Straight 6 or V8??

[David67]

Originally Posted by 72BlckButy

Just remember that an I6 is going to be a little more expensive to get the power/HP out of than a V8. Depends on how deep your wallet it on either install.

IMO, run the 292. Most people just pull them and drop in a V8, break the mold.

Exactly! My thoughts were that I could build up a 292 pretty nicely (that I already have) for even a whole lot less than it would cost to buy a v8, even though it'd be a little more expensive to get performance, which is why it brought me to starting this thread! I'm thinking about just doing a simple rebuild first then once i get a feel for it and see how it is I could go a little further into it depending on what I prefer.

Originally Posted by storm9c1

Did you ever see the bottom end of a 292 L6? It's indestructible, though older motors do tend to have bearing trouble due to either bad journals, crank pitting, or abnormal crank wear, but even then, they will run forever with a knock.

The top end could use some improvement if original. The cam is gear driven! So no timing chain to mess with. Cams were weak, so if you rebuild, get a good cam. Heads could be made to flow better.

Otherwise it's about as simple and brute force as you can get in a motor.

Performance parts will be a little harder to find/get. You may need to be patient and creative.

Yeah thats what I've been hearing and that companies that make parts for them are few and far between.

[tkeduk8r]

Ive got a 292 that I was going to do in my autos class this winter... had pulled it apart this spring and with clifford intake, langdons cast exhaust manifolds, holley 390 (plus linkage), machining to .030, and rebuild parts (incl. 9:1 LP gas pistons, build cost was just over the $1700 mark....Tom Lowe (check out his you tube stuff) was a great help in sourcing the parts. I too was going to do 1.84, 1.60 valves and a lump port kit too...that was incl in the 1700 too...Id definetly keep it inline, but I kind of wanted to experiment around with a TBI off of a 305 motor to inject it.... enjoy the decision...
--Mike

[David67]

Originally Posted by tkeduk8r

Ive got a 292 that I was going to do in my autos class this winter... had pulled it apart this spring and with clifford intake, langdons cast exhaust manifolds, holley 390 (plus linkage), machining to .030, and rebuild parts (incl. 9:1 LP gas pistons, build cost was just over the $1700 mark....Tom Lowe (check out his you tube stuff) was a great help in sourcing the parts. I too was going to do 1.84, 1.60 valves and a lump port kit too...that was incl in the 1700 too...Id definetly keep it inline, but I kind of wanted to experiment around with a TBI off of a 305 motor to inject it.... enjoy the decision...
--Mike

Did you do all that or just consider it? If so, how much more did you get out of the engine (or would've gotten)?

[Kas68c10]

Fan of the 6 here also, I have found em more dependable. They do not wind up as fast as an 8, but are better when they get there.My numbers are comparable to slomotions, 5th gear, 65 mph 2200 rpm, all day long. The weber 2 barrel helps, i think my mpg is about 15-17. I plan to fuel inject the 292 and put it in the jimmy....

[tkeduk8r]

No i have not built it yet... it is just in a VERY organized pile right now.... I taught two of my students the whole micrometer, dial bore gauge thing, for the disassembly, but I just dont have the money right now to ship it off to the machine shop... plus i "really" dont have anything to put it in at the moment besides a beat up 63 C20 thats no where near road worthy. Tom Lowe estimated conservatively at 250 HP and 375 lb/ft, and 15-20 mpg depending on gearing, tire size etc. I have the recipe for it from him, but i have it in my office at school right now... If I remember ill post it next chance i get into school.
--Mike

[David67]

Originally Posted by tkeduk8r

No i have not built it yet... it is just in a VERY organized pile right now.... I taught two of my students the whole micrometer, dial bore gauge thing, for the disassembly, but I just dont have the money right now to ship it off to the machine shop... plus i "really" dont have anything to put it in at the moment besides a beat up 63 C20 thats no where near road worthy. Tom Lowe estimated conservatively at 250 HP and 375 lb/ft, and 15-20 mpg depending on gearing, tire size etc. I have the recipe for it from him, but i have it in my office at school right now... If I remember ill post it next chance i get into school.
--Mike

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.

[Mt Man Chad]

Both GREAT!

My 68 has a 327 that just purrs, BUT the 71 has a 250 that's sewing machine smooth!

[292farmer]

you need to see this 270+hp @ 5900rpm out of a 250ci and thats with only a mild 272* cam!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uVNQFkIZXc&feature...

[70STOVEBOLT]

Slomotion, you are running the stock cam with a 4 bbl? No work on the head at all?

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by slomotion

Thank you for the comments! 68Orange has a sharp outfit too. Maybe he'll post a couple pics?

Thank You for the vote of confidence. I'm an old dog and I've tried to post pics, but I'm on dial-up and it takes all night, and then fails. Also my PM box is frozen full-up. So maybe if you pull my email address off the profile, I could send jpegs direct?

