Need some 292 guidance

[dabruce15]

I recently picked up this 292 from my dad's friend for free. I was told it was rebuilt about 5 years ago, but never made it into a vehicle. It's been sitting outside ever since. The block is a late 80s 292 with an early head. I read somewhere on the forum that the aftermarket performance parts only fit the earlier heads (not sure if this is true) so this is a good thing. As you can see it came with the 4 bbl offenhauser intake which is a huge bonus, but it's missing all the pullies, brackets, and accessories. Here's a few questions I could use some help on:

Does anyone know if earlier years parts are compatable?

Any common parts between this and the 250 in my 72?

Any carb recommendations?

How hard/expensive is it going to be to find the power steering brackets?

Any info or resources you guys could share would be greatly appreciated.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

The earlier years are compatable but you have to use the whole system. In 74 they went to narrow belts. The water pump has a smaller bypass hose & all the pulley spacings are different. You must use the earlier therm houseing also. The heads interchange but the older ones used different spark plugs & did not have a opening in the head for a temp. sending unit. There is not much you can use from the 250 but the head fits but the 292 had better stuff in it.

[Mxracer202]

check in the engine section, and the stickys for I6 info i posted some websites that have tons of info on what is interchangeable and what not on the 292 and theres alot more info on them in the thread.

one site in chuckthetruck.com has alot of interchengeable info.

[dabruce15]

Originally Posted by Wrenchbender Ret

The earlier years are compatable but you have to use the whole system. In 74 they went to narrow belts. The water pump has a smaller bypass hose & all the pulley spacings are different. You must use the earlier therm houseing also. The heads interchange but the older ones used different spark plugs & did not have a opening in the head for a temp. sending unit. There is not much you can use from the 250 but the head fits but the 292 had better stuff in it.

You probably just saved me a lot of money and frustration with that advice. Thanks for the reply.

[dabruce15]

Originally Posted by Mxracer202

check in the engine section, and the stickys for I6 info i posted some websites that have tons of info on what is interchangeable and what not on the 292 and theres alot more info on them in the thread.

one site in chuckthetruck.com has alot of interchengeable info.

That is a great website! I've been a member for about 2 years and I don't know what a sticky is?

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by dabruce15

I recently picked up this 292 from my dad's friend for free. I was told it was rebuilt about 5 years ago, but never made it into a vehicle. It's been sitting outside ever since. The block is a late 80s 292 with an early head. I read somewhere on the forum that the aftermarket performance parts only fit the earlier heads (not sure if this is true) so this is a good thing. As you can see it came with the 4 bbl offenhauser intake which is a huge bonus, but it's missing all the pullies, brackets, and accessories. Here's a few questions I could use some help on:

Does anyone know if earlier years parts are compatable?

Any common parts between this and the 250 in my 72?

Any carb recommendations?

How hard/expensive is it going to be to find the power steering brackets?

Any info or resources you guys could share would be greatly appreciated.

The 250 uses a smaller [5 Qt] oilpan than the 292 [6 Qt], but the bolt pattern and fit are the same otherwise. Same head, valve cover, and intake/ exhaust manifolds. Different harmonic balancers, side lifter covers, water pumps.
For the carb, you can use the Holley 4Bbl 4160 #8007 rated @ 390 CFM, or the Edelbrock 1404 rated @ 500 CFM. I have used both. I ran the Holley for 25 years, but went to the Edelbrock after a rebuild in 2005.
292 P/S brackets are like hens' teeth. Very rare. Most 292s were in work trucks with no-frills, fleet packages.
For resources try:
www.inliners.org
www.stoveboltengineco.com
Since the Offy intake has no fittings for the factory throttle bellcrank linkage, you might think about a Lokar style throttle cable. Better response, and it will never jam. I recommend headers. I have Clifford long tube types. They fit with the stock clutch Z-Bar. The ones I have I bought in 1978, and have had them on ever since. Tom Langdon [Stovebolt Engine Company] sells cast iron headers, an adaptation of the 235/261 style Fenton headers.
Good luck.

