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Engine swap: 292 or 400?

S

SoutherNM

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Oddly enough, it appears that no one on all of the net has asked this one before. Go figure...

The situation is that my 76 has a 250 L6 with the factory 3 on the floor, 12 inch clutch, and np205.

Decent little mill. Easy to work on. But not enough power. It BOGS down when I find ANY mud, sand, head wind.

After having my heart set on a reman 292, I discovered that a reman 400 is just a few hundred dollars more!

But, I can't find hp/torque curves for the two mills...

So, which mill would you drop cash money on given:

1) Being a heavy chunk from Detroit torque, to a degree, is more important than HP. I'd rather top out at 85mph and pull stumps off idle than top out at 120mph and have to flog it to climb hills.

2) This is not a daily driver, so MPG can leave a little to be desired.

3) I want to keep the factory trans and tcase


Thanks in advance!
 
sounds like you already know the answer if you want hp and don't care about mpg.

Are all the accessories compatible? There might be some cost there if not.
 
Thats exactly the problem.

The few posts I've seen about mpg with a 292 is on the order of 12mpg with a 2bbl. Most reports are better with the 400 and a 4bbl.

I guess the big question is one better at low/mid range than the other?
The 400 is about 400 ft/lbs at 5500, while the 292 is around 200 ft/lbs at 4000. But I haven't been able to find data in the low to mid range for these mills..

Accessories-wise, the 250 has an alternator. Thats it. No AC. No PS.

It looks like headers/intake are cheaper for the 400. But if the 292 route is "better", after market intake/header for the 250 should bolt right up.
 
what ever you decide bring the other engine to my house in Alamogordo
 
As much as I like the 292's, I am gonna have to go with the 400. You will be much more satisfied with the power for the price difference
 
400 the sixes are torquey but the 400's are great motors just watch the temps wen running one they are known to run a lil warmer and can get hot but anything can get hot if not watched, i helped my buddy build a 4 bolt 400 from a 76 truck for his '94 camaro and it was a bad little motor, we used dart iron eagle heads and a cam but it was a screamer it is now in a sand rail and next weekend we should know how it does in the 300ft, just figured id give my imput
 
Don't get suckered into the "straight 6's have more low-end torque" spiel. Sure, they are torquey just off idle and generate a large percentage of their maximum torque down low.......but the fact is that a decent small-block V-8 has just as much if not more torque down low, but it is a smaller percentage of it's maximum. Meaning that the V-8 generally has just as much low end power, if not more, but a lot more mid to high range power.
 
If you want torque go 454. I would lean to a 350 over a 400 just because I would bet they are cheaper and about the same in stock form. 292s are great but the main reason they say they work so well is they come in heavy duty trucks with proper gearing. We had one in a service truck with 4.56s and it would pull a house in low but I think it was as much gearing as it was power. The Mpg will not be much if any better with the 6.
 
The 292 would only be great for the "cool factor". If power is a priority, then go with a 400 for sure.
 
if it were a street rod, or restoration, the I6 (especially a stovebolt) would be my first choice.

For actual real world useage, and power, the 400 is a no brainer for just a few hundred more. Now of course, therein lies the other issue you already brought up. Whether or not your current drivetrain can handle the power of the 400. That i dont know about.
 
400. From your questions the answer is go with the 400. More power everywhere, almost the same price, and the same if not better mileage. What else is there to say?
 
Stomis said:
Is HT383 an option here? That would be the curve of the I6 with the power of a 400.

Whats the price range?
Click to expand...

fixed it for you :D

seriously, a 350 shortblock, vortec heads, torque cam, and 383 kit..... big block torque small block package.
 
Read all of the above posts and would like to point out a few things:

1) Neat thing about your truck are the many engine combos over the years used, with the same transmission, transfer case, and axles...which means your current running gear will hold up to whatever you want to run (mine originally came with a 250, it has nearly every smallblock that chevy has made put in it at one time or another.(that is until you get crazy with the tire size and/or your wheeling style).

2) There is no replacement for displacement, I think you will be happier with torque and the horsepower of the 400 or any v8 vs. I-6

3) Last option, drive it with the 250 while you build a motor to replace it with. It would be a great experience if you have never built one before.
 
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