Click on image for the lowdown. 
====
| | | Forums66 Topics128,060 Posts1,055,835 Members48,426 | | Most Online14,466 Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
Lots of work on Brad's part ... pure enjoyment (and references) for you!
| | THANKS!
For helping keep this great
old truck web site
on the Internet for over 30 years! and not clogged down with Ads! Again, thanks! | | | | Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 201 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 201 | Looking for some info, I got a early Chevy 292 inline 6. I want to beef it up and put it in my 54 chevy truck with a NV4500 and 3:08 rear. I want to get the most power and economy out of it. So far im wanting to bore it 60 over (brings it to a 301), RV cam, it has a 8:1 compresion and i want to at least bump it up to 9:1. I have fuel injection for it, offenhuser 4 bbl intake, full length dual headers. Ive never build a motor before and this is just an idea that i have. If anyone has a better idea or a better way to build this with great power and economy for street use please reply. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 2,393 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 2,393 |
Drew
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,733 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,733 | Excellent advice. Buy it! | | | | | Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 319 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 319 | For any build, make sure everything inside is clean, properly lubricated, clean, properly torqued, and clean. And oh, yeah, did I say clean? Stuff on the outside can be changed relatively easily, but you don't want to have to go back inside, after squishing gaskets and putting on a nice paint job, just to fix something that shouldn't need fixing. I'd go with a Holley 500 carb and cast iron headers. I think the limiting factor will be head flow, so you might consider some port work, to enhance the cam. FI might give better mileage, but I don't know much about the setup. Good luck, and have fun.
cm If you can't fix it with a hammer and screwdriver, you need a bigger hammer.1965 Chevy C10 | | | | | Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 201 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 201 | So this sounds like a good build? Sounds OK to me. Im sure i will be doing some extensive work to it. | | | | | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,002 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,002 | All the previous is on target, especially the clean.
The fuel injection you have is a TBI?
Federal Mogul natural gas pistons will get you a little over 9:1 compression.
Starfire4 is right on with the head being the limiting factor. Another limiting factor is getting a quench in the combustion chamber.
Larry
I don't own a vehicle that isn't old enough to drink. | | | | | Joined: May 2001 Posts: 7,438 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: May 2001 Posts: 7,438 | Join Inliners International. Lot's of Inliners run this engine. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 201 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 201 | ooo i will check that out! For as the fuel injection i have both a Holley 2D Projectiong or a TBI from a 1993 suburban | | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 2,393 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 2,393 |
Drew
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,922 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,922 | great power and economy are enemies | | | | | Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 201 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 201 | I belive you can get both. Im sure there is a point where both can be modestly achived. | | | | | Joined: Apr 2011 Posts: 181 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Apr 2011 Posts: 181 | I have a I6 292 running in a street rod and it has a head reworked by Sissell's Automotive in West Covina, CA. All I can say is as I leave the V-8's behind is "C ya later!" This thing is fast!. I shift it a 7,200 RPM's and it just keeps going on using a triple intake with Weber carburetors (expensive but trouble free) and a set of custom made headers. How many old '32 Chevy's do you see run all day long at 70 MPH on the Freeway? Normbc9
Last edited by 123456789101112; 11/16/2011 9:00 AM.
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 1,847 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 1,847 | Oh please give me sissell phone number, I have been looking for them for over a year now...Oh never mind I went to dex and got it, the covina part is what I was missing.
Last edited by brokenhead; 11/16/2011 1:16 PM.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 130 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 130 | Drew are you gonna hop up that 292 I gave ya? That would be very cool. Good luck Beast I wish I could hear and see it run. | | | | | Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,922 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,922 | I shift it a 7,200 RPM's
So, those were your pistons I ran over on the freeway? | | | | | Joined: Sep 2002 Posts: 158 knuckle head | | knuckle head Joined: Sep 2002 Posts: 158 | The drag race 292's rev much higher than 7200....But drag engines run for very short durations and get frequent tear downs. An inline 6 can beat any V-8 that has less power A 292 with less than 250 hp is somewhat easy to build and is mildly expensive.More power than that is much more expensive. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 130 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 130 | I picked up the special collector's edition Hot Rod Deluxe, best of the best. Had some very cool gassers with straight six's in them. You might check it out. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 2,393 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 2,393 | Drew are you gonna hop up that 292 I gave ya? That would be very cool. Good luck Beast I wish I could hear and see it run. I'm doing some head work with gasket matching and have talked with Larry in FL http://www.t6racing.org/ about him doing lump ports on the head, but that's a winter project(maybe). I'll send a pm as i progress.
Drew
| | | | | Joined: Apr 2011 Posts: 181 Wrench Fetcher | | Wrench Fetcher Joined: Apr 2011 Posts: 181 | Brokenhead, I have used Sissell's for years now. Every head or inline OHV engine they have helped me with is an exceptional performer. Good luck. Normbc9 | | | | | Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 50 New Guy | | New Guy Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 50 | I have a I6 292 running in a street rod and it has a head reworked by Sissell's Automotive in West Covina, CA. Do you have a ballpark figure of what the head work costs? I have a 292 in my '63 Chevy II. I am running a Holley 390, Offy intake, cast iron headers, and a schneider racing cam (264h). I'm told that with the stock head, it should be making around 210hp and 290 tq. For $800 in head work, I'd be at 250-260 hp and 325 tq. Here are some pics: 292 in a '63 Chevy II | | |
| |