How can I squeeze a few more horses out of my 292?

I got a 292 straight six in a 1950 GMC. Its got a pretty meaty cam, wish I had the specs on it, an offenhauser intake manifold, full length headers, and a 4 barrel quadra jet feedin it. Just lookin to get all I can out of it without totally breakin down the motor and starting from the bottom up. Any info would help. Thanks.

 

Make sure the drivetrain is set up to get all it can out of the motor. Does the cam match the rearend gearing? etc

 

well the truck is a 3/4 ton so it has the factory rear gears, and unfortunatley i dont have a workin tranny behind it right now. still trying to decide what would be the best set up, maybe a manual 4spd, not really sure which way to go. think those gears are 4.55s, but there was a 5.33 option for that year. but not on my model i dont think.

 

What size exhaust pipe are you running? Mufflers? Lots of bends or just a couple? Some engines run better with some back pressure, the trick is figuring out how much is good for you. Rear gears and tire size make a world of difference on how the power is applied to the pavement.

Flatman

 

Spray it.


Tom

EDIT: http://www.racingjunk.com/search?searchString=nitrous+kit&search=Go

 

ive heard of a lot of people porting and polishing the intake runners on the head, would this be a noticable mod, and would i be able to do it myself with a little practice? also, what kind of benifits would i get out of higher compression ratios, and how could i get them higer?

 

Good thinking on the cam, Mr. Maxwell. Full race is the way to go.

If he gets the ladder bars and some Pro Trac N 50s, I think he'll be able to utilize this new found power.


Tom

 

HEI hasnt been mentioned yet.

 

Lump port the head.

 

Go to the pick a part and locate an early eighties Ford thunderbird turbo coupe. Yank all of the turbo junk off of it and stick that hair dryer on your 292. If you like the results of your now turbo charged inline horsepower mill, you can do it again for that twin turbo action and really blow some doors.

 

My BS flag just went up about 3/4 of the way up the pole without seeing photos of the truck an engine.

I picked up a pretty good book on those a while back thinking it was for the later sixes. It was written in the early 50's and reprinted lately http://www.amazon.com/dp/1931128057/ref=rdr_ext_sb_ti_sims_3

 

Its got a pretty meaty cam

And, you know this because...?

 

i know this is off subject but am in desperate need of assistance!!! i have a 66' chevy c-10 1/2 ton pickup with a pwerglide tranny. every now and then i have to jiggle the shift arm while its in park to get it to crank. well today it happened and for the life of me it would not start in park so i slide it to nuetral and it cranks right up. so after its running i take it back to park. as im doing so i feel resistance, but like i moron i keep going and hear a "bing!!" close to the steering wheel. and remember this is after its started...so i just shug my shoulders and begin to drive. as i turn the wheel i feel loose parts and hear clanking, also close to the steering wheel. so i turn the car off at home and then try to restart it...nothing, just dash lights come on as i try to crank it. i checked the linkage and its ok. it wont start in park or nuetral. What could possibly be the problem? PLEase i need an answer cus this is my only vehicle!!!!
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Your nuetral safety switch is broken. You can wire around it but it is dangerous.

 

ya i thought so.. i checked autozone where i work and they only have one for a 84 through 95 chevy and man im not sure how to get in there do i nee to pull the steering wheel?

 

That's where the real bang comes from. You get higher ratio from buying higher ratio pistons or milling your heads. Get pistions and good moly rings (like Hastings). Make sure you can find gas with high enough octane for high compression ratio. If you go to an engine builder to buy your parts, he can tell you what to get.

If you don't have hardened exhaust valve seats (for unleaded gas), get that done at your engine machine shop, and buy new stainless valves. - Dave

 

Wayne 5 carb set-up.

 

i have heard of people putting 5.3 heads on ls1's to get theirs higher, could i do this with an old 228 head i have laying around? or is it going to be a different block setup.

 

thank god it was set up HEI when i picked it up.

 

would i be able to install the ladders myself, looks pretty straight forward, but i have never done it. and would this still be a streetable truck, as far as such an aggressive suspension mod this is. would pot holes and un even ground affect much?