ok, I did a search using every term and combo I could think of, found very little to nothing detailing what should be done to these inline critters. I have a non integrated head 68 model hoping to drop it in a 48 willys w/ a 4 speed. as in: how much can they be bored? any other chevy pistons fit w/ bore job? rods to use? cam? I plan on installing a volvo turbo off their hotrod 5 cyl. and maybe a small 4 barrel, what would you build this 250 with to handle 8-10# of boost.
not sure about hop-up options--as i recall, that engine has the same bore as a 283, but a longer stroke. as far as a turbo is concerned, there is a truck exhaust manifold with a 2-1/2" outlet that might be a cheap way to go.
You want/need Leo Santucci's book on these engines..... Inline Six Cylinder Engine Power Manual..........everything you ever wanted to know, or could imagine asking, is in there.........currently on Amazon and other venues...motorbooks, etc. Ray
ditto on leo's book. but, you'll spend the same amt. on building a 292 as a 250, so go with the extra cubes.
Go to Inliners International and start reading & asking questions. There are some guys there that are very knowledgeable about the Chevy straight six.
For what you want to do, you would be better off using a Buick V6 that came with a supercharger. The Chev 6 is a good, strong engine and they look good and work well in a light car like a 50 Chev. But there is not much point spending a lot of money on a hop up when you can get a V8.
You could hang out here : http://www.sissellautomotive.com/engine parts.htm#Piston:32Anchor and hope for a winning lottery ticket, you will probably want to swap to an earlier style head first off and you might find some info here:http://www.stovebolt.com/
Following that logic, all men should be looking only for gorgeous, large chested, blonde women. I've 'observed' some very good performing, attractive, intelligent and quite companionable ladies who wouldn't exactly meet the above criteria, but it would have been a mistake to disregard them. You say 'toe may toe', I say 'toe mah toe'. Ray
In the interest of spending your money once, find a current copy of Leo Santucci's "Power Manual" (ISBN-10: 1931128278). While I don't have one, or an engine of that family (newer, OT, Chevy I6 and older GMC I6) over on inliners it is held in high regard for those engines as Leo documents what he has done successfully on those in competition, and most importantly what didn't work or survive.
No, the gorgeous large chested type are usually too costly to purchase and hard to maintain,,, Love to see Chev inline engines in early hot rods, less clearance issues with exhaust to steering especially in a RHD car. I would like to fit a Ford 300 in a model A highboy on 32 rails but can get tight with a ford 6 engine in a RHD car. There is actually a turbo manifold available in Sth America to bolt a Turbo directly onto a 230/250/292
Hi. check with some of the following companies. I got a lot of my engine upgrads for my 57 chevy 235 we just finished installing in my 46 coupe. I know Clifford offers a lot of stuff for the 250 as well. http://www.cliffordperformance.net/ Contact them and they will send a paper catalog but everything is on their website. Clifford offers both a single& dual 4 barrell intake for these. I went with the dual intake with the adapter plates for 2 of the 2 barrell Webers. Cliffords intakes are water heated for heat rizers and with the water chamber on bottom of intake making it deeper you must run the shorty tube style headers for clearance. they offer a combo that can include manifold, carb, linkage, & shorty headers for your engine. http://www.langdonsstovebolt.com/ they also have a paper catalog Both of the above will welcome phone calls if you need info. They were both very helpful on helping me set up my 235. Autowerks has an absolutely awesome finned valve cover for your 250 & they are on the HAMB. I wish they would make a mould for the 235 engines & I would get one right dang quick. http://12bolt.com/250292_products/finned_250-292_valve_cover Are you going to be at or part of the AACA Texas tour at Tomball starting on the 16 of April? If time allows I would like to get up for a bit to see your shop. Jimmie
A ford 300 or Chevy 250 or 292 is well worth swapping in if you want to run an Inline 6. I've been running a 292 for about 20 years and really like the simplicity and uniqueness. You get plenty of power and torque to do just about anything you want. Some drag race them but most just cruise with them. Very reliable and they have the "Kool" factor at car shows. View attachment 2871239 View attachment 2871239
The best upgrade for the 250 is to swap it out for a 292. All the same except the engine mount on the pass side is in slightly different position and the engine is a hair taller. I put one in my 37 Chevy PU with a 390 Holley 4 bbl and minor internal mods. Sweet combo and not your rubber stamp sbc mill. Gobs of torque and you can wind the piss out of it.
For a compression boost, use true flat top pistons from a 307ci Chevrolet. This will bump it about 1 point. What out for the universal fit 307 pistons, they have a large chamfer around the edge and extra valve reliefs which lowers the compression back down.
