Steel rods will still need to have the cam barrel notched for clearance as well. The factory 292 cams were, so using a non-292 core to start with can be an issue if you don't think of that ahead of time. Plus using a non-292 cam core places the fuel pump eccentric in the wrong place for the fuel pump on the engine block, and places the eccentric too close to a connecting rod and can cause issues there also if used in a 292. Steel billet rods are about twice the cost of what a set of aluminum ones are. In aluminum rods there are good and bad quality ones, so don't be persuaded by cost, good alumiunum ones are about $800-$850 a set. Aluminum rods also require much more clearancing than steel rods do to the block, camshaft and sometimes the oil pump and pan rail on the oil pan itself. If those are things you cant do yourself, you can tie up another couple hundred bucks in labor to have that done, and can make the billet steel rods a little more appealing and cost effective at that point.
