The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Book on Inliners

Inliners website tells about a book "Chevrolet Inline Six-Cylinder Power Manual". Says that it has info in building the 194, 215, 230, 250, 292 engines. I have ordered one from Amazon. Anyone else here have one, and what is your opinion?

Looks like it just came out in Dec 2001. I just ordered one also. Thanks for the info.

I have one Fred. If you're building a 292 for class drag racing, its excellent.Lots of photos of mega buck heads and intakes for 600 hp drag engines.Its not a rebuild manual, more of a listing of the parts that work and machine work tips from a guy who races one.There's good info in it for the build up of a hot street 6 also.

It is a good read whether you plan on warming up your L6 or not. Good information on the benefits and drawbacks between the 194/230/250 low deck motors and the 292 high deck motor. Almost like staying at a Holiday Inn Express . . . makes you feel smarter after you read it, but you still have dumb questions about how to take a motor apart. :rolleyes:

I mentioned this from Motorbooks recently and it sounded like was gonna be for the stovebolt six and was a reprint of old book. Then someone else here said it was for later sixes. I wanted one for the old six, dang! Maybe I'll have to get one of those too, just for the "entertainment" factor.

GL, it would be nice for someone to update one of the old stovebolt books. Dang books are as old as I am!

Ken, you're not supposed to have problems taking them apart, you save those moments for when you try to put it back together.

Got it apart, my garage floor is a mess, it was light enough for me to carry and set in the back of my burb for a trip into Portland.

When you get the engine down to pieces, they don't weigh that much. When I dismantled my 235, I put the entire engine in the trunk of my Bonnyville, but I cheated and set the parts in with the engine hoist. When I got to the machine shop, the kid asked where my engine was, and I told him it was in the trunk. He couldn't believe it.

I bought the book on the modern (194,230,250,and 292) sixes. It was great. Amazon.com also had a book on hotrodding Chevorlet (235) and GMC engines (1951 edition) and a Chevrolet and Buick speed manual (1954 edition). Both of the older books were very interesting, but I think time has passed most of the hot rod techniques by. However, it was interesting to note that you could get a cross flow head for a 235 in the 1950's, but you can't get one for a later series inline 6. Does anyone know of a source for a crossflow head for a 250?

Marshall, you can take two small block heads, cut and weld for a crossflow head for the 250/292. Haven't talked to anyone who has actually done it, though.

Marshall, One whole chapter of the new book talks about cross flow heads. Basically you have to make your own. There are several recommendations but the net result is you find some small block chevy heads you like and then you drill the block for 5 head bolts instead of the 4 that are stock, cut one combustion chamber off each head, weld them together and make custom intake and exhaust and other than that it's really quite simple! Oh and you'll need custom length push rods too.

Have fun
Darrell :p

I do remember that section of the book now. I read it over Christmas and everything from that period is a blur. I don't think I have the talent or know any machinists (that I can afford) who would build me a crossflow head from the V8 heads. It's a shame that such goodies were commercially made in the 50's but not now. I guess it was because the Chevy small block wasn't available yet and an inline 6 was considered a viable hot rod alternative to the **** flathead V8. Now its just loonies such as myself (and a lot of others on this forum) that see the beauty of running a strong inline 6.

Can you provide any better #'s on the Amazon books you mention, I'ld like to take a look for those. There is a guy on this site from Brazil that has mentioned the later model sixes they have that was the old 250 states engine has a cross-flow head standard. Maybe if you can find one of his posts and email him, you could get more details. Don't know if parts can be shipped that far and be worth it or not, OR, if it even fits the old sixes. Would be neat to get a parts book for that Brazilian six to compare.

GLPerry,
Here's the scoop on the books:

"Chevrolet Inline Six-Cylinder Power Manual" by Leo Santucci published by California Bill's Automotive Handbooks. (Date 2002)

"Chevrolet Speed Manual" by Fred W. "Bill" Fisher originally published in 1954, but now in reprint

"How to HOP UP Chevrolet and GMC Engines" by Roger Huntington originally published in 1951, but now in reprint.

I got all three books from Amazon.com. Sorry that I don't still have the receipt or I'd give you the stock numbers. I just went on a search for Chevrolet 6 cylinder engine books on the Amazon site and found them. The exact names have the quotes around them...I couldn't figure out how to underline.

Good Luck

Darrel,

You also have to "lean" the pushrods out of the lifters to meet up with the small block rockers. This makes the lifter galley covers somewhat of a kluge, but obviously doable.

GL;

The guy from Brazil is Alexandre Garcia. Seems to know a lot about the 250 six down in Brazil. Stuff like multiport Fuel injection and individual intake ports in the heads. I don't remember that the heads were cross flow though.

Dude

[ 01-24-2002: Message edited by: GMC_Dude ]

Maybe you guys should use 4.3 v-6 heads, if you are just looking for shortened smallblock heads. A 4.3 is a smallblock with the front two cylinders lopped off. Maybe you could run one crossflow head one way and the other in the opposite direction, that way you'd have an exhaust and intake manifold on each side of the motor - it'd be great for twin turbo setups. it would look something like this;

___||
EX || IN
___||
___||
IN || EX
___||

You'd treat it like two 3 cylinder motors hooked together, with the turbo from the front 3 cylinders running the into the back 3 cylinders and vice versa.
Must be late in the day. I'm thinking weird.

[ 01-25-2002: Message edited by: Vaughn ]

[ 01-25-2002: Message edited by: Vaughn ]

[ 01-25-2002: Message edited by: Vaughn ]

Crazy ideas often turn into neat toys. I'm assuming that the V6 uses the same head bolt pattern as the V8, so all of that drilling and paring of parts required for the V8 heads would still need to be done. It's a pretty cool idea to have a turbo spinning on each side feeding the opposite "bank" of cylinders.

You probably havn't figured out how to run the valves, unless you are going OHC and that would be a whole different ballgame.
Dennis

I got the book yesterday. First chapter I read was on altering heads. They do not list the V6 head as an option. Highest recommendation is for two SBC heads, cut in either two or three pieces. For the two piece job (recommended) you cut through the center of the bolt past the third cylinder, leaving some excess material for machining a perpindicular surface. If you are considering welding a head together, I would get the book for a reference before doing the job.