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292 ci six.... Good or Bad Thing?

40K views 31 replies 20 participants last post by  Highball 
#1 ·
Finally Id the motor it's a 292 six between 63/72. I know nothing about these motors except that I read they were built for the trucks and had a taller deck... So please chime in as to weather its worth working on or switch to a SBC. I dig the looks of the inliner, but is it going to be trouble. :confused: Wanting to build a driver.... thanks Also how do I ID the trans?
 
#6 ·
You can take advantage of the I-6 torque over the V-8 by balancing the engine, porting the head, bump the compression a little, free flow the exhaust, and install a larger carb or a multi carb set-up. The overall weight will be less than a V-8, so your power to weight ratio will be better, you are starting out with more torque due to the inline config, so breathing better, and higher compression will make for a very nice hot rod.
 
#7 ·
The only things wrong with that engine is trying to find someone who still knows much about them. And of course the price and easy availability of speed parts.

Then a sweet dual exhaust with a set of glass packs - your truck will NEVER be identified as having a belly button engine :D
 
#8 ·
The 292 will certainly have a nice rapping exhaust note to it with hot rod pieces. A gent I knew who`s now deceased was a logger in his early years.
He was a 100% pure bonafide Ford man. But he would often say "Chevy only made one good engine and it wasn`t the small block, it`s the 292 Straight six. I had one in my pulpwood truck when I was still logging. It was the hardest pulling engine we had, even more torque than the V8`s of the later trucks plus it was dead set reliable. Miles in the woods, forest trails, low gear, high RPM trip for several miles back to the highway with a full load of logs. She never ran hot, never broke down, she wouldn`t struggle to haul a full load of logs up a steep hill. Best of all, maintainance was a breeze"
 
#9 ·
PureC4 said:
Finally Id the motor it's a 292 six between 63/72. I know nothing about these motors except that I read they were built for the trucks and had a taller deck... So please chime in as to weather its worth working on or switch to a SBC. I dig the looks of the inliner, but is it going to be trouble. :confused: Wanting to build a driver.... thanks Also how do I ID the trans?
Pick up a copy of this book "Chevrolet Inline Six-Cylinder Power Manual" by Leo Santucci. It gets way into the nitty-gritty of making the GM inlines into going machines.

The 292 is the best choice to hop up because the raised deck provides better head bolt bite than the lower deck blocks. The low deck blocks have a habit of either pulling the threads or cracking in the corners when those bolts are cinched up real tight.

Bogie
 
#11 · (Edited)
I've owned several Chevy pickups with the 292/4-spd in them and always thoroughly enjoyed driving them.

Stay modest on the cam, this is not a high-winding motor that you want to buzz to the moon. It also is a low static compression ratio motor, so will not run well with too much cam. Usually, the first cam offered for the motor in the manufacturer's list of cams is the one you want for a street-driven truck. If you're looking for a lumpy idle, then tear the motor down completely and build it with more static compression ratio (piston change) so that it will match up with a stronger camshaft. 2 or 3 one-bbl carbs along with long-tube, tuned header(s) will wake it up.

In my opinion, six cylinder motors sound sucky with an automatic transmission. :(

To really enjoy the truck, true the flywheel, install a Centerforce diaphragm clutch and completely rebuild the clutch linkage with all-new pieces oiled well. If using a column-shift linkage with a 3-spd trans, also remove all linkage pieces and rebuild with new, well oiled components. When everything works like brand new, you will want to drive the truck more.
 
#12 ·
292 engine

Keep in mind, this is the heavy duty truck engine. It was not intended to be a high rev piece, a lot of the 194/230/250 parts will not fit. It's similar to the old 302 "Gimmy" truck engine in regards to it's limitations. Proper gearing, and not going overboard with camming, and carburation, instead concentrating on it's torque curve will make a fun driver. However, revs will not do it, neither will modifications enhancing it's rpm limit.
 
#13 ·
Most of my big six wrenching experience is with the 300 Ford but some of the same basic principals apply. As mentioned those engines were designed for torque and that is where their true function is best. I have a Comp 260 cam in my 300 and would gladly go back to a stock cam because it lost some of it's off-idle grunt.
With the 300, the best torque and mileage cam is the one they came with or an Isky Mile-a-more.
 
#14 ·
I'm considering a six banger project in a 1968 c10. It's more of a low buck cruiser with patina paint,lowered stance, torque thrust wheels. It's not a speed machine but I would like to do a hot six but not sure of a 250 or 292 with a 4 speed. Which is better to invest in?
 
#15 ·
292 is the better choice. It's bigger, for a heavy truck that's important in bottom end torque production, but more importantly it's stronger in the head bolt areas especially around the ends of the block. The block is taller than the 250, this is accomplished by raising and thickening the head deck which provides a stiffer mounting surface for the head. This is especially needed by the water pump which is very crack prone in the 250 so the thicker deck provides more thread depth for the head bolts and distance from the intersecting water pump bolt which greatly reduces the tendancy to crack the block in that particular spot as well as the other end head bolts. The 292 is a true heavy duty design where the 250 is compromised for cost and design concerns for light automotive duty in less expensive vehicles.

Bogie
 
#17 ·
Years ago, i had a 63 nova with a 194. Bad motor so i put a 250 in it and used the 194 head on it to up the compression. Put a larger two barrell on it and backed it up with a four speed from a wrecked vega. That was a lot of fun because the four speed gave it alot of gears for the tq it produced.
 
#18 ·
Back in the 60's, my girlfriend's Dad had a Chevy pickup with a 292 and a 3-speed stick. It ran circles around their 283 Impala, and 2/3's of the 327s in the area. You said you wanted a driver. Stock, in good shape, that will make a fine engine to get you around.
 
#19 · (Edited)
in the truck i think you will like the 292 , the torque this engine has you can run taller gears for better crusin speed ,also Clifford makes aluminum heads,4 barrel intakes and 3 1 barrel carb intakes headers and much more ,with aluminum intake and head it will be close to the weight of a small block v8 since the 292 is Much heavyer than a sbc, onlt 23 lbs less than a big block,also almost all chevy trans missions will work 4 sp 5 spd or automatic. but most parts from other I6 engines will not fit.:thumbup: one note glad to hear Cotton Perry name again he ran a 64 nova 292 to a national record,he is from Ringold Ga.
 
#30 ·
292 ci six....Good or Bad thing?

Both the Ford 300 and Chevy 292 are fun to build and use. If you want to go all out Drag Racing both can really (if built correctly) give good times and performance. Neither are any cheaper but it is always fun to open the hood and show the car you just outran that there is an inline six in there. Two more to think about too are the Toyota inlines and also the BMW 6 series engines.
Normbc9
 

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