[dabruce15]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

The 250 uses a smaller [5 Qt] oilpan than the 292 [6 Qt], but the bolt pattern and fit are the same otherwise. Same head, valve cover, and intake/ exhaust manifolds. Different harmonic balancers, side lifter covers, water pumps.
For the carb, you can use the Holley 4Bbl 4160 #8007 rated @ 390 CFM, or the Edelbrock 1404 rated @ 500 CFM. I have used both. I ran the Holley for 25 years, but went to the Edelbrock after a rebuild in 2005.
292 P/S brackets are like hens' teeth. Very rare. Most 292s were in work trucks with no-frills, fleet packages.
For resources try:
www.inliners.org
www.stoveboltengineco.com
Since the Offy intake has no fittings for the factory throttle bellcrank linkage, you might think about a Lokar style throttle cable. Better response, and it will never jam. I recommend headers. I have Clifford long tube types. They fit with the stock clutch Z-Bar. The ones I have I bought in 1978, and have had them on ever since. Tom Langdon [Stovebolt Encine Company] sells cast iron headers, an adaptation of the 235/261 style Fenton headers.
Good luck.

Thanks for the info. I was able to find a great deal on that holley carb locally via craigslist. And I ordered a catalog from the stovebolt website. Looks like I'm gonna have to start saving for those P/S brackets; someone should reproduce, they'd make a fortune!

[Mxracer202]

Originally Posted by dabruce15

That is a great website! I've been a member for about 2 years and I don't know what a sticky is?

Its a thread that someone made and is stuck, so it wont move when someone posts a new thread

[dabruce15]

Update. I took the exhaust and intake manifolds off and was pleasantly surprised to see that the head and intake had been ported. Check out the pics.

Also, check out the motor stand I built for it. I got the plans from the site below. Here is the link to the plans.

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/engine_dolly.pdf

[dabruce15]

How are you 292 experts mounting the carb? I bought the holley 390 for it, and was wondering what the benefits/drawbacks are for the various configurations. Thanks!

[Jacfourteen]

Looks like a cool project!

['68OrangeSunshine]

Others might disagree, but I prefer to mount 4 barrel carbs "sidesaddle" on an L6 -- primaries outboard. That way you get more even distribution of the fuel/air mixture over both front and back cylinders. Otherwise, with the carb mounted primaries forward like on a V8, the 1-2-3 plemums are fed first until the secondaries open and then 4-5-6 get gas. Also the mixture gets longer to swirl. Added benefit: the mixture screws face outboard and you can adjust them over the drivers side fender.
If you have a '72 then you already have a cable style throttle. You might need a longer cable to go around and over the valve cover from the passenger side.

[dabruce15]

Slow progress to date, but Santa did bring me a few boxes of rusty gold! Check it out:

[69C-owner]

i love the look of a straight 6 header, they just look awesome

['68OrangeSunshine]

Score! The 3-groove HB could be rebuilt by Damper Drs [or whatever they are called now] if you don't trust the rubber spacer. So that's what a 292 P/S bracket looks like.
I would get the headers hot-tanked and bead-blasted, then painted with VHT hi-temp header paint, or airbrushed with Eastwood's ceramic coating and baked at 500* for 2 hours.
Good luck.

[dwragon]

Originally Posted by dabruce15

Slow progress to date, but Santa did bring me a few boxes of rusty gold! Check it out:

Some of that stuff is like solid gold. I bought one of these engines, a GM target, out of a wrecking yard a few years ago, it ran great "After" I found all the missing peices. The previous owner took the problem off the old engine and put it on the new one, a rusted closed heat rizer. Choked the engine to death, ie no power. look for a mercruzer aluminum valve cover, use the rubber valve cover gasket, and replace the side covers with 1/8 plate steel (or aluminum diamond plate ) and black rtv, the tin covers leak like a sive, keep some spare pushrods around until you get it broke in good, they bend. If you dont like the headders, look for the big truck 2 1/2 inch exhaust manifold. Also, you didn't say if you were going to auto it or manny it, the 292 uses its own flywheel i think.

