Project two tone.

[RANDY COX]

T.J. just read through your build, I too didn't know that you were that young. I think it's awesome that your into the older stuff,I see your gonna rebuild that ole six, I like what you've done to your truck with the 4 barrel and header setup, Have you swapped over to HEI yet, that will also help it, I did this to my old burb with 250 six, Helped it a lot...
Leo Santucci has an Inliners hotrod book out there that tells how to do a lot of mods to the six's to get more power out of them... Only thing is it cost's twice as much as for building a V-8. A lot of people would have just yanked that ole six outta there and threw in a V-8. Glad your keeping the six... I've swapped from V-8 to 292 had a lot of my family say why did you do that. I say it's my truck and I'll do whatever I want to it... I don't tell you how to build your stuff.... Then don't tell me how to build mine... My son will be 18 this year and he's into Trucks also just not CHEVY yet, so far he's had a small car that he traded for an 88 model Toyota 4x4,He sold it now he has an 82 Toyota 4x4..he's learning a lot... I say keep up the good work T.J.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by RANDY COX

T.J. just read through your build, I too didn't know that you were that young. I think it's awesome that your into the older stuff,I see your gonna rebuild that ole six, I like what you've done to your truck with the 4 barrel and header setup, Have you swapped over to HEI yet, that will also help it, I did this to my old burb with 250 six, Helped it a lot...
Leo Santucci has an Inliners hotrod book out there that tells how to do a lot of mods to the six's to get more power out of them... Only thing is it cost's twice as much as for building a V-8. A lot of people would have just yanked that ole six outta there and threw in a V-8. Glad your keeping the six... I've swapped from V-8 to 292 had a lot of my family say why did you do that. I say it's my truck and I'll do whatever I want to it... I don't tell you how to build your stuff.... Then don't tell me how to build mine... My son will be 18 this year and he's into Trucks also just not CHEVY yet, so far he's had a small car that he traded for an 88 model Toyota 4x4,He sold it now he has an 82 Toyota 4x4..he's learning a lot... I say keep up the good work T.J.

Thanks Randy. Yes I have swapped out to an HEI...to different types actually. lol And I do have Leo's book...matter a fact I've read it through about 5 times. There should be some videos of the engine running and me specifying what type of HEI it currently has. And I just bought a set of custom pistons..I'm hotrodding the engine...it'll make around 340 pound feet of torque when I'm done..this will be naturally aspirated...and there'll still be room for turbo boost to. Thanks bud.

[TJ's Chevy]

Small update.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv7HtCUi6QM

[Ta2Don]

It is GREAT to see a young man decide to build the 292 I6 with torque and HP in mind!!!

It is hard to believe how smooth that motor was running that smooth with those 2 pushrods with that much bend in them…

Good talking with you a bit yesterday… Sure hope you can make it up to Bomp's!!!

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

It is GREAT to see a young man decide to build the 292 I6 with torque and HP in mind!!!

It is hard to believe how smooth that motor was running that smooth with those 2 pushrods with that much bend in them…

Good talking with you a bit yesterday… Sure hope you can make it up to Bomp's!!!

Thanks brotha!

[1963c-10]

Nice progress TJ....keep up the great work!!!

[jcramsey]

Looking forward to seeing the hot rod motor come together!

Oh yea...I saw your head bolt

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by 1963c-10

Nice progress TJ....keep up the great work!!!

Thanks! I'm hoping to drop it off Friday!

Originally Posted by jcramsey

Looking forward to seeing the hot rod motor come together!

Oh yea...I saw your head bolt

LOL! Sure ya did.

[66Submarine]

Neat! I'd have stuck some LPG pistons in my 292 I'm putting together if they still made them (decided to just deck the block and head for a little more compression). Using moly rings and all the other good stuff too, I guess? What cam are you going with?

I think those pushrods still looked useable.

I do have to ask, though; did you buy pistons before you took it apart and checked the bore?

BTW, don't kill your girlfriend or whoever you made hold the camera with the dust cloud from your dirt burnouts.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by 66Submarine

Neat! I'd have stuck some LPG pistons in my 292 I'm putting together if they still made them (decided to just deck the block and head for a little more compression). Using moly rings and all the other good stuff too, I guess? What cam are you going with?

I think those pushrods still looked useable.

I do have to ask, though; did you buy pistons before you took it apart and checked the bore?

BTW, don't kill your girlfriend or whoever you made hold the camera with the dust cloud from your dirt burnouts.

