Hello! First posting here...been reading for a while, lots of good stuff. I have a '51 Chevy Fleetline Deluxe 2DR that's bone stock for the moment, but I'm gathering the parts for a new drivetrain. I already have a complete 292 straight 6, a T-5 5spd, and a '55 Chevy rear w/3.70 gears. It's a runner right now with the original 216/3spd. The car is from NC, and the body was done over by P.O., work is good not great, interior is pretty much shot. I also have an Offy 4bbl intake with a completely rebuilt Holley 390 w/vac*** secondaries, a set of clifford headers, and I'm looking into a lump ported head from T6 racing. Next step is to pick the cam, and I'd like to know how much valve lift I can safely have in this engine with the stock dish-top pistons. I ask because both Crane and Comp cams have several grinds for this engine, but the hotter grinds have a boatload of lift, .525 - .550. This is my first straight 6 build, so I have no idea what you can get away with on a 292. Anyone out there have any cam grinds that they can recommend? I want something that will put me into the seat some, and I don't mind an idle with a bit of chop. I'd also appreciate any other thoughts/opinions on the 292 build from someone who has been there, or knows someone who has. Thanks... Chris
patricks ,stovebolt , and inliners.org is a good source if you don't find it here/ also use the search . a lot of 5 stuff already posted,
alot of poeple will tell you to get the book by "Leo Santucci" the chevrolet inline 6 power manual. and that is a good place to start. 292 are a good engine and for most purposes require little work to the bottom end. ARP bolt in the bottom end perty much does it all. you wanna focuse alot of attention in the head. As far as cam grind go it all depends on what your doing with it. i would keep it under .500 lift and go with something around 270 degrees of duration or less. but one again i would start by investing $20 in the book.
i'm running a 292 in my 37 chevy. its got a holly 600, clifford manifold, cast iron split exhaust by stovebolt and a wolverine cam by stovebolt. head was ported and polished with big valves (came from an x-stock car) i'd call tom langdon (stovebolt) and get whatever he recommends. he didnt steer me wrong and my 37 runs great.
I could set you up. Just finished dyno testing a 292 with 6 different cams 5 heads 2 intakes and more Tell me what power you want and I can give you a recipe for it. There is alot of misinformation out on these engines. I do performance headwork for the 194, 230, 250 and 292 heads.
hey Barsteel - this guy tlowe knows what he is talking about. I am an inliner too and followed on the sidelines what Tom did. I was surprised. Get ahold of him - you wont regret it. hey Tom, when Kevin (ooltewahspeedshop) and I are done with the 261, do you want to try ours on a limited basis on the dyno??? We have a few new parts we might want to try out.
Do you think it would hold up to about 150 dyno p***e's? I also need alot of parts to support that engine. We can certainly do it. Alot to be learned. Tom
.550 lift is the most you can really run before you need to start thinking about roller rockers and stud girdles, and machining valve pockets. a 280 comp cam has .530 lift and spins to about 5800. Delta Cams will grind you one for about 125.00 with lifters.
What exactly does a hot 292 feel like compared to a 350? I want to modify a 292, but want to make more power than say, a mild 350.
6inarow, I want at least 225hp for the street. Any good recipes that are not all weird like with turbos and all the electronic stuff?
Thanks to everyone for their replies. I'll probably be sending my head to Tlowe for some work. As far as cams go, I called the Clifford people, and I chatted for over 1/2 an hour...the guy on the line was REALLY pushing the cam with 268 deg advertised duration...said that it couldn't be beat, delivered 80% of it's torque off of idle...went on and on about it. 268 sounds a bit mild to me...the offer more than a few grinds...there's a 272 duration grind, and I think a 278. When I hit the gas, I want to feel it in the seat of my pants...I have zero experience with these engines, so I don't really know what works best. Anyone out there have experience with several different cams? Thanks... Chris
The 292 is a great engine, I used to run one in my '36 coupe many years ago. I bought an old circle track engine, it had .567 lift 310 duration, 11-1 pistons, 3 singles on an Offy intake, big valves in the head, dual point, and a split 292 exhaust manifold (2 7/8" outlet), 3:55 gears and a 4 speed. Not the fastest on the road but it did embarress more than one smallblock! Go for it and have fun!
Contact TLowe, Twisted6, and Tom Langdon. They are the inline yodas! See what they did for me. Reliable solid power!
I am glad to see that there are a lot of straight 6 followers out there. I am new to working on them, and have a minor issue that I thought you have probably seen a few times. My intake manifold gets really hot, which heats up my carb and I think it is causing my fuel to boil in the carb. Any ideas about why this is happening, and how I could fix it?
LOL I have seen to pretty snappy 292s and some pretty doggy 350s. But even a built inline is going to "feel" different just the nature of the beast. I am going to say this a 292 can be built to hang and still be a reliable runner.
Goat...are you running the stock exhaust manifold? It will heat up the intake (designed to) so use an aftermarket exhaust manifold or headers. I put a piece of aluminum between mine and it helped a lot.
I am running the stock manifold. I think I will switch it out. Do you think I should put a spacer under the carb since I have so much hood space? I will try putting some aluminum in there to deflect the heat. I didn't think about doing that. Thanks.
You might get lucky and get a response to a 5 year old thread. I'd do a search and see what I could find or at least start a new thread.
Give the guy a break. I have inadvertently asked questions on real old “dinosaur old “ threads and received answers. Lots of HP and TQ can be squeezed out of those straight six motors but it’s weekness is in the crank. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wish someone would revive this thread. I just bought a 1950 Chevy Styleline Sport Coupe with a stock 292 and 700R4. Would love to improve performance a little.
What rear gear are you using. I would go no higher than 3.70’s..... 3.90 or 4.11’s would wake up any torquey engine. A 292 has a 4-1/8” stroke and made to pull. A standard pickup probably came with 4.11’s and no OD.
If you want to feel it when you punch the gas you want torque not developed horsepower. Radical high lift cams give good dyno numbers and high HP at high RPM but can be doggy in the normal rev ranges used on the street. You might find out your hot hot hot cam really works great @ 3500 to 6000 RPM - which translates to 80 to 140MPH in top gear. Meanwhile leaving you running second to grannies in Toyotas and kids on tricycles at the stop lights.
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