I picked up a 292 a couple weeks ago from a guy who said he was gonna scrap it. I started tearing it down hoping I might rebuild it while still driving my truck with the old tired engine. It has a 4-barrell intake, ECZ-9426-B and ECG-D heads on it. When I pulled the heads it had 2 head gaskets stacked on each side. Fel-pro gaskets. I'm not sure whats been one to this engine, but it appears the piston at TDC is above the block slightly. Is this an indication of a major ***** job one to this engine? Block is ECZ-6015A. Caps an rods are EBU

 

Hard to tell what was going on there. The block might have been decked, or some effort at high compression was made with the piston selection, or both. The double head gasket is the cheap-o way to reduce your compression so it will run on pump gas. Saw a guy doing that to an 11.3 Thunderjet 429 once. I can't see how it wouldn't an outright invitation to a blown head gasket. Or maybe it works....

You will have to check the deck height to see where you are at with that block methinks.

 

Agreed, either to much has been shaved from the deck or wrong piston. How much above the deck is slightly? Maybe two gaskets required to prevent the piston from hitting the head. Myself I would never be comfortable with double gaskets.

 

Some 292 truck engines used a rod that is the same length as a 312, so the compression height of the piston had to be taller. Maybe it started as one of those and during rebuild, the same pistons were used with the longer, more common 292 rod, which pushed the piston out.

 

That sounds like a good explanation. Guy told me that this engine was running when pulled. But he said that the car had been drag raced a lot when he got it. So he put a 312 in it. When I picked it up the pan was off an it was on an engine stand. Of course it was dark so I didn't see that the hole where the bellhousing mounts are half torn off. I mounted it on my stand, but I'm thinking more a parts engine than a rebuild. I measured the stroke at 3.275 and the bore at 3.74. I didn't take into account the piston height above the block. I can run a straight edge on block and it definetly catches the piston. I didn't turn it over. Just measured the piston furthest down.
Are these heads any better than C1TE heads?