The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 292 woes

I am mocking up a 292 motor for my 52 g m c half ton to fit on a 1950 Chevy Chassis. The truck was in pieces when I bought it. It looks like the radiator support bolts to the crossmember that is under the front of the engine, which means the engine needs to come up about an 1 1/2 inches to clear the support. I have the rear Trans mount bolted, the bell housing is clearing the center crossmember. I have read a bunch of threads on this, but I'm still freaking out.

Upon further investigation, it appears I will need the front crossmember from the GMC chassis as it is much different from the Chevy. That looks like it will also make the rad mount further forward. I still don't know about the rad support installation. I have a GMC repop support but no mounting hardware and I can't find pictures in any of my catalogs.
Does anyone have pictures of a GMC front end????

I'm a bit confused. A 292 is a Chevrolet truck engine. A 1952 GMC is a truck. A 1950 Chevy chassis is a car chassis.
Are you wanting to put a GMC truck engine in a car or a Chevrolet truck 292 engine in a car?
Or, is the 50 Chevy chassis a 1950 Chevrolet truck chassis?
Or/and, is the 50 Chevy chassis a 1950 Chevrolet truck chassis upon which will be a Chevrolet 292 engine upon which will sit a 1952 GMC truck body?

The front crossmember supports the radiator yoke which holds the radiator.
The yoke is the "anchor" for the front clip (fenders, inner fenders, hood, etc.).
If you relocate the crossmember and/or the yoke, you bring on many headaches (alignment issues) later.
You can move the radiator itself (brackets etc.) forward for clearance issues.
The front crossmember is riveted-in. For safety, it is important that it be in good condition and not modified.

The 292 is a side mount engine. You can use/modify V8 mounts (I recall that the 292 mounts are staggered, one higher than other, please check).

You didn't mention what drivetrain you have and if the rear axle angle is correct.

Also, the 292 is a 12 volt engine and a 1952 GMC is 6 volt. The 292 will have a starter solenoid versus the older foot starter.
The 1952 GMC will have mechanical oil pressure and water temperature gauges (a fragile Bourdon tube). Adapt and reuse or buy new gauges for the 292.

Yes, I tend to make things confusing.
1952 GMC truck is what I started with. It came with a 292 motor that was installed but I believe was never ran, and a drive shaft that was cut half way through, and a chassis that was butchered too.
So I found a 1950 Chevy truck Chassis with a good rear end and drive shaft. So my intention was to put the GMC body on the chevy chassis, wanting to keep it semi original at least in appearance.
I took a tape measure and compared both chassis. The only difference is the front crossmember. They are both riveted in identically. So I am going to swap them and hopefully everything will work out. Since the 292 is longer, it will probably ride slightly over and into the radiator support, that will require additional fabrication. I still haven't found a picture of the GMC radiator support in place.

There are three lengths of water pumps that fit a 292. 194,230,250, and 292 all use the same bolt pattern.
Only the 292 has the extra bypass hose, but unless you have it in a big truck that is going to haul heavy loads, than the bypass is unnecessary.
I have put 292’s in a couple of these with the shortest pump, one in a 1950 Chevrolet truck, and I did not need or use a GMC crossmember.

"I still haven't found a picture of the GMC radiator support in place."
How's this? 1952 GMC.

Very helpful picture. But it looks like the support is attached to the farthest holes to the front and not where the motor mount is. So the motor mount yoke has only the motor attached to it and not the support too, correct? But my rad support has a hole pattern identical to the motor mount holes, not the farthest to the front holes. The GMC is pretty much the same as in the picture, just a little different shape

Dave, the only reason I'm using the GMC crossmember is because it's a GMC truck body and the radiator supports are different from the Chevy so I need to use that cross member from the GMC so all the body parts line up.. How can I find out which water pump has the shortest shaft?

Dave, the only reason I'm using the GMC crossmember is because it's a GMC truck body and the radiator yoke is different from the Chevy so I need to use that cross member from the GMC so all the body parts line up. And double checked the holes and they do line up, just didn't know how it all bolted up. The pictures set me straight. Sometimes I get something in my head and I can't get rid of it!

How can I find out which water pump has the shortest shaft?

It was many years ago when I did that swap, but I think you could go to the parts store and compare pumps. Seems like the 194 Nova pump is what I used.
I also used a flat faced flex fan.

Paul,

When you buy a water pump for the 292, it needs to be for a 292. The 194, 230, and 250 pumps will bolt to the 292, but they will not properly cool the engine. The 292 water pump has a larger diameter impeller on the back.

When looking for a "short" 292 water pump, search 1978 C20 pickup with the 292 engine. Here is an example: 1978 C20 292 Water Pump

I hope this helps.

David

Edit: The pump from the 1978 C20 is the shortest I have been able to find.

It is up to you, but I used the smaller cube engine water pump in a 1940 passenger car and a 1950 truck with no heating problem.

Thanks again for all the input, I'm a little way from that but I will post outcomes

I have a 51 GMC half ton frame with the crossmember you want. I'm going to be modifying that frame for a different purpose and the crossmember will be removed in the process. PM me if you're interested- - - -the PC Patrol gets their manties in a wad when we start discussing horsetrading parts anywhere except the swap meet forum.
Jerry

Thanks Jerry. I have the piece too. Just have to remove it and reinstall it. Easier said than done