Merc 292
 

Hey guys,

Doing some work on a cigarette 28' which has Mercruiser 292's Both motors are overheating and knocking and have sat for 4 years and are older so we are going to pull the 292's out and replace them with the mercruiser 250's. My question is does anybody know anything about these engines? I would like to get some background info on them as they seem pretty interesting! Thanks guys.

292 is a heavier duty truck engine ,thicker block , I had one in a 1969 24'x7 Pirahna with a #2 drive (my first boat back in high school ) it came stock with thruhull as the #2 did not have exhaust provision,, sounded healthy for a 6, ran strong for having only 292 cubes,. Came with a 4bbl qjet and was rated at 200hp (felt stronger than that) versus the 165hp for the 250.. also about 50 extra lbs of tq over the smaller 250.. it was used for only 2 years, 1968 and 69. it was always used with a mercruiser 2 drive. very rare.
The 250 uses different mounts, you would better off rebuilding the 292s,not only for originality and the rareness of the engines but the extra power over the 250s. Do you also have the #2 drives? If not someone swapped those in along the way.

would like to see pics of this boats engine compartment..
I have a 255 formula that came with a pair of 292,s i pulled them and am swapping big blocks.. i still have the 292 for sale.. if intersted

fun stuff:
875hp turbo 292
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baj4U...layer_embedded
http://www.mighty6.com/

Solid engines in any displacement, efficient and run forever, check Clifford and others, performance parts are available in the aftermarket automotive world. There are some differences between displacements (block deck height, stroke, etc.) but overall solid high torque engines. 292 was offered until late 80's early 90's in truck applications, not as common as the SBC, but still relatively to find parts for.