They do actually...but many are made cast. The pistons I bought are forged aluminum. I'm gonna be seeing about 9:5:1 compression when said an done. I'm going with a custom grind comp or isky cam. Not sure yet. Its gonna be a good torque cam though. The bore on a 292 is 3.875...I bought .040 over pistons...engine will be bored out. LOL! No..It wasn't my girlfriend...I don't got one. lol That was my niece.

[66Submarine]

Do you have any links to the cast LPG pistons? All I could find was threads from years ago saying they hadn't been in production for several years. I might still pick up a set if I can find them.

I know the factory/standard bore is 3.875, but that was fifty years ago now. The 292 I'm putting together was/is .030 over, and my 250 in my truck now is also .030 over; very common number for rebuilt stuff. .030 over previous rebuild +cylinder wear might mean you would need to go more than .040 for it to clean up nice. On the other hand, you might take it apart and find a nice low-mileage/recent rebuild bore that can just be cleaned back up with a light honing; I would personally feel kind of bad taking an engine that could be put back together standard/like it is and throwing away money and future rebuilds boring it out for nothing (especially with something odd like a 292 where blocks are kind of hard to find and long out of production). On your third hand, you might even find it has already been bored out .060 over! You need to have it apart to see what size bearings you need and/or if the crank/rods need work, anyway.

Have you checked the current bore size yet? The blue head gasket residue tells me that someone has at least had the head off before. Sometimes the overbore will also be stamped on the front of the block by the waterpump.

Oh, your niece; no worries then. No mercy for the relatives! It's not like they can decide to not be related to you.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by 66Submarine

Do you have any links to the cast LPG pistons? All I could find was threads from years ago saying they hadn't been in production for several years. I might still pick up a set if I can find them.

I know the factory/standard bore is 3.875, but that was fifty years ago now. The 292 I'm putting together was/is .030 over, and my 250 in my truck now is also .030 over; very common number for rebuilt stuff. .030 over previous rebuild +cylinder wear might mean you would need to go more than .040 for it to clean up nice. On the other hand, you might take it apart and find a nice low-mileage/recent rebuild bore that can just be cleaned back up with a light honing; I would personally feel kind of bad taking an engine that could be put back together standard/like it is and throwing away money and future rebuilds boring it out for nothing (especially with something odd like a 292 where blocks are kind of hard to find and long out of production). On your third hand, you might even find it has already been bored out .060 over! You need to have it apart to see what size bearings you need and/or if the crank/rods need work, anyway.

Have you checked the current bore size yet? The blue head gasket residue tells me that someone has at least had the head off before. Sometimes the overbore will also be stamped on the front of the block by the waterpump.

Oh, your niece; no worries then. No mercy for the relatives! It's not like they can decide to not be related to you.

Clifford Performace.com sells LP pistons, but I believe you can only purchase them in a full on hotrod rebuild kit he sells....68Orangesunshine is a member here and he has LP pistons in his 292...I fogot who he bought them from. My 64's 292 has 85,500 miles on it....doesn't look like its been rebuilt before...I believe it was a crate engine....It may have been...I'll have my machinist take a look at the block when I get it to him. Unless its by the water pump. But if that block isn't usable then I have 2 more. So I'm not really concerned. Well...if it was my girl holding the camera I would have been more careful. Besides...my girl wouldn't be able to blame me anyhow...not like she wouldn't know what kinda a man she got stuck with. But my niece...well..I warned her before..and she said she'd do it...so.....

[66Submarine]

Don't see the LPG pistons listed by Clifford; their prices seemed scary enough to make me plug the old ones back in, anyhow!

A '64 wouldn't have had the blue head gasket from the factory. Might have just had the head off before, but old rebuilds are always suspect this far in the future; 85,500 might actually be 185,500 with a little freshening up done at some point. Should be a super nice truck/engine if it really only has 85,500 on it since new, though!

I'm sure you'll be able to make something work, but it's always a very good idea to wait and disassemble/inspect/measure before buying stuff. My 292 had ate the cam (I think it was because of oil dilution), but it was a recent .030 rebuild with the crosshatching still visible; just a new set of moly rings + quick touch-up with a hone and it should be good. No sense paying someone to bore it out and buying new pistons for fun!

You can also save a lot of money in other ways by doing that; the 250 in my truck right now is a pretty recent rebuild (no oil consumption, good leakdown numbers, etc), but the oil pressure is a little lower than what I'd like to see; probably has some wear on the crank and would need to be ground undersized to be "right". But I got another "scrap" 250 full of water for free, and that one had a beautiful standard sized crank in it! A new set of rings/bearings along with the crank out of the scrap engine, and it should be great engine again--and for almost no money.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by 66Submarine

Don't see the LPG pistons listed by Clifford; their prices seemed scary enough to make me plug the old ones back in, anyhow!

