Inliners International Forums General Discussion Hi Performance 292 .080 over piston nightmare

So here's the deal, I got a hold of a 292 that had been built up as a drag motor. I thought it would be a great fit for my 63 Chevy pickup and have been working on making it a bit more civilized for street use. I've replaced the cam with a Clifford unit, I installed a stock oil pan and pickup instead of a modified high capacity version, and now I've come to the real problem at the heart of the engine.

The engine came with cast domed pistons that use a Dykes top ring and a funky 1/8th inch bottom ring. while I was able to machine most of the dome off of the pistons, I have had a heck of a time finding rings. The engine came reconditioned but the guy that did it put stock rings in which will not work. I could get a custom set made for a couple of hundred dollars but it would be overkill for my application (a hot street motor).

So here is my question; I have a bore that is now very near 4 inches, does anyone know of any pistons used in other engines that will work in the 292? For that matter does any one know of a place that sells stock 292 pistons .080 thousandths over? The biggest I can find is .060.

I'd like to think that there is a cheaper alternative than spending a couple hundred on custom rings for beat up old pistons. any thoughts?

well a couple hunderd for rings isn't that bad,when you think about a set of custom piston will run you at the very Least 500 bucks Plus the rings.
1 question I have is How thick is the top/dome area of the Piston now?? Was the piston a solid dome? or what they called a Hollow dome?( where from the under side it looked dished)

.080 over is also getting the cylinder walls thin for street use. what is wrong with the existing rings? tom

E-bay
Item number: 150121471375
292 CHEVY GMC Truck Straight 6 Pistons Set 080

Dear Lost;

The 292s were "de-tuned" at GM as a 'SMOG' maneuver (compression lowered) back then; as were many other Mfg. engines. There were 'replacements' for a while, but not now.

You really should get a forged set (flat top) like Larry mentioned. The ones on e-bay are cast and dished.

See what they say at Ross.

Good luck.

PS: Make sure the block face hasn't been 'cut off' before you order anything.

You might consider having the block sleeved to a std available size. Might turn out to be a better street motor.