortage of nickel due to the Korean War's needs prevented the company from manufacturing the engine in sufficient quantities, delaying it until 1954. In 1954 the Y-block displaced 239 in³ (3,910 cc), the same as the old Ford Flathead V8 but with a bigger bore and a shorter stroke. It produced 130 bhp as opposed to the Flathead's final 110 bhp, an increase of 18%. The Mercury Y-Block was 256 in³ (4,194 cc) and produced 161 bhp, again a similar displacement to the 255 in³ Mercury Flathead V8 it replaced, but with 29% more power than the older engine's 125 bhp. The original Lincoln V8 was also known as a Y-Block. Lincoln introduced their engine in 1952, but it was a different design from the Ford Y-Block, and was used on large cars and Ford heavy-duty trucks. One of the design qualities of the Y-Block V8 is its deep skirting which makes for a very rigid block for added strength in the bottom end. The drawback to this is it also makes for a heavy cylinder block. This being Ford’s first OHV engine, they had to feed oil to the rocker arm shafts through a passage from the center cam bearing. Because of the low detergents in oils of that era these passages would often become clogged giving the Y-Block a reputation for bad oiling to the top end. Ford came up with a stop