The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Difference between 230/250 and 292 engine front ends

Hi Guys...

Long story made short. I bought a 65 Chevy truck. The original 230 was replaced with a new 292 in 1977. The problem was the gas station that did it took all of the parts from the 230 and placed them on the 292. This is not recommended.

Here are the differences:

* The harmonic balancer is bigger on the 292 and the V for the belt is further away from the engine vs. the 230.

* The brackets that hold the alternator are different. The 292 brackets push the alternator forward to match the V in the harmonic balancer.

* The water pump has a longer shaft to match the V in the harmonic Balancer. It also has an extra 1.25-inch hose that by-passes from the water pump to the radiator hose neck.

* As mentioned above, since the water pump has a by-pass going to the radiator hose neck, this neck is different from the 230 or 250.

There are a few other differences like the height of the side covers, the placement of the fuel pump which also changes the passenger side engine mount, but I wanted to express the differences in the front of the engine. I had to spend some time gathering all of this information and also some of the needed parts.

I cannot wait to get the engine all back together and running. I hope it starts and runs better.
Hope someone could use this information.

Just an update.

Since my truck had a 230 in it, everything on the engine and the truck was setup for the 230, not the 292. When I got the entire front end of the engine put back on, the fan was hitting the radiator.

Turns out, the 292 radiator is wider and belongs in a different spot on the radiator cross-member. The top bracket is also different. It is shorter and steps up because the radiator sits higher on the cross-member. The radiator sits higher because it needs to sit above the frame because of its width.

You will need to cut off the rivets that hold the bottom radiator brackets on. Then you can use bolts to secure them on the existing set of holes about 2 inches further away from the engine.

After you move the 292 radiator to its proper position, you should be able to use the same lower hose, but you will need a new upper hose to reach the radiator. You will also need a fan spacer to get the fan closer to the radiator. I used the stock one from my 1966 327 engine.

Again, hope this helps out someone who runs into this.