# bell housing recommendations



## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

I'm shopping for a new bell housing aka scatter shield and am wanting feedback on what you all are running on your engines. I see Butler sells American Powertrain, and I'm also looking at Lakewood and Quicktime. I've used Lakewood in the past, but as much as these things cost now, I want to get the most accurate one built. Thanks for any info!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Duff said:


> I'm shopping for a new bell housing aka scatter shield and am wanting feedback on what you all are running on your engines. I see Butler sells American Powertrain, and I'm also looking at Lakewood and Quicktime. I've used Lakewood in the past, but as much as these things cost now, I want to get the most accurate one built. Thanks for any info!


If you look in my Tremec thread in the frequently Asked question section, you'll see mine. It's just a $200, OEM reproduction. I think it came from opgi


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## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

I have a new OEM style bell from Silversport Trans, just thought about getting one that's a little more HD and safer. I'll check yours out, also was yours "far off" when you set up the indicator?


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## lust4speed (Jul 5, 2019)

A stock style aluminum bellhousing can't even contain a failed clutch disk, and is hopeless in containing a flywheel or pressure plate failing. The exploded disc material punched right through the aluminum but only put divots in the steel tunnel - but this was only the lining and the steel frame remained intact.

I run the Lakewood scattershield I purchased in 1985 and it was made by blacksmiths that thought close was good enough. When we measured for the runout as required by Tremec we found out they were definitely not that close. I helped a friend install a new Quicktime unit a few months ago and it was extremely close on all measurements.

Now as you are probably aware, big automotive companies continue to swallow up older smaller companies. The people that own Quicktime also purchased Lakewood, but the do keep the product lines separate. After the buyout, a complete re-design of the Lakewood scattershield was done and the new manufacturing techniques shaved something like 14 pounds off what mine weighs. I suspect fit has also been improved, but haven't installed one so that remains speculation. Here's my old Lakewood in front of the TKO-600. You might notice illegal vent holes in the photo and there are another four we added on the engine plate. I found out that the full containment area of the bell and the complete solid engine plate allowed for catastrophic temps on the clutch. Things inside were not happy after miles of stop and go rush hour traffic with the original design, and the added vent holes definitely help. NHRA would probably take a dim view of my altering the scattershield, but I rarely go to the track with the car and I'm more concerned with allowing my clutch disc to live. Plus the holes are not in the line of destruction. I stripped off the fire engine red paint and went with aluminum paint to blend things in so it wouldn't be so noticeable just looking down from the engine compartment.


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## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

I was already leaning towards Quicktime, and after reading your post, it'll be the way I'll go. I will ask them abut their redesign of the Lakewood. Thanks for posting.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Duff said:


> I have a new OEM style bell from Silversport Trans, just thought about getting one that's a little more HD and safer. I'll check yours out, also was yours "far off" when you set up the indicator?


No. Mine wasnt too far off... but there was a national bell housing shortage at the time... the prices went from $200-$300 and not available, and then skipped right to $1000 and available.

It's my understanding that the high end ones, Holley/ Quicktime, are no more accurate, just safer and easier to adjust.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

https://www.thepartsplaceinc.com/product/1969/1969-pontiac-gto-lemans-tempest-bell-housing-for-8-cylinder-engines-326-350-389-400-455-gm-9778882/51640


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## ponchonlefty (8 mo ago)

armyadarkness said:


> https://www.thepartsplaceinc.com/product/1969/1969-pontiac-gto-lemans-tempest-bell-housing-for-8-cylinder-engines-326-350-389-400-455-gm-9778882/51640


what size clutch you running?


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## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

It's kind of strange that the part shortage ends when the buyer ponies up more cash. Thanks for the added info.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

ponchonlefty said:


> what size clutch you running?


11" Ram


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## ponchonlefty (8 mo ago)

armyadarkness said:


> 11" Ram


great that's what i got but was not sure it would fit in a stock bell housing.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Duff said:


> It's kind of strange that the part shortage ends when the buyer pony's up more cash. Thanks for the added info.


Yeah... well... dont get me started, but yes, you're right.

Here's the problem with economics:

Husband want to buy a new dirt bike. Wife bitches as the $200 a month payment.

Wife pays $250 a month for her cell phone, which includes a 14-year-old daughter or two.

At the end of 5 years, the wife owns nothing and the kids have been hooked on "keeping up with the joneses", before they're even out of 6th grade. They're now in a perpetual cycle of debt, because they MUST have the newest phone, very two years, but it takes 3 years to pay for a phone.

OTOH, the husband now owns a dirtbike, which is an aquired asset worth about 75% of what he paid for it. He rides to work every day, and saves $64 a week on gas.

So what have we learned here? Americans all bitch about the price of fuel, which gets them to their jobs, but they continue to buy their children $7 Starbucks and $1000 Iphones.

Then the manufacturers use that very phone to monitor everything that we do, and what they learn is that we all bitch, but we never take any action.

BTW, my girlfriend hates my dirtbike, but it's $150 a month cheaper than her Iphone, and it gets 70 MPG!


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

ponchonlefty said:


> great that's what i got but was not sure it would fit in a stock bell housing.


You bring up a good point! @Duff as you may have read, I had to take a sawzall to my bell housing, several times, for oil filter access. So I think a $200 bell is still stout.


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## 67ventwindow (Mar 3, 2020)

armyadarkness said:


> Yeah... well... dont get me started, but yes, you're right.
> 
> Here's the problem with economics:
> 
> ...


I have never purchased a phone for our kids. They get a hand-me-down with a Mint service they pay for. Anything else they have to buy. Worked for the first six, should work for the last 4.


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## 67ventwindow (Mar 3, 2020)

I have a quick draw for ~$400. But the t56 is a different animal. It requires a $100 plate to do the run out measurement. Because its nothing but a big gapping hole.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

What Lust said. I've never seen an oem aluminum housing that was