Big 292 Chevy sixes?

I have a 292 for sale brand new has been completely rebuilt from top to bottom

 

I had one in my speedster. Paid $100 for it, with a money back guarantee if I was not satisfied. I never went back for my money. It moved the little car around great. I really miss that car.

 

I had read somewhere that the later blocks were made in Mexico and weren't good.Any truth to that?

 

No idea on that but a lot of GM blocks were made in Mexico about the end of the run for the 292. Mine's a 68 that came in a truck that was bought 170 miles away, driven over the pass to Sunnyside wa, pulled the next day and dropped off at my buddy's house that same day, the next day it was sitting in my shop. There isn't a place on it that didn't leak oil though.

 

Ive got a few 292,s in my hoard. My wifes 66 chevy C20 her daddy bought new has a 292 4 speed and 456 gears. She hauled 6500 pounds of feed on a weekly basis with it. Once they miscounted and she hauled 7500 pounds! Me I prefer to use the 250 six. That 292 will pull a mountain. And it will also guzzle gas. The 292 has bigger diameter fly wheel bolts. a offset engine mount and is taller than th 250. The 250 will pull any load the 292 will if you don't mind downshifting on the steep grades. The 292 you can take off in high gear if you want.

 

Love those inliners. So easy to work on

 

In ‘69 my dad brought a brand new 1/2 ton Chevy with a 292. It was a torque monster but would use quite a bit more gas than a 250 he had on a ‘66, a few years back.

 

False, the 292 blocks cast in Mexico are the best ones to get. The cylinders are quite a bit thicker in those blocks compared to the US cast 292 blocks.

 

My understanding is, that the 292 was optional in the Chevy and (for certain, Canadian) GMC trucks, starting in 1967. I had a stock Canadian built 1967 GMC which had the 292 as the original engine. The torque was great, the mileage wasn't.
The jippo logging company I worked for in the late 50s, used ex military GMC trucks including a couple of 6x6s. Most, if not all, of them had the GMC 302 engines, which were very reliable torque monsters. In a lot of cases, we were hauling on corduroy roads, which required very low speeds and a lot of torque. They were the perfect engine for this job and made me a GM fan for life.
Bob

 

Thanks,that's good to know.

 

When was production shifted to Mexico? Would a Mexican block take a 1/8" overbore making it 4.00"?

 

I am interested in this discussion. I have three 292 long blocks and have been having difficulty deciding what to do with them.

Ray

 

Ray,
Any of them Mexican?

 

I don't know at the moment...had not looked. But I will check. They are in my shop, but I have a full day tomorrow away from home and will not be able to do much about it before Tuesday...but I am now curious too. Will post what I find as soon as I look.

Ray

 

That was a 9 year old post you replied to. And, it isn't accurate.

The 292 (RPO L25) was optional equipment on C/K10 and above from 1963-1972, and on C/K20 and above from 1973-1986.

1987 was the last year for the "C10" (renamed R10 for the transition year while the 1988+ body style was being readied for the assembly line. Suburbans and Blazers remained the previous body style until 1991, and they wanted to avoid confusion with the C1500/2500/3500 numbering for the new body style... thus "R").

 

a bone yard in central Alabama has 2 early 70s buses with 292s in them
probably pick em up cheap

 

Do you know if they are clearly marked with the word 'Mexico'...or if it is a particular casting code?

Ray

 

They are clearly marked made in Mexico. The one I have is.

 

for sale

 

Back when I was first married 45 years ago I worked at a rock crusher. They had a 63 3/4 ton that they had bought new. used it to haul dynamite from the magazine to the blast site. It was about ten years old and had never been washed except for the rain since new. The 292 was a grease ball like the third one pictured. But it ran and pulled great.

 

WOLF!! that is known as a protective coating, a few swipes of a paper towel and it will look like New.

 

Where on the block is it marked?

 

It will say in large letters on the side "Hecho in Mexico".

 

You will just have to sonic check the actual block, but most i've sonic checked were about .100" thicker on the major thrust side(and everywhere else) than a non-Mexican block. We preferred these for our race engines that we used. Our fastest engine was a Mexican block and we nicknamed it Julio.

 

What about building a 261?

 

Would never waste my time or money on a 235-261, but I have all the respect in the world for a guy who chooses to build one and make it run. For every dollar you spend on a 261 you coulda spent 50 cents on a 292 and made twice the power.

 

Or an SBC at 25 cents and twice again the power. (Said by a guy running a 250 I spent too much on.)

 

Got around to checking my 292 blocks......all USA produced.......two #328578 ('73-'84 production ) and one 3921970 ('63-'76 prod.), according to info I found on line.

Ray

 

I'm running a 292 in my roadster - '63 block. On my first build I didn't have any luck going the Mexican block route so sought out an early USA block for the current build and glad I did. Was able to wring out a 13.20 @ 101mph with it.