In a message dated 08/26/1999 10:14:54 AM Mountain Daylight Time,
MLayton324@aol.com writes:
<< i have a brand new 292 that i am considering or
thinking of going to a small block and an automatic transmission >>
Either way, you should plan on replacing the entire drivetrain. I can think
of no good reason for retaining the torque tube rearend if you don't intend
to do a legitimate restoration.
The 292 would make a very interesting truck, with the added benefit of not
needing to mess with the steering box, which doesn't clear a V-8. I'd use the
same transmission and rearend with it as I would with a V-8. A 700R-4
transmission with a 3.73 rearend like I have with my 305 would be perfect! My
cruising speed is 65 mph at 2000 rpm, with plenty of oomph when I kick it
down for passing or climbing.
To repeat myself slightly, to use a V-8 you'd need to either move the
steering box over (not having done this myself, I can't be of any help) or
change it entirely. I have power steering using a Golden State Pickup Parts
kit. Their kit didn't differentiate between AD and TF trucks, so their
measurements were useless, but I was able to make it work. There is a kit
available from another mail order firm that is specifically for AD trucks, so
I'd use that one if I were doing it over.
BTW, the power steering kit also gave me the chance to install a tilt column,
so the final cost was fairly high. I believe I could have adapted the
original column, but I needed the automatic shifter, so I went modern to
avoid buying a floor shifter. Didn't want the floor shifter, anyway.
Mike Jensen
'48 Chevrolet 1/2 ton 5-window 305 V-8/700R4/3.73 rear/power steering/tilt
column
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