[slomotion]

Originally Posted by 70STOVEBOLT

Slomotion, you are running the stock cam with a 4 bbl? No work on the head at all?

Yes, and it runs fine. I've thought about a 2 - 2 BBL set-up just to change it up a little, but it starts, runs, and responds so well I hate to change anything. It won't do a smoke show though, I guess the oak and tires are too heavy
When I thought about it, 283's and 327's had 4BBL's, a 292 is in the same ball park, so to enhance the "different" aspect, I went for it. The Edelbrock ran great right out of the box. The only thing I changed was the jets, and rods. (one step leaner)

[70STOVEBOLT]

Cool. That is a nice rig.

[Kas68c10]

cool vids, maybe i need to supercharge my 292.....

[clayton1967]

I was always thinking of puting a truck together with a L6 for a daily driver for gas milage etc. i was just wondering how much you could tow with them? Jet skis, 4 wheelers, etc.?

[leddzepp]

A Clifford intake, headers, and a Holley 390 will make a night and day difference in the performance of your 6 banger. I put them on every Jeep inline 6 I ever owned.

[292farmer]

ive hauled 2400+lbs of bales of hay, 1000lbs bricks/paving stones, oak firewood, and towed a zero turn 61in deck mower believe mower weighs 850-950lbs plus trailer.(not all at same time) didnt have any problems cant imagine a jet ski or atv would give any problems hell you should be fine with 2.

[slomotion]

I agree with 292Farmer. Towing with a 6 cylinder (within reason) isn't a problem. Our problem is the vintage brakes. State-of-the-art brakes from the 60's and 70's weren't all that great. The up-grades that are available today are worth looking into if you anticipate alot of heavy towing, but this isn't an engine issue...the six is more than capable.

[GRX]

Agreed. Keep the I-6. Taking my '69 stepper with original 250 to car shows I get soooo many stories from people how durable the I-6 are. "Had one in my work truck & it lasted forever" ... etc ...

Personally, I am sick & frickin' tired of seeing SBC crate engines in everything. At risk of sounding like a rant ... I am sick of crate engines in general really. They have pretty much killed the little corner machine shops.

[David67]

Alright...everyone's convinced me to run with the L6

The rolling chassis will be fully completed by Monday if not tomorrow. I have my Eagle Scout board of review so I have a feeling I won't be doing much tomorrow in the way of the truck.

Once the chassis is done, I will start tearing down the engine.

[clayton1967]

Thanks for starting this thread It answered a lot of questions that i had! But i do have another one! Would a stock late 90's 5 spd tranny out if a s10 work behind the I-6?

[raycow]

Originally Posted by clayton1967

Would a stock late 90's 5 spd tranny out if a s10 work behind the I-6?

Yes, if you can find the right bellhousing for it. The S-10 transmission case changed to the "Ford" bolt pattern around 92-93, so it won't bolt up to your truck bell. This will be pretty obvious when you look at both transmissions. You will need a bellhousing from a 4.3 Astrovan. 4.3 S-10s have an NV3500, so don't bother looking at those.

Ray

[clayton1967]

so i would need to find an astro van's bell housing the one out of my wrecked 4.3L 97' gmc sonoma wouldnt work uh? well that shouldnt be that hard to find!

[raycow]

Originally Posted by clayton1967

so i would need to find an astro van's bell housing the one out of my wrecked 4.3L 97' gmc sonoma wouldnt work uh? well that shouldnt be that hard to find!

Does your Sonoma actually have a separate bellhousing, or is the bellhousing in one piece with the transmission? I am expecting one piece. In that case, you can still use it, but the swap will be quite a bit more challenging. You will need to convert to hydraulic clutch linkage, remove your stock bellhousing crossmember, and install a new crossmember at the rear of the transmission. To deal with the speedo drive issue you can either run an electric speedo or use a CableX, which has a good reputation (and a $300 price tag)
http://www.abbott-tach.com/cablex.htm

or one of these gadgets which I know nothing about, but which worries me because the maker can't supply a pic or documentatation (it has been several months now and my emails go unanswered). I'm thinking it doesn't exist or it has bugs that aren't worked out.
http://www.dragonaero.com/SpeedChang...anicalPage.htm

Ray

[clayton1967]

Wow a lot more then i was thinking but doesnt really sound all that difficult that cable x speedo cable is pretty sweet! Have you done this before? I suppose if it is really difficult i could always put the 4.3L in it to! I just thought a 292 with a 5 spd would be pretty cool!

[slomotion]

Originally Posted by David67

Alright...everyone's convinced me to run with the L6

The rolling chassis will be fully completed by Monday if not tomorrow. I have my Eagle Scout board of review so I have a feeling I won't be doing much tomorrow in the way of the truck.

Once the chassis is done, I will start tearing down the engine.

David, How'd you do at the board of review?