I had a 250 straight 6 in a '70 nova back in the 80s when I was a teen...
It leaked and burned oil... I would run it dry until it started to knock... Top it off with oil and sure enough, a couple miles down the road it would smooth out and run great...
I'm not sure you can destroy a 250, I sure gave it hell as a dumb teen... The body was falling apart when it went to the crusher, but it still ran like a champ...