Ironically I am where I am with the engine from comments on here. I was told the mileage isn't great, and that I wouldn't like the engine. Of course this was after buying it, and it was bought for a specific purpose, and that was for highway cruising as the main goal. My Pop told me about the 292 and the torque monster it is. So I thought, "Great! This engine will work for what I am wanting to do.", as torque is my main goal to be able to push those gears and propel the truck in any situation. I was ready to install it in 2019. Then the comments made me question my purchase, and I didn't want my mileage to drop from 12-14 to 6-8, 10 if I was lucky. So, I did a bunch of research, bought parts for the sole purpose of having a torque plateau, not having the torque drop-off. The dyno charts show the torque dropping off beginning around 3,000. We all know an engine needs to be revved at certain times to get moving, pull a hill in a lower gear, etc. Having never driven a vehicle with a 292, the only vehicle to get a feel for on L6 is my Jeep, and I like the way the Jeep performs. I figured I could, with a spot of luck, get the 292 to perform similar to the 4.0. Having already done a ton of number crunching for the Jeep to get the gear ratio correct for the tire size I went with, all to get the rpms back to what the factory had them at with 3.55 gears and tiny tires. I used the same approach to get the end goal of my truck to be somewhat close to what the Jeep does on the road. The Jeep does weigh more than the truck does, so they should be close performance-wise. I'll have 8 forward gears, really only 6 because granny low is not used for taking off unless loaded down or towing something heavy, so I should be able to get the sweet spot at any speed, loaded or unloaded, and still have some extra mid-top if I need it. That was my approach, and after the online conversations, I realize it may be a giant flop. But then again, it may end up being exactly what I was striving for. It was definitely not intended to be a hotrod speed demon truck, although, if I am on the highway, I need to be able to keep up with traffic to some extent.
I never thought of a 250, but after all my research, a 250 is a valid option and can be modified using sbc parts. I can't find a 250, but if one surfaces I may buy it, build it with a similar mindset, and see how it does. We'll see. It's only money, right...lol... For some reason my money trees that I get from the nursery keep dying no matter how I care for them, sad.
