I was hoping someone could tell me what to expect from the following setup I am thinking of buying a car that has this engine/trans and rear end with glasspacks on the exhaust, (This is my first real hotrod car): Motor is an inline 6 292 bored .30 over, trans is a T350, rear end is a 10 bolt posi. I'm hoping to have a 53 chevy as a cruiser, I do not plan to street race or peel out etc...but at the same time I'd like alittle power and acceleration when I hit the pedal. What I am most interested in is a nice sounding exhaust system and being able to rev' up the motor and get that loud traditional hotrod sound.. Will the inline 6 with glasspacks still get that sound? I could build a 350 next year, but am not sure if im better off spending more on a different car with a 350 in it.
Good lord, if a 292 won't turn tire, there's something wrong with it. As far as sound, lots of folks swear by an inline engine with dual pipes. Personally, I have a 292 in my 72 short bed truck, and I prefer the single pipe with glasspack route.
rearend gearing might make a big difference though, 10 bolts were made with everything from 2.29 to 4.56 gears...that's quite a range!
For a bitchin' 'chevy inline 6 sound, some of those 292 truck motors came from the factory with dual exhaust manifold. If that's what you get, you want 'good sounding loud', Go straight pipes/dual exhaust, with tubes a quarter inch smaller than the factory ones. If they're too loud, after that, then put in some straight through glass-packs. Stay away from the integrated head if you can, (the one with the intake manifold cast as part of the head, because (twice). because first; is a valve job on the integrated costs triple what it does otherwise. and you can't put multis on that intake manifold. because second; there are a lot of aftermarket speed equipment for the 250/292 with non-integrated head; (exhausts headers, dual/triple/fourbarrel intakes, are the same for the 250 and the 292)
To add a little to B29chevy's advice... ...if it does have an integrated head, don't despair. The head can be retrofitted with an older type that uses a seperate manifold. The 292 is quite a valuable engine, and a good runner is well worth a head swap if needed.
Hey Guys, Thanks so much for the advice... this is my first real hotrod I would be buying so any help is useful. Heres a pic of what the engine looks like, and the exhaust. I dont know what is has for exhaust, the guy selling it said it is quiet and doesn't have glasspacks.
Squirrel Are you like a walking encyclopedia of car fact or do you have a data base of car facts on your computer ...how do you know these things? 292 with dual exaust and glass packs should sound very "hot rod" Drive it find out if it's enough power for you ! Don't pull it for the sake of putting in a 350
It does have glasspacks from the looks of it. Also, you already have an aftermarket intake there with a four barrle carb, so it's not an integral manifold engine. The HEI is another nice bonus too. With those trinkets on it, the 292 should run real, real well. They pull hard stone stock. Mine came out of a C60 dumptruck. The guy used to carry 5 yards of dirt in the bed and pull a backhoe on a trailer behind the truck. All with a stock 292.
Thanks Louver, Yes exactly what I have been telling myself. I want the hotrod sound but will not street race or drive too fast. Hopefully that 292 will be just fine
Yea thats exactly what I thought!! It looks like glass packs. The guy I am talking to about the car is selling it for his friend so maybe he doesnt know those are glasspacks. He said the car sounded quiet though. Wow thats intense for a stock 292 to perform that load. Thanks again for the advice
The car I'm looking to buy runs, but hasn't really been road tested. I wonder if those are glasspacks and the guy said it sounded quiet because he did not rev up the engine... Would the exhaust sound somewhat quiet with glasspacks if it isnt reved up hard?
Boston54, The pic shows you have the right head. To get the right sound, either get a set of cast iron headers,, or split the stock cast iron manifold. The choice of straight pipes depends on the law in your area. Duals is definitely the way to go. A glasspack on singles sounds like one big long fart. The 292 is pretty much an anvil.A little gear is all you will probably need, if you drive as you intimated. If you want to go fast there are guys on here who can and will advise how to get there. Gemini EFI
The Jalopy Journal
