Scott, I'm kinda leaning towards your thinking at this point. I want to check compression for a little more peace of mind (or un-peace). If it indicates problematic areas then I'll do a leak down. The hard starts with warm engine also trouble me. Two days this week she didn't want to start after making a pit stop. Cold starts are fine.
I came across another complete 292 here in town so think I'll rebuild for more H.P. and hopefully better mileage. Gotta call the machine shop and get estimates and turn-around time to see if it's feasible right now.
