Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines simple 292 questions

1. What interchanges between a 292 and a 350 small block?
2. Are the motor mounts on the 292 the same as a 350? Will engine swap mounts for a 350 work on a 292?
3. How well will a 292 propel a jeep,like a cj8 (a longer cj7)? (the 292 would be equipped with a four barrel, dual exhaust, and a cam)
4. Would 3.73 gears work well with 31 inch tires on a jeep with a 292?
5. What kind of passing power would I have?
6. What would be a good transmission choice if I couldn't find a adapter from a 350 to a jeep transmission?
7. What is a safe redline for a 292?
8. And, finally, what would fuel mileage be with a mild 292, 3.73s, and 31s? I dont need an exact answer, just a good guess from some real 6 cylinder guys.

I apreciate you guys answering my questions. I'm just planning out my next project so I can have something good to ride back and forth to high school with. Thanks a lot.
-Jake

I'll answer what I can based on my experience and perspective and let the experts handle the rest.

1. Nothing really. The two engines share no internal or external common parts. The only thing they share is the bellhousing pattern. So any transmission you put behind a 350 will also fit behind the 292.

2. I'm not sure here, but I don't believe that the 350 motor mounts will fit the 292.

3. The 292 works great in a Jeep CJ7/Wrangler. Especially when equipped with the extras you mentioned and a rock-crawling SM420-465 transmission.

4. It depends on the first gear of the transmission in the Jeep. If you have an SM420 or SM465 then the setup you mentioned would work perfectly. Likewise with some of the 4.03 first gear T5s.

5. I can't answer this one.

6. The twice mentioned SM420 or SM465 would work great with the 292.

7. Safe redline? For a 292 with a mild cam, 4 barrel and headers, properly balanced bottom end and stock pistons I wouldn't be afraid to turn 4500 rpms and maybe an occasional bump to 5k probably won't hurt things. Remember that the 292 is a 4 1/8 inch stroke engine with a 73 pound crankshaft and very heavy rotating assembly that's not built for high rpms (heavy, low compression pistons, long rods). It's not designed to spin fast.

8. In your jeep you'd probably get 11-13 mpg, properly tuned on the highway with 3.73 gears at 55-60 mph.

Hope this helps. Others with more experience than myself will be able to give you better answers.

-magic mike-

Thanks for the info Mike. Can you put any valve in a 292 that you can put in a 350? I read somewhere you could use the same valves, rockers, pushrods and a few other things that go on a 350 will fit a 292.
What would my horsepower be with a four barrel, dual exhaust, and a cam on a 292? 200 or more?

I really apreciate you guys for helping me out. You learn as much off of here as you do reading repair manuals!

You know Jake you bring up some good questions that makes me realize I did not properly answer your first question. Some of the small block valves will interchange with the 292. I've heard of people using 2.02 intake and 1.6 exhaust sized valves in the 6 cylinder head. And I know that some of the small block roller rocker arms will fit the 292.

In fact, here's a set right here that will fit. Enjoy!

-magic mike-

a 1.7 1.75 1.8 Are Not small Block Rockers They are Big Block And the Ones You have the Link to Mike are of 7/16 Studs and Will Not work with the Stock Studs. Stock stud are only 3/8.AND Most small Rockers are the Wrong size (ratio) Now as to the Valves Yes many Have used the 2.02 But are Not the Best thing to be Doing Esp. On a Daily driver But Most Of all You Will need to Unshroud It BIG time to get it to Flow and Then Your Not talkig Much more flow over a 1.94 When It come to MPGs. I'm sure the 2.02 would Really Hurt. And NO Vthing/v8 push rods they will NOT WORK.

Now as for your combo 200 hp can be a very fair guess as to your new HP out put would be over stock. hope this helps }[oooooo]

Jake,

Listen to Twisted6/Larry. He really knows what he's talking about here with many years of experience in racing/building 250s and 292s.

Thanks for setting it straight Larry!

-magic mike-

Thank you for the answers. I have another question that you guys can answer. How do mild 292's spin tires? Hehe I like to spin my tires once in a while. Dad's Gmc with the 6.0 is just plain fun to spin with.

I have a mild 292 (194I/204E;.464I/.490E lift cam, 4 bbl headers, HEI) in a 1966 shortbed stepside pickup with a 4 speed. I also have an 11 inch clutch (stock was 10 inch).

With no load in the bed spinning the tires is as easy as revving to 2k and letting off the clutch - it's effortless. That's on dry pavement. I'm not sure what would happen if I revved to 4k or so and "popped" the clutch but I'm sure the U-joints won't like it! :p

-magic mike-

THATS WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR!!!!!

...I also need to mention that I have a relatively low geared rear end (3.73) and low first gear (3.09) too. That makes a difference.

Also the .73 overdrive allows me to cruise 2500 rpms at 75 on the interstate, but that's another discussion.

-magic mike-

what kind of engine is the 292 in general, like how quick does it rev up? It won't take off like a small block i know, but, if you were to punch it on a straight stretch of road, how quick would it take to get up to speed? I am

Well it's an engine with a long stroke (4 1/8 inches) and a very heavy rotating assembly (73+/- pound crank, heavy cast rods & heavy, low compression pistons). The engine is really built for low speed, high endurance work (not quick revving, high rpm racing) and low rpms is where it shines best.

Best thing you can do for a reliable, daily driving, street 292, in my opinion, is to use the stock crank and rods with the LPG pistons or lighter weight aftermarket pistons that put the compression ratio at no more than 9:1. Add to that a mild performance cam, small 4 bbl (or 2 barrel) carb, and a set of Stovebolt headers. You'll have a strong pulling engine that'll accelerate any passenger car or light duty passenger truck into any traffic situation, yet do fairly decent on the gas mileage.

If you want optimum mileage and efficiency, go with an HEI ignition and maybe an MSD box, plus do an extensive port and polish of the head. The extensive work (and expense) of a lump port head is not really necessary to build a strong reliable daily driver.

Several people have built 292s that turn 7000+ rpms, but they of course are strictly for racing. Our own "Mighty 6" has a truck that eats v8 for lunch! And years ago drag racers Jim Headrick and Cotton Perry built a 292 that put out (so it's said) over 650 HP. Mike Kirby has a drag racer that has twin 292s (that's right two engines) that puts out over 1400HP (or 700 HP per straight six). So the 292 can be built to go VERY fast and run VERY competitively with well built small and big block v8s. But that type performance is not for the faint of heart (and pocket!).

My personal preference is to run a 4 speed manual transmission and have a combination of transmission/rear end gearing that allows for a 9.5:1 overall take-off ratio and a 2.6 or 2.7 overall top gear ratio. You'll be able to pull strong off the line and still cruise at 75-80 mph on the interstates.

-magic mike-