Not to steal the thread but their is a Nissan/Datsun dually up my way, its a pretty neat truck. I would not mind having one.

 

That's the one I was trying to remember. Actually pulled better down low than all but the big block V-8s. Wasn't the other truck 6 250 even?

 

Yes that engine taught me a good lesson and damaged a good friendship. A small trucking company with metro trucks used Chevy trucks with the 292. I went and helped convert one to a 327 engine. The truck was a dog and could not keep up and went through engines in very short time. Fuel mileage was like 50%. The 292 was a great truck and boat engine.

Later on we had a 250 cube Glasspar with a Mercruiser. Put the 292 in it with a little glass work on the housing. It really wiped out small block boats. And got great fuel per hour. It would just sit there at half throttle and hum all day, using a high pitched prop. It would plane out at half the rpms of a V8.

I think most of the straight eight engines have been mentioned. They were very smoothe and torquey. Also very heavy. Wonder how many have worked on the v12 ford engine as used on Lincoln Contenental. Two Ford flat head six heads, looked funny under the hood. I am part of the dying out bunch that raced flatheads and had three window coupes for the hotrod. Do you know how Grandma would complain about rebuilding the Strombergs in the kitchen sink? Four barrels had yet to hit the market.

 

GMC also had the 292 and a larger 302 inline six.

 

Ok, us young'uns need a sound clip of a straight-8....straight pipe prefered

 

They had a distinct sound,somewhat like a V8 depending on firing order and exhaust configuration.
A straight 6 engine with headers/split manifold and dual exhaust will sound similar to a V6 with the separate manifolds on each bank.The same relationship will apply to the straight 8/V8 combination and I have no doubt that a straight 8 with headers/split manifold would sound very close to a V8 although I have never heard a straight 8 with headers and dual exhaust but I will bet some of the performance cars of that era were so equipped.
An inline 6 cylinder chevy with duals and glasspacks has to be the sweetest sound ever devised in the history of the automobile.Ron G

 

You are guessing. Sounds like a six with two more cylinders. No lope to it. As said that all has to do with firing order. For instance a 260 Ford, before they changed the firing order, no lope, sounds like a six.

 

Are you talking to me?Guessing about what?I have heard a lot of straight eights,rode in a lot and driven a few.I know what they sound like.Ron G

 

Well I have been around a lot of them and never heard a straight eight with a v8 lope.

 

Correct. Just listening, you can't tell from an I6. You have to look under the hood and count the spark plugs. They were not "high performance," and I never heard of any with split manifold or headers. I will concede that with a split manifold and dual exhaust it would sound different, but who's ever seen one? And wouldn't it sound like two 4-cyl engines?

 

I might add this, I had an Uncle, actually still do, he was into the hotrodding of the Packard with a rumble seat. Pressurised fuel, with pump on the floor beside the driver seat, two carbs etc. Fun car to drive. I do not think anyone ever made headers or split exhaust for the straight eights. Never saw on for sure. Ran smooth as glass. Pressurised fuel can cause quite a fire, he found that out, but put it all back together again.

 

That Hot Rod mod was a shade tree mod. Back in the day you made your own split exhaust. That is if you knew how to braze as welding cast iron doesn't work too well at times. And if you could find a pre-made mod, it cost way more than you could afford.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1953-...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Well said, in the '50s most of the mods were homebrew. Like pressing an extra side gear shim in a 9 inch ford for sort of a limited slip..... worked well. And brazing between the tri carb pads on a 430 Merc Maruder manifold to machine it for dual quads. Chevy broke that mold in the late '50s practically giving away cams manifolds and so on.

 

I have one of those 292 inline chevy6 truck moters you speak of haulin in dixie it is in my 1969 sea ray and has threw the hull exhaust sounds very cool (you know straight 6 no muffler) everybody looks when i fire up the old girl.
This also has a four barrel on it this is a 200hp setup and currently has 1450 hours on it runs great.
I have never seen another one like it although it was a rare factory optional drive line one year only 1969 this boat even has the original interior in it still good condition.