I have a '51 (Carryall suburban) I am soon to receive a 292 & will eventually trade out the 235 presently in the truck. My plans are to wrench a Clifford intake & exhaust upgrade and a 262 cam, prior to installation. I am reaching well beyond my skill set on this project, so I'll throw out questions that may seem common knowledge to you veteran gear heads. Any assistance will be welcomed. I try to post plenty of picts as I go along.
sounds like fun! hope the flood didn't mess it up too much. The 292 is a whole different engine, so you'll need to do some work to make it connect to the rest of the truck. And you'll need to think about what the truck will be when you're done...often guys change brakes, suspension, rear axle, transmission etc. It helps if you decide early on what you want to do.
A 292 will be a stump puller for sure. They do like gas. I used to tow a dirt track with one. It had a granny 4 speed and did not need low gear. It had a 4.11 gear and got about 9 miles to the gallon. So watch your gearing or you will wish you had a 350.
I would see if https://www.chevsofthe40s.com/detai...nting_Kit_BoltOn_For_194054_Chevy_Or_GMC.html with https://www.12bolt.com/store/p40/Steel_292_Motor_Mount_Adaptor.html would work
What you will find is that the 292 is longer than the 235. A bit of advice, DON'T CUT THE FIREWALL! I made a deeper recess for my swap ('37 Chevy) I easily have more time in setting the engine back an inch than swapping the rest of the drivetrain. Set the engine in leaving just enough room at the firewall. Then reverse the brackets on the radiator, lowering it if necessary. Also, an automatic is way simpler than a manual transmission. I made the original clutch and brake pedals work on mine but again it was very time consuming. I would do that again, but I'm a glutton for punishment.
292 in a 37 chevy. deep recess in the firewall. couldn't move the rad forward. offset the eng 1" to the right.
I didn't think I could move the radiator that far either. But, reversing the brackets and lowering it about 3/4" gave me a lot of room that I didn't have before. Also, I sectioned the gravel pan around an inch. Your engine sits back a lot farther than mine. In the Carryall the OP is getting it, may not be a problem at all.
Main problem will be motor mounts. The 292 is supported from the sides, the 235 is supported from the front and sides of the transmission bell housing. I second the motion to not cut the firewall, I recessed my 250 into the firewall on my '37 and gave more room then I should have. Also, try not to add a hump in the floor for transmission, I did that too and regret it. Move radiator forward and down. The water pump will be much lower on the 292, so the fan blades will hang below the lower tank if the radiator is left as is.
I think it might fit, my dad put a 292 into a '46 Chevy 1.5 ton,was able to make it work without doing anything to the firewall, just some (I forget what) massaging up front-with (I think) the radiator support. Should have at least the same room in a '51?
I fabbed front and rear motor plates. Gave me a bunch more room on the left side of the engine for exhaust and clutch linkage.
The flood was from quiet a few years back, it was "stored" (in the elements) at a friends farm, for 30 years while I chased my career. I am now retired & hope my skill set will meet the challenge of getting her back on the road. Thanx for your interest, Squirrel.
Right now there is a 3 speed overdrive tran behind the 235..I hope it will work behind the 292. Thanx for your interest Southcross.
Wow! Nice looking sixer! I found a after market engine motor mount kit, I'm with you I hope I can squeeze the 292 in. I appreciate your interest.
You referenced the "brackets" are you referencing the radiator bracket? Also help me with the gravel pan, what's that? Thanx for your response & interest.
There is an after market conversion for the motor mounts(see link) I am hopeful it will be the trick, do you know if the bell housing to the 235 & 292 are interchangeable? Another person mentioned reversing the mounts & lower it also. Thanx, Joe H for your interest & info shared! https://www.ebay.com/itm/CHEVY-GMC-...DER-MOTOR-ENGINE-MOUNTS-WELD-IN-/371532040945 You referenced the "brackets" are you referencing the radiator bracket? Also help me with the gravel pan, what's that? Thanx for your response & interest.
I'm not very familiar with the radiator setup in those...but you can move it forward, with some work. Hopefully someone will post pictures of how it's done, or you could do some searching using google and see if you can find an explanation. The 235 engine uses a different bellhousing bolt pattern than the 292 (which shares bellhousing pattern with the 230/250 six, and the V8 engines). That's at the engine end of the bellhousing. But there also were several different bolt patterns used at the transmission end of the bellhousing. The granny low 4 speed used in 1947 up trucks uses the same bolt pattern as the 1955-up 3 speed transmission. The 1968-up truck transmissions use the same bolt pattern, but a larger center hole. The 54 and older 3 speed transmissions used a smaller bolt pattern. If your transmission has overdrive, then it might be an open driveline, instead of the original torque tube. So it would be a big help if you could post pictures of what you have now. Yes, posting pictures here can be challenging, but it is pretty much required for us to be able to help you effectively. If you can't figure out how to do it, then get a young un to help?
Here is my build thread with a 292 into a 46 chevy pickup. Everything you need to know about the 292 engine is buried in about 20 pages of my trials and tribulations. This was my first ever build with a small skill set. If I can do it, you can do it. Enjoy! http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=558819
I haven't read paintman27's thread but do have a 250 in my 48 and am putting a 292 in it. The basics: You need a cast iron V8 bellhousing from a late 50's Chevy truck. You can go up into the mid 60's but need the smaller hole for the bearing retainer at the front. They used a larger retainer on later years cast iron bellhousings. They do sell spacer rings though. On the earlier AD trucks you need to modify the center crossmember to get the mounts to set down on it. My 48 was done before I got it in 1973 and had a 194 with stock drive train. For front mounts you will either have to hunt down fabricated mounts or fab your own. The ones that 34Phil showed in post 4 WILL NOT WORK together. The chevs of the 40 set is for a V8 and uses Ford biscuits while the 12 bolt Tom set is designed to use with a crossmember set up for a V8. This is a photo I save showing a mount on a 250 that I plan to use the design of on my 292. Simple and effective and not expensive. One still has to battle the issue at the front where the water pump is too long and wants to take up the same space as the radiator. I shortened the shaft on my water pump on the 250 and will probably have to do that again. That is why guys set the engine back a couple of inches and recess the firewall to match.
Tom's mount just makes a 6 have same pass. mount holes and angle as V8 block. Just need to buy a GM driver side mount that does same.
I probably should have taken that free 292 I was offered but I would have to done some cutting to install it in my 37 p/u so I passed,my lazy ass is holding out for a running 261 so it would be a easier swap that could be done in a weekend.
Hey, Squirrel, I appreciate the comment about having an vision of what I want the vehicle to be, in the end. In years past I have already done some work on her. I aim for a daily driver, rat rod look. I really don't want to invest a lot a $ on "pretty stuff" just make it reliable, fun to drive, Cool & with a little juice! My ultimate dream would to drive it Detroit & participate in the annual Woodward Cruise. I lived there for 30 years.
I am absolutely sure that V8 swap in a '37-'38 Chevy is waaaaay easier than a 250 - 292. Not going to get it done in several weekends. A 261 is a no brainer.
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