CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

striaght six DD duty, reliable

yea everything i want to buy always sells for way more than its worth lol

have any of you guys ever boosted a striaght 6 like put a turbo on one, just sounds like it would hold alot of boost i think
Years ago Hot Rod had a feature car that was a 30's or so Chevy. Had a turbo'd 292 in it and it made some good power numbers.
God...I think I was still in the Marines so late 90's to 01 time frame.
 
Clifford used to be the king of inline performance parts,but since the "old man" passed away many years ago,I've heard the company isn't what it used to be...

I've had friends with 292's that they put the 4 bbl intake and split headers on,along with a off road/towing cam,that surprised many V8 owners when they opened the hood..the straight sixes have great low end torque in stock form,but if you beef them up with the right size carb and the right cam grind,they will outperform many V8's..
A 292 makes its peak torque between 1200-1600 rpm,thats even lower than a diesel's peak power curve!..

The 292 is a whole different beast than all the other GM sixes--the block is unique,has a higher overall height,the side covers are larger,the distributor and fuel pump traded places compared to the other sixes,and the passenger side motor mount is in a different spot on the block--so if you are planning to swap one into another truck,its best to grab the engine mounting bracket for the passenger side too--not sure if GM sells them any more..dont expect impressive fuel mileage from a 292 though,they dont deliver much more than 13-16 mpg tops,in heavy trucks used to pull or plow they'll get even less in stock form..long stroke engines are hard to get good mpg out of..they wont like revving over 4000 rpm much either--but the beauty of an inline six is they will lug without downshifting ,as they make the most power at very low rpm's,there is simply no need to wind them up ,period..

One other noteable GM inline six was the old GMC 270 & 302 straight sixes,that dominated the race tracks for many years,before they invented the small block V8's...

I wish GM would bring back an inline six like the 292 with EFI,why they ditched the straight sixes in favor of V6 engines I dont understand..those I've asked why all say the same thing--emissions,emissions,emissions...they found it easier to make a V6 run cleaner that an inline 6..but look at the 258 Jeep engines with EFI,they never ran so good or lasted so long!--I bet thats part of the reason they dropped the inline sixes--they were simply TOO well built and didn't fail often enough...like every other engine that lasted "forever" and rarely gave grief (like the slant 6 mopar),they cant have that,they'ed never sell any NEW trucks!..we'd be able to buy one and keep it for a lifetime,if we could keep it from rusting away that is..
 
They couldn't be easily brought up to the new emissions standards. That's what killed the GM and Ford I6's and also the Jeep 4.0L.

Bogus that it had to come to that for dubious EPA ratings and sad that the replacement engines never lived up to their predecessors performances.
 
They couldn't be easily brought up to the new emissions standards. That's what killed the GM and Ford I6's and also the Jeep 4.0L.

Bogus that it had to come to that for dubious EPA ratings and sad that the replacement engines never lived up to their predecessors performances.

I have a difficult time understanding this, especially after i saw the emissions sheet from our car back then. It ran crazy lean & clean :D
 
Remember the testing standards are goofy, made of unsound science, and purely subjective where the government is concerned.
 
GM did try one attempt at another inline engine,in the DEnali's..dont hear much about them though,no one is praising them much ...I've yet to even SEE one !...they have a 5 cylider inline in some of the new "Colorado" trucks,I've seen exactly one in person..have no idea how well they perform..

A local dirt track racer dominated the tracks here and all over the east coast with cars he put 292 straight sixes in,back in the late 60's and 70's..,a few were the old Volvo PV-544's that looked somewhat like a VW beetle...he had a few with BBC in them too,he said the sixes were nearly as fast and often were more competitive .
 
GM did try one attempt at another inline engine,in the DEnali's..dont hear much about them though,no one is praising them much ...I've yet to even SEE one !...they have a 5 cylider inline in some of the new "Colorado" trucks,I've seen exactly one in person..have no idea how well they perform..
The base engine in the TrailBlazers and Envoys is a I6.
 
well i worked at a gm dealer when the first I5's came out and i never did like them. they were always blowing head gaskets and you were always chasing a misfire some where. the only thing that got me was the motor just runs way to rough for my liking, it shakes the whole truck and i just dont care for that. they did make good power for a smaller truck tho
 
well looks like next sunday im going to pick up a new to me truck. 1978 chevy k-10 short bed ,inline 6, 4 speed. 550 doesnt seem to bad for a running truck i think. ill post some pic up when i get it to the house next week.
 
What size is the 6?

I'm betting its the 292 for a '79.
 
i dont know if its a 250 or 292. i was hoping a 292 just because its alittle bigger but who knows ill be happy with either lol. was it more common to find 292's in the late 70's models.
 
i dont know if its a 250 or 292. i was hoping a 292 just because its alittle bigger but who knows ill be happy with either lol. was it more common to find 292's in the late 70's models.
Sounds like an utterly bad ass truck, can't wait to see pictures of it!
 
the day i get it there will be pics on here lol. i think this is the only place where other people understand another guy being excited about buying a 32 year old truck with no bed and mildly rusty haha gotta love it
 
All else fails, turbocharge it. With a custom grind on the cam, ive read that the 292 will handle 600 RWHP with some stupid high torque numbers. Whether it is true or not, I don't know. But considering what a turbo can do on other motors, I would think it is possible.
 
I've seen a few guys using inline sixes like 250's in old rat rods lately,and they put a turbo off a Buick 231 V6 on them--they sounded pretty powerful and they claim the low end power is impressive..

A '79 truck might have a 250,my 79 Bonanza had the integral head version in it when I got it..there were more 250's than 292's in 1/2 tons ,they were the "standard" engine,a 292 was optional...
 
This makes me want to take out the 454 in my 83 Chevy 3/4 ton 4 door dually with 4:10s and put in a 292 with a 4 speed automatic and longtube headers, and add fuel injection.

And maybe put in turbo
 
Zombie thread!

It rises from the dead after 8 years!
 

Latest Posts

Top Bottom