A '64 wouldn't have had the blue head gasket from the factory. Might have just had the head off before, but old rebuilds are always suspect this far in the future; 85,500 might actually be 185,500 with a little freshening up done at some point. Should be a super nice truck/engine if it really only has 85,500 on it since new, though!

I'm sure you'll be able to make something work, but it's always a very good idea to wait and disassemble/inspect/measure before buying stuff. My 292 had ate the cam (I think it was because of oil dilution), but it was a recent .030 rebuild with the crosshatching still visible; just a new set of moly rings + quick touch-up with a hone and it should be good. No sense paying someone to bore it out and buying new pistons for fun!

You can also save a lot of money in other ways by doing that; the 250 in my truck right now is a pretty recent rebuild (no oil consumption, good leakdown numbers, etc), but the oil pressure is a little lower than what I'd like to see; probably has some wear on the crank and would need to be ground undersized to be "right". But I got another "scrap" 250 full of water for free, and that one had a beautiful standard sized crank in it! A new set of rings/bearings along with the crank out of the scrap engine, and it should be great engine again--and for almost no money.

Well...compression was around 120 pounds in all cylinders...so I think it has 85,500 on it...if it was to have 185,500 and have that same compression I'd say that was one pampered engine! LOL! If it was bored .030 over then all I have to do is have it bored .010. LOL! That'd be a waist....well..i'll figure outta way to measure the cylinders. One of those blocks outta work anyhow! lol!

[66Submarine]

I actually have some really tired/borderline "WTF?!" stuff that makes really decent numbers with a comp. tester. "Tighter" engines will supposedly make the pressure with less revolutions/cycles or whatever, but I don't think it's really a good way to determine engine condition beyond a very basic "nothing terminally FUBAR"; the leakdown test is what you want to check for ring condition/wear.

I don't think it's at all unlikely that it might have 185,500 if it's a little tired--especially if the head has been off and it's been worked on or potentially rebuilt. The 250 in one of my trucks has several hundred thousand on the clock with bad cam lobes, smoking, extreme oil consumption, rolling down slight hills in first gear, etc., and it still made nearly the same numbers as my nice 250 using the compression tester; it also somehow still lights right up and runs great, despite all that. The leakdown test didn't lie, though; something like 20% for the good one, and IIRC something insane like 65-80% for the tired one (did I mention it's somewhat tired? ).

The problem with it already being previously rebuilt at .030 is that there's a good chance it won't clean up at 0.040 and you will need to bore it out more than that to clean the cylinders up. Not a big deal if you have another block that will go 0.040 and clean up, but it's just unnecessary potential BS IMO. I don't really see any potential benefit to ordering parts before it's even apart.

FWIW, I'll attach a picture of the 98,500 mile 307 in the '68 Impala I just bought. It's borderline unusually clean (besides the milky oil from a botched intake install), but it illustrates that 98,500 ain't a whole lot for close to five decades. This engine seems to have great compression (tight), lights right up and runs like brand new, is super quiet (no lifter noise, etc), doesn't have a bunch of blowby, and seems to have good leakdown numbers like it should. The car is also pretty much like new mechanically, with no play in the door hinges, no leaky pinion seal, gouged up/replaced brake drums, etc. The 350 with something like 100,000 on it in my father's truck is also still very nice. I think most people really underestimate how many miles the odometer in their truck has really counted off in the years past...

[TJ's Chevy]

Washed the truck today after moving some crap...also installed this...

[Dean'smeanmachine]

nice sticker!

[Ta2Don]

X2...

[TJ's Chevy]

Alright ya'all! This is the LAST update on the engine until its done..which should be sometime in the next few months or so...waiting on my machinist. But..seeing the pistons and these should give you a perrty good idea of what I have in store for this engine. Anyway...so NO updates on it till its complete...there'll be small updates on the truck..but nothing on the engine...that's gonna be the big surprise. Enjoy!!!

[Dean'smeanmachine]

nice! your the 6 banger man

[Ta2Don]

Too Cool!!!

[Palf70Step]

Very Nice!

[1963c-10]

Side plates look great tj

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by Dean'smeanmachine

nice! your the 6 banger man

LOL! Thanks bud!

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Too Cool!!!

Thanks brotha!

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Very Nice!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by 1963c-10

Side plates look great tj

Thanks man, getting excited..slowly but surely.

[TJ's Chevy]

Just letting ya'all know I went through a name change.