[54blackhornet]

I put a 292 in my 68 GMC 1500, boy what a motor ! When I open the hood, every one alway's asks why did you put that little six in there ? You just have to drive one to understand the fun you can have with a 292. Does any one know where to get good quality motor mounts ? I have torn the rubber out of two sets already..............

[Wrenchbender Ret]

Originally Posted by 54blackhornet

I put a 292 in my 68 GMC 1500, boy what a motor ! When I open the hood, every one alway's asks why did you put that little six in there ? You just have to drive one to understand the fun you can have with a 292. Does any one know where to get good quality motor mounts ? I have torn the rubber out of two sets already..............

If you are useing the clamshell mounts there are plastic inserts available for them. The stock aftermarket replacements are worthless & the original equipment are very expensive.

[dwragon]

Originally Posted by 54blackhornet

I put a 292 in my 68 GMC 1500, boy what a motor ! When I open the hood, every one alway's asks why did you put that little six in there ? You just have to drive one to understand the fun you can have with a 292. Does any one know where to get good quality motor mounts ? I have torn the rubber out of two sets already..............

If you are tearing these up in a half ton, your floging the crap outa her (i'm presuming you are using an auto.). I have had the same set in a 1 ton gin pole wrecker for 3 years, the trans mounts on the bellhousing keep them from breaking. Either switch to steel mounts, fab up some of your own mounts, use 73 up style mounts, or chain'er down on both sides.

['68OrangeSunshine]

I've never had motor mount problems -- other than loosening one side to jack up the block to R&R the oil pan and having a hard time getting it back on again. I used stock dealer parts or hard rubber repops from LMC. [India or Thailand?] Still work OK.
Of course, bolted to the bellhousing on an SM 465 it's already bombproof.
I thought the 292 uses the same flywheel as the SBC.
The side lifter covers don't leak if you don't overtorque them.
I've been running 292s since 1973. That's a total of 3 engines in the
same truck. Daily driver.
I will say the built 292 in my '68 Stepside
is more fun to drive than the stock 350 in my '71 Jimmy. More torque, more guts, better acceleration, better response, better engine braking. It doesn't rev as high, but it 's a
lot smoother taking off.
Many years ago the parts guys at the Chevy dealers told me "the 292
was Chevy's best kept secret".

[dwragon]

I tried everything to stop the side covers from leaking on my 292 using stock stuff. The only way I finally got it to stop was using 1/8 plate and rtv. Im not truely sure if the standard flywheel is a 292 item only, I was just repeating what I was told when I got the engine. I didn't pay anymore for it, so I didnt see any reason for the wrecking yard to lie to me. I like the 292 for what it does, but when I have to replace it in my wrecker, I'll go back with a 250 or 350. Trying to match up the bracketry is to much of a pain.

[dabruce15]

Originally Posted by dwragon

I tried everything to stop the side covers from leaking on my 292 using stock stuff. The only way I finally got it to stop was using 1/8 plate and rtv. Im not truely sure if the standard flywheel is a 292 item only, I was just repeating what I was told when I got the engine. I didn't pay anymore for it, so I didnt see any reason for the wrecking yard to lie to me. I like the 292 for what it does, but when I have to replace it in my wrecker, I'll go back with a 250 or 350. Trying to match up the bracketry is to much of a pain.

That's a good question, and since I will be in the market for a flywheel soon, I'd like to know if any other motors interchange. Anyone out there know?

[Wrenchbender Ret]

The other flywheels will fit the early 292's. up to about 1966. After that they used a larger bolt size. You can use the other flywheel on it by running a 1/2 in drill bit through the holes. Ive done it many times. You will need a set of flywheel bolts for the 292.

[dabruce15]

Got a flywheel...now I need to find a thermostat housing. My list of parts needed is slowly diminishing, but it sure is tough finding 292 stuff!

['68OrangeSunshine]

Is that 11" or 12"?
What year crank are you running?
The '68+later had 12 lobes instead of 6 and are considered better balanced.