I am looking to replace a 292 with another engine I found online, but I can't be sure what I am looking at. The engine has a block casting of 392 969 GM 56 or 58. The engine mounts don't look offset like the 292 I have, but the rest of the engine, from manifolds to oil filter, fuel pump to pushrod cover, is similar to my 292. Mostly I am just looking to see if this can be bolted in place of the 292, with maybe some mount modifications. Does anyone know how to read the casting numbers?
That's a 230 or a 250- - - -they run the same block casting number. A 250 has a longer stroke crankshaft. A 292 has a much taller pushrod cover and the oil pan to cylinder head measurement is taller. It will bolt to the same bellhousing as the 292, but you'll have to modify the engine mount position on the passenger's side. Throttle linkage, and probably the exhaust system will have to be modified to complete the swap. Put a borescope into a spark plug hole and look at the top of a piston. A 230 engine has flat tops and a 250 has about a 1/4" deep recess in the piston crown. You'll be seriously disappointed in the power loss, compared to a 292. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Casey - That appears to be a 230 or 250. Very similar to your 292, but as noted it has the non-offset motor mount points. When I zoom in on the pic showing the casting numbers, I think it actually should be 3821968 3921968.*
That block casting number in my resource info was used for 1967-70 230’s and 1967-79 250’s. There should be a casting date code on the same side of the block back by the starter area that can help towards figuring out which one. There should also be an alpha-numeric serial number stamped in the machined pad just to the rear of the distributor mount area. That will really help in confirming what it is.
Give us a bit more info to help you ID this engine.
Jerry beat me to push button - lol!
* Corrected mistyped casting number. Thanks for seeing that klhansen!
Last edited by Gdads51; 07/14/20241:59 PM. Reason: correct mistyped casting number
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
This Has 3921968 as a 64-76 Chevy/Olds 230-250. I'm pretty sure digit #2 is a 9 (not an 8 as Dan suggested), can't see a 1 in the #4 position (but I'll take Dan's word for it), and pretty confident that the last 3 digits are 968.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
Well nuts, I was hoping it was a 292... Sadly, my engine is in such dire straits, I probably will still see a rise in power. Is the 230/250 that big a loss, should I just try for a 350? This is mostly a patch job, i just need the truck to reliably operate in the short term, I plan to put a bigger engine off in the semi distant future.
I have installed a 350 in place of a 292. It's a real PITA, as the motor mount on the passenger's side must also be relocated to the same position as the one on a 250. Throttle linkage and exhaust will not fit. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
I drove nearly a thousand miles a couple of months ago, and six engines and a big radial drill press followed me home. I'm headed for Texas soon to pick up a 20 foot storage container with several engines and a bunch of other parts in it. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
This Has 3921968 as a 64-76 Chevy/Olds 230-250. I'm pretty sure digit #2 is a 9 (not an 8 as Dan suggested), can't see a 1 in the #4 position (but I'll take Dan's word for it), and pretty confident that the last 3 digits are 968.
Kevin thanks for catching that "9" thing in the casting number. Had a case of stubby-fingeritis - whoops. My resource book did say "3921968", I just mistyped it. I corrected my original reply above.
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
My resource book did say "3921968", I just mistyped it. I corrected my original reply above.