Thread: 1956 Continental MKII

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Originally Posted by Oldf100fordman

Actually, 46Yblock, the 368 isn't a Y block. It's in the MEL (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) family. If you measure the valve covers, you'll find they are longer than even an FE. Just thought I'd mention it. They are a beautiful car and getting rarer by the year. ( and actually it was just Lincoln at that time. Mercury didn't get that block design until 1957 and Edsel didn't come out until 1958)

I have always thought the MEL family of Ford motors referred to the 383, 410, 430, and whatever came after 430? MEL, acronym for Mercury Edsel Ford. They had a very different type of combustion chamber, which was incorporated into the block, with the head being virtually flat. Compression ratios were way up there like 10.5:1.

The 368 was the top displacement in the 279, 302, 317 and 368 heavy Y, or Lincoln Y-block, debuted in 1952, dont know when ended, and found in heavy trucks and early Lincolns and Continentals. Combustion chamber was in the head as with most motors. The compression in the Continental above, according to some old Sun tuneup charts I have was 9:1.

If I'm wrong let me know .

The Lincoln motors starting with the 52 317and then the 55 341 and 56 368 are the MEL design. I don't not remember my 383 Merc having the combustion chamber in the block, but you could be correct, it's been a long time ago. The MEL block had the same bellhousing bolt pattern later used on the FE starting in 52 and the easiest way in the day to put a 4spd hydromatic on an FE was to get one out a 52-54 Lincoln. (Yes, the Lincolns used the GM 4 spd Hydro back then)

I just checked out your question on Ford Truck Enthusiasts and see several different answers, but one of them states that the 52 317 through the last 462 were the same basic design. Checked a lot of different sites and they all had different statements. All I know is I put the 3x2 setup off of a 57 Merc on my 59 Merc 383 with no problems, so that tells me they are the same engine design.