The Lincoln Y-block V8 engine was Ford's earliest OHVV8 engine, introduced by Lincoln in the 1952 model year. Like the later and better-known but even more short-lived Ford Y-block engine, its block's deep skirts gave the block the appearance of the letter Y from the front. Its development was in response to the sales success of the competing Oldsmobile "Rocket" and Cadillac OHV V8 engines introduced in their respective 1949 models, as well as the need for larger and more powerful truck engines. The basic engine design was produced through 1963. It was replaced by the newer MEL engine for car applications in 1958, and was replaced in heavy-duty truck applications by the FT engines starting in 1964.
279
A version of the Lincoln Y-block was produced for heavy-duty truck applications for the 1952 through 1955 model years. The engine had a bore of and a stroke of.
302
The version of the Lincoln Y-block was used for heavy-duty truck applications from the 1956 through the 1963 model year. The engine had a bore of and a stroke of. Power output was. The engine was optional equipment on the Ford T-700 Series and standard equipment on the Ford F-750, C-750, and B-750 Series heavy-duty trucks.
317
The first-generation Y-block was the, which replaced the undersquare flathead V8 on all Lincolns in the 1952 model year and was produced through 1954. The 317 was oversquare, as was rapidly becoming the fashion, with a bore of and a stroke of. Power output was ; higher compression, larger intake valves, a Holley four-barrel carburetor, improved intake and exhaust, and a more aggressive camshaft the next year increased it to. The engine was unchanged in 1954 except for the vacuum advance mechanism. These engines used hydraulic valve lifters while Ford truck engines used solid. The stock Lincoln 317 powered the "Mexican Road Race Lincolns". The 317 was replaced by the 341 for automobile applications in the 1955 model year. Like the 279, the 317 was also used in heavy-duty truck applications for the 1952-55 model years. Lincolns powered by the 317 won the top four spots in the Stock Car category of the Pan American Road Race in both 1952 and 1953. In 1954 Lincolns took first and second place.
332
The version of the Lincoln Y-block was used for heavy-duty truck applications from the 1956 through the 1963 model year. The engine had a bore of and a stroke of and produced. The engine was standard equipment on the Ford F-800, F-900, T-750, T-800, C-800, and C-900 Series heavy-duty trucks.
341
The automobile engine was bored out in 1955 to, displacing. Power was up to and torque. in its sole year of production.
Although classified by some as a medium-block V8, the Lincoln Y-block is a big-block engine in size. While bore spacing is relatively modest at, the deck height of is greater than any gasoline powered V8 with the exception of the Ford Super Duty engine, which gradually replaced the Lincoln Y-block for use on heavy duty trucks. A useful comparison is the Oldsmobile V8 engine, which came in both small-block and big-block versions from 1965-1976. Both blocks have a bore spacing of, almost exactly the same as the Lincoln Y-block, but differ in deck height, with the small-block's being and the big-block's. By this measure the Lincoln Y-block has a larger engine block than the Oldsmobile "big-block." In comparison, the Ford FE engine has the same bore spacing but a deck height of.
