262 Small Block Chevy Score- What To Do?

Alright. I got a couple of free goodies from my uncle today in gratitude of some work. You know the deal-I did a bunch of stuff for him and we got to talking cars.

I got the oddball 262 with double hump heads and an eldebrock aluminum 4 barrel intake. I did not get the cast #s off the heads yet.

What do I do ? Is this motor just a waste of time? I understand that these were underpowered (factory 110hp). I don't need a fast runner and I don't want to spend too much to make it faster but I don't want a gas burner w/o power.

What do you think about it?

 

I think I'd remove the fuelie heads and aluminum intake and forget about the rest. Really, just about any other sbc would be a better start, and 305s are still pretty much dropping out of trees.

 

The 262 was a real oddball with a 3.100 stroke and pistons are expensive (for a SBC) if it needs bored. They were even gutless in a Monza, a 4.3 V-6 in an identical weight vehicle with the same trans and gears would decimate one both in performance and mileage.

 

Sell it to someone that is a numbers guy for his restoration and use the money for a good motor.

 

There's nothing magicallly horrible about the 262 I would guess. In 1975, you could get an L48 350 in the Corvette, with a whopping 165 horsepower. It's a matter of restrictive cylinder heads, exhaust, & intake- plus smog controls and anemic compression ratios (some as low as 7.5:1) that give the 262 it's characteristics.

And, it's bore/stroke relationship is similar to the good old 350- you're just working with less cubic inches.

 

has a point, though.

 

Granted none of the SBC's of the era were powerhouses but the Monza 262 took it to an all time low.

 

I would run the numbers before I made any decisions.

 

they stopped using double humped heads in the early 70's, looked like 2 camel humps connected side by side.
there are smog heads with 2 points and a casting mark that looks like a rectangle with a semicircle cut out of the top. I had 262 in a firebird was supposed to be a 350 that didn't run. got it running and it ran like less than a 3.1 buick v6 firebird I had. should get good mileage neighbor had one ina caprice got 20 on the highway.

 

If you are going to part out the 262,, we might be able to strike a deal on the short block. PM me if interested.

 

take the crank, stick it in a 350, with appropriate rods and pistons and have a real high winding SBC.

 

It depends on what you want to do with it.

If you're going racing, a 350 is probably a better starting point.

If you just want to have fun overhauling something for the price of rings and a gasket set then it may be worthwhile. Good practice and experience.

 

I know for sure the heads are double humps and whoever had it before hopped it up. We'll break it apart probably next week and see what it need. He also has a few extra motors w/blocks laying around. I come from Chevy people and I lean to Mopar so this is something "kinda" new to me.

Whatever I don't use will go back to him. I'm using his tools - stand- know how- etc. to get something going. The other thing I got was a radiator he had built for his '46 pu that he never used and maybe I'll use a powerglide sitting around if I don't go manual. Sweet.

I got lots of relatives who are car nuts and I have the least skills- but gaining knowledge. I guess I'll know more later. Thanks for the good info.

 

Nothing personal my friend , but this post is similar to many I see on here ,..lacking in specifics.

What do you want to do with this motor?

What weight car?

What transmission?

Do you plan on rebuilding it?

You said you don't need a fast runner, but you don't want "no power"

No, a stock 262 won't have as much power as a stock 305,350, or 400.

Yes ,it will probably use less gas, in you use the right combination, if that's what you're looking for.

If you want the looks, sound,and smoothness of a V8, it'll be fine. If you want something else, you need to decide what that is.

 

The heads and intake are a great score and over 1/3 the cost of an engine, excellent start. But give that small displacement short block back, they're really not worth messing with. Good luck with the build

 

The 262 is a gutless pig. Pull the heads and intake and scrap the rest.

 

I wonder if there really is anyone restoring one of those old Monza's? I've got a complete car sitting in the woods as we speak!!

 

haha!- you're absolutely right. I was thinking "265" for some reason....

 

I always thought those things were 267s.

 

I have a 262 block I use as a "mock up" block, damn sure wouldn't waste the space putting that turd in a car.

 

If you run a search someone else asked about these in the last couple months, might be more info there.

 

There was a smaller version of the smallblock before the 283 but i forget what it was

 

That would be the famous 265 first offered in the '55 Chevy and Corvette. The 265 was also used in '56 as the only V8 and in '57 as the base V8 when the 283 was first introduced.

 

Take the crank...put it in a 350 block...use 6.2" rods, and a set of pistons for a 3.48 stroke/6" rod deal....those humpies will make it wail....

 

Anyone got a spare 327 or 350 block?...I'm in luck ...the block needs work...putting the goods on something else...

 

I sure hope you're not gonna try to reuse that weak 262 crank, it's not suitable for any performance use. GM cast it real thin in a few spots, and using one in a high rpm de-stroker is a recipe for disaster. It's nothing like an old 283 crank in terms of strength.

Look for a loose 400 crank for that 327/350 block and build a 383 stroker. You won't regret it. Going fast for cheap is about displacement and long stroke to build useable power. Basically the opposite of where you were headed with the 262

good luck!

 

I'm in Houston and I might be interested in your 262 short block.

How much do you want for it?

 

I like the stroker idea, but I`d think the crank is too weak also. You are however the proud owner of the lowest displacement small block ever produced.....the smallest of the small.

 

Old thread, but I really want to find one of these to put the crank in a 267 (3.5 bore) to build the smallest SBC possible just for the hell of it.

 

You could drop it into your snow blower. Be the neighborhood snow king!
Useful for the old riding mower too.