Ford's effort to catch up with competitors in the overhead-valve V8 sweepstakes hit the market in 1954 and was called the "Y-Block." That's in reference to the engine block's deep skirting surrounding ...

When the Y-Block V8 debuted in 1954, it boasted a long list of improvements over its predecessor. It was not only more powerful than Ford's previous Flathead V8, but was also significantly more rigid.

Ford’s FE V8s arrived at a moment when American performance was shifting from backyard hot-rodding to factory-built power, and they quickly became the hardware that defined that transition. By ...