OR, you can use the propane gas pistons that are a true flat top with NO valve reliefs (finding them is the hard part). I recently bought a Clifford 6+8, 4 barrel intake manifold, and a set of their tube headers; I say tube headers because cast iron headers are also available. They're both NEW, but dusty from sitting. I would turbocharge it using an SPA exhaust manifold from Brasil, where they use that setup in trucks. 1968 edition of Hot Rod Magazine has an article where they turbocharge a 66 Olds F-85 2 door sedan, throw a 4-speed in it, and some 3.90 gears and were running 13's with it! An HEI distributor is far better than the points unit. Lots of stuff can be done to these 6 cylinder engines for some impressive results, and it's a different thing to do anymore. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
thats like me saying you can do better reliability and power if you swap your pan motor for an evo. we all know your keeping the pan no matter what. I dont want to drag race with it, I have big blocks etc etc, I was curious about mods for the 250 because I have one. I know the standard buy off the shelf manifold companies, I am more looking tips and tricks that would have been and still are being done to the chevy 6. I also know it takes forged goodies to run boost, so i should have left that out in my request, I am more interested to find out other parts that interchange for the positive end result.
There should be some dry lake or Bonneville guys who build some bad ass 292 or 302 with a blower, and those guys knows the pros and cons of those engines. But it's not that hard doing some that improves that old mill you got. Back in the day it was very common to just take a stock mill and go creative and if you blew it up you found the weak link. It should be very simple to make a setup that will work, and last with out making it all rocket science. A Volvo T5 turbo should work great and a stock mill from the Smog era is a good candidate for Pressure work. Now you gust need to find a carb you can blow true or swap that turbo for one that you can blow fuel true. A turbo from a Diesel truck will work good. Now the question is if you wants to run a old school setup with old stuff or you just want to run a junkyard special that works but needs to be underhood setup/hidden. Why do you want other pistons, are you going all in on race parts, or is you motor broken before you start to work on it.
I went a little creay with a 292. I sent it out and had the heads decked and flow ported (lumps installed) The bottom end has LP gas pistons and is all rebuilt. I have an Offenhauser 4 barrel and a new Edelbrock Carb. I probably put $4000. in it and still don't have a project for it. If you have any questions there are a few people on here that are running them. I don't know if you can get a lot of information but there are a couple forums.
I would't worry too much about a cast piston in a 250 six. ALL 250 Chevrolet six cylinders have cast, dished pistons. 307 flat top pistons can also be used, but have 4 valve reliefs. The propane gas pistons are getting a bit hard to find, and have no reliefs. The biggest drawback to building them is the siamesed intake ports; it's fairly easy to remove the bolt boss that interferes with the port, and install a lump port kit that redirects the intake charge into the combustion chamber. And speaking of chambers, the 194 six head with a casting number of 3864883 has a combustion chamber of 60-62 CC's, the smallest available; that head with a .060 milling will bring the CR of a 250 with dished pistons to 10:1. Larger SBC valves, and spring kits can be used. I'd still turbocharge a 250, but that exhaust manifold is around $600.00 alone. Find a copy of the Hot Rod Magazine I mentioned, and you'll see they used a stock exhaust manifold and built everything else themselves. The turbocharger itself came from a Corvair Spider engine, and was a bit small, but a 66 Olds F-85 sedan (Cutlass/442 body style ) , with a turboed 250 six,4-speed, 3.90 rear end, running in the 13 second bracket is pretty impressive, especially in 1968. But5, thyen again, we had far better gasoline back then. I've seen a tri-power intake setup that was made using a stock intake manifold; that should be fairly easy to make save for the linkage. There is also a factory 292 exhaust manifold that splits the cylinders 3/3 for dual exhaust. All the cam companies make cams for the 194, 215, 230, 250, 292 sixes. Years ago, I made a "joke" about guys wanting to build up their six cylinder engines, and referred to them as "six maniacs", and "registered six offenders"; there is now a six cylinder group now called the Six Offenders, here on the HAMB. I am Butch/56sedandelivery. Just an FYI. There's currently a guy selling two "slightly built" 250 sixes here in the classifieds.
Hey, what is your final driving style and what are you looking for a final result? Top speed or just being able to say you hot rodded a 250 six? You can also simply call Tom at Stovebolt. If you want to just be able to go fast, most of that is in the gearing, and using a T5 and rear end gearing will get you there, easy. My favorite Firebird is a '68 250 Sprint engine, and it rock and rolls! Highway speed is no issue at all, and I drove it from Detroit to Chattanooga and rallied it And then drove it home. But Tom is an excellent source if you simply want to do that engine up
Is that you? That is a nice mill! There is a lot of ways to do a six, but there is no bad way to do six! I've got a lot of respect for a fire breathing six. They can really be made to perform. There is a good thread on here about proud Six owners, and some neat story's about V8 guys got there @ss handed to them, by a six. I see if I can find it. A six get more respect at car shows, then a SBC. It has to be some V8 to out focus a well build stovebolt. Edit: search ; okay, why, an inliner?
Went down this road just recently, I had a 230, got the crank for a 250, 307 pistons, good cam, mostly spend your time and money on the head. Pretty much the same advice everyone else has given here. Tlowe on this site (or go to his 12bolt.com) builds heads with all the work done and sells them. Trust me it's cheaper to buy it from him than to build one yourself, which is one of the mistakes I made. It all really is in the Leo Santuccci book which is pretty much "the how to guide" to make these little power plants sing including forced induction, but it will cost you double the cash to make the hp over a SBC FYI, but I think the uniqueness is worth it.
Funny but this post came up when I opened my computer this morning! It might just be time to get it into a A frame?
The Jalopy Journal
