292 Rockers - Alternate Options

[crazyjeenyus]

Hello,

I'm working on a Father / Son project with my boy. We rounded up an old 292 for our '70 c10. The block has been to the machine shop and back, and we've assembled the short block.
We're now working on the cylinder head. We've removed the intake port bolt bosses in preparation for a bolt in lump kit, and its almost ready for the machine shop.
My question: Can I use aftermarket BBC screw-in rocker arm studs?

I have a set of ARP High Performance Series Rocker Arm Studs for a BBC (ordered for a different project, but did not use them) and I'd like to save a few bucks and use them if I can.

I imagine if there is enough material left after the threads are cut then I should be fine, but I'm wondering if they might be too long and require a tall valve cover.

We have a high lift cam going in (comp 280h .536" lift), so we'll likely require some type of aftermarket stud.

Input from the group is appreciated.

[suville]

Good source,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7tfo_IhR1Q

[crazyjeenyus]

Originally Posted by suville

Good source,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7tfo_IhR1Q

This describes how I feel after having 0 replies to my post...
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['68OrangeSunshine]

Sorry. Meant to answer last night, but I had to work today.
Have you got a copy of Leo Santucci's book: "Chevrolet Six Cylinder Power Manual" ? It's in a 2nd edition now. I used it thoroughly when I rebuilt my last 292 L6 in 2005.
I am not sure about your rocker arm qurestion. I re-used the GM, OEM rocker arms with out a problem. I did need slightly taller pushrods for some reason. Tom Langdon supplied them. He's since retired and sold his interests to Tom Lowe. www.12-Bolt.com. T.Lowe sells his brand of taller cast aluminum L6 Valve Covers [which willl accomodate roller-rocker set-ups.]. If I were to build today I would use roller rockers. I have seen too many sob stories on this board, from guys with wiped lobes, snapped rods, shredded rockers, etc. Mostly due to lack of ZDDP in current motor oil. Also cheap offshore metallurgy. I had a rash of broken exhaust valve springs, myself, but we narrowed that down to an agressive downshifting style, I have since moderated my style. No new broken ex valves.

I will observe with interest your Lump Port progress. I talked with Larry Page, back in 2004 about the configuration, and was interested, but stayed '' close inshore'' on my last build. Larry's handle on this site is "Twisted 6" and he's a past president of the Daytona chapter of Inliners International. Also dragraces a Nova with an L6 250.

You may be familiar with the usual L6 sources:
www.CliffordPerformance.net
www.Inliners.org
www.12Bolt.com

But if not, try them.

Just curious why you're painting your 292 in Alpine Green for a MY '70 truck? MY '67 thru '72, all GM motors were Chevy Engine Orange. The first 292 L6s in Model Year '63 were green, but later 292s were Orange. Not sure if any were ever blue like the 250s, pre '67. At some point in the '70s all the engines were a Corporate Blue.
I have a 1963 292 core, it's Alpine Green (with a blue valve cover). I may repaint it the same green even if I use it in a '67 K/10 Suburban, just to be different.
Enjoy your build.

[crazyjeenyus]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Sorry. Meant to answer last night, but I had to work today.
Have you got a copy of Leo Santucci's book: "Chevrolet Six Cylinder Power Manual" ? It's in a 2nd edition now. I used it thoroughly when I rebuilt my last 292 L6 in 2005.
I am not sure about your rocker arm qurestion. I re-used the GM, OEM rocker arms with out a problem. I did need slightly taller pushrods for some reason. Tom Langdon supplied them. He's since retired and sold his interests to Tom Lowe. www.12-Bolt.com. T.Lowe sells his brand of taller cast aluminum L6 Valve Covers [which willl accomodate roller-rocker set-ups.]. If I were to build today I would use roller rockers. I have seen too many sob stories on this board, from guys with wiped lobes, snapped rods, shredded rockers, etc. Mostly due to lack of ZDDP in current motor oil. Also cheap offshore metallurgy. I had a rash of broken exhaust valve springs, myself, but we narrowed that down to an agressive downshifting style, I have since moderated my style. No new broken ex valves.

I will observe with interest your Lump Port progress. I talked with Larry Page, back in 2004 about the configuration, and was interested, but stayed '' close inshore'' on my last build. Larry's handle on this site is "Twisted 6" and he's a past president of the Daytona chapter of Inliners International. Also dragraces a Nova with an L6 250.

You may be familiar with the usual L6 sources:
www.CliffordPerformance.net
www.Inliners.org
www.12Bolt.com

But if not, try them.

Just curious why you're painting your 292 in Alpine Green for a MY '70 truck? MY '67 thru '72, all GM motors were Chevy Engine Orange. The first 292 L6s in Model Year '63 were green, but later 292s were Orange. Not sure if any were ever blue like the 250s, pre '67. At some point in the '70s all the engines were a Corporate Blue.
I have a 1963 292 core, it's Alpine Green (with a blue valve cover). I may repaint it the same green even if I use it in a '67 K/10 Suburban, just to be different.
Enjoy your build.

Thanks for the reply. I just purchased the manual yesterday so I’ll be using it as a reference.

I’d like to get as much as I can out of it, so lump porting was the way to go. I’m interested to see how the pistons perform. I bought them from a fellow in Texas, they’re a true flat top high compression silv-o-light slug.

We went with the Alpine green because we wanted the engine to look old. We also have a ‘50 Chevy Deluxe and haven’t fully decided on which vehicle the 292 will be going in. In answer to your statement about if 292’s were ever blue - yes, this one was blue. It’s a Hencho en Mexico block and it came from an ‘80 K20.

I’ve reached out to Tom Lowe, and there’s a few items on his site that I’d like to incorporate into our build.

Thanks again for the reply.
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['68OrangeSunshine]

I re-built my first 292 in 1977 while I was at MCAS Yuma AZ. It was a summer project, I got 10% off parts and 20% off shop work. That L6 we built on the conservative side, stock cam and all HD parts from the Chevy dealer, if possible. Except for a .030-over bore and TRW forged pistons. That block, out of a junkyard Forest Service 3/4 ton '67 Stepside, ran for 250,000 miles over 25 years in my '68 C/10 Stepside. Had to pull it off the Road in 2002.
We had boxed up the original L6 in surplus avionics crates, and I kept them in a shed for all that time. Completed a rebuild of the OEM 292 in 2005. [Work got in the way]. Orange block in pic in above post is the original engine after rebuild.

Santucci said good things about the later, Mexican 292 blocks. They can be bored larger than the Detroit blocks, which were cast thin-walled to cut down on weight.