I had a couple questions on buying a 292 Chevy engine: Its complete with intake, carb, distributor, alternator, exhaust manifold (and air cleaner, ha!) The guy who has it doesn't know if it runs (he bought it for a project, never used it) So he told me he wasn't sure if it would run. I asked if he stored it in a garage, he said "No" but it was kept covered. The guy didn't seem like he was trying to pull the wool over my eyes, he just really does not know the history. So is there anything I should look for? Is $250 a good price for a 292? (hard to answer with out the history I'm sure) Is there any obvious differences between a 250 and a 292? ( like the side cover height?) He said it was a 292 but he was going off of the first seller's word. Said it came from a 70's blazer. Any help would be great thanks!
side cover is much taller than other 6's and I don't think 292's came in passenger type vehicles. I think they were in large trucks like grain trucks and the like.
A 292 has staggered motor mounts, the passenger side mount is farther ahead. All other Chev 6's have the mounts straight across from each other.
Only advice I have when buying any engine is to hear it run before you buy it. Or at least do a compression test. You can run an engine on the floor. Hook up a battery, a fuel line to the fuel pump and stick the line in a can of gas. If the engine needs to have a trans or bellhousing mounted to it to mount the starter, take your own if you can. If you can't hear/see it run, you're taking a chance. Sometimes it works out...sometimes not. Some people will say anything. It's up to you to find out for yourself.
$250 is probably too much without hearing it run. The 292 did come in trucks and Suburbans, not just big trucks. They are pretty easy to rebuild and kits aren't too expensive. They do have a 292 only damper, but it can be rebuilt. Good luck, they are cool engines.
I had a 292 in my 67 gmc panel truck,I loved it, it would just fry the tires off. I drove it none stop from Delaware to Phx in 47 hours and at 75mph. Great engine !
I'm going to check out the Engine tomorrow after work. If I have to take a chance on it, without hearing it run or being able to check compression, how much should I offer? $100? $50? I don't want to insult the guy but I don't want to end up with a $250 brick. I don't want a $100 or $50 brick either ha ha. but at the very least I could use it to mock up my engine mounts I suppose...I understand I'd be taking a big chance I'm hoping he understands that as well. We will see
My wife has a 66 chev 3/4 ton that her daddy bought new in december of 65. 292 4speed and 456 gears. She would commonly haul 7500 pounds of feed in it no problem. those 292,s will out pull most V8,s. They also use a lot of gas. On some the flywheel had larger diameter crankshaft bolts. you need to be shure and get the correct flywheel.
Well even with a running engine you cant tell if the block or head are cracked,myself for $200 I would take the chance, but I would also be rebuilding it anyway, if you want something to drop in and go, that gets a bit riskier.
My experience is mostly with Ford and Chevy V-8's, I have never rebuilt a 292. But back in the early '70's I had a friend with I think a '68 3/4 ton Chevy that used to run AMA district 37 desert races. My best friend and I would follow him and another friend in the Barstow to Las Vegas Hare and Hound desert race. To keep up with the race bikes between pit stops you would have to run 85-90 on I-15 to beat them to the next pit. That Chevy probably had 4:11 or better rear gears. It didn't have a tach but my ear would tell me it was doing better than 4 grand at 85-90 for about 40 miles between pit stops. My opinion is they are a great engine. But if it doesn't run it is worth the price of iron.
Knowledge is power!!! Do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of Leo Santucci's book, Chevrolet Inline Six-Cylinder Power. All the questions you will ever have about the subject are covered in it. Trust me. Instead of asking questions, you will know enough to answer a few questions yourself.
A lot of guys would say that $300 is about the going rate for most core engines. If you get it for $250 and it runs good, you did real good. Offer him $150, explaining that you ARE taking a chance, and see how it goes. Maybe he'll take it, maybe he'll meet you in the middle at $200.
A fellow from my home town has a late 60s K10 (4X4) with the 292( has the engine badges on the fender). It an original one owner pickup.
I had a 65 3/4 ton chevy with a 292 and as said ran like a wild dog, they put those motors in lots of trucks in the sixties and early seventies
Well here's the update.... I met up with the guy after work and I checked out the engine the best that I could. I am working out of state and so the nice thing about that was that it put me two hours closer to the engine than I was at home in Wyoming, the bad part about being away from home is that I'm living out of a hotel at the moment so I didn't have to opportunity to put some gas and spark to it.... So I made sure it had oil, it wasn't strangely colored which doesn't mean much but it at least had oil. There was bright green coolant in it, the oil filter didn't look decades old, the plug wires look relatively new and I was able to grab ahold of the balancer and give it a turn...So its not stuck. All these things are superficial but these were the only things I could do with what I had. So I took a chance I offered $150 and we settled on $200. So he helped me load it up and I hit the road....Gotta work tomorrow then drive 2 hours home so I'm anxious to see if I can get her to wake up a little with some gas and spark. Thanks for all your help and advice everyone. It is a 292 after all, offset mounts, taller side cover ect... I wouldn't have known what to look for with out some help. I'll take a pic in the morning but I'm sure you guys know what a 292 looks like, I'm just excited. I'll update again soon..hopefully with good news. thanks again
Most of the you-pick yards here get around $100-$150 for a motor plus charge a core fee - and you gotta do all the work to pull it - and that comes less starter, generator, carb/fuel intake, etc. - and on top of that, they drain the oil when it comes in, so you can't see it run either - so for your $200 you did well enough. Generally those inline sixes will run until the valves turn square, the college I went to one of the auto instructors had a hobby of bringing in running clunkers and seeing how long they'd run with a brick on the pedal... they had a Nova with a 250 in it and could not kill it. Drained the oil, put coolant in for oil, it would just run until it got so hot the pistons expanded in the bores enough to stop it... cool it down and it would run again.
YES!!!...lol. Good for you. Here's hoping it's a good runner for ya too! I've never owned one, but I've heard a lot of good about 'em. They're legendary. A buddy of mine said he had one with a 4spd in a Camaro. Said he was really surprised how much power it had.
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