My 64 292/AT needs an overhaul. Im at a loss on what to do. Ive been putting it off, but if I want to drive it, I have to do something.

At some point the PO did a fame off. Zero rust, nice paint, nice interior.

The 292/AT is tired. Low on power, no engine oil leaks, I have to fill the tranny everytime I drive it.. I suspect the drivetrain or parts of it was transplanted from a car. It has a car radiator and the tag on the rear end says 3.10. ND say that ratio cant be correct, but thats what the tag says. At 50mph, the speedo is off 17mph. I cant fix that with a driven gear change, the drive gear is incorrect or the rear end gear is incorrect.

Options:

Rebuild what I have. That will not fix the low power issue.

Replace the COM with a C4.

Cam the 292, mill the heads to bump the CR, bump up the rear gears.

Toss the 292 and install a 302/C4.

Toss the 292 and install a 350/TH350.

 

I would verify what rear end you have, so you can gear it to suit. It could be contributing to the low power issue. A compression and leak down test would be a good start on the engine. Swapping anything will be a lot more work and more down time for the truck. I am sure very few here will choose your last option. Good luck.

 

Please do not put a Brand X engine in there. My wish is that you find a strong-running Ford - a complete car, as old as possible - Galaxie, Maverick, F100, F150, anything that you can test drive with a good 302/C4, test the compression and buy the whole car and get to work. Perhaps your truck will lose value without a Y-Block, but do you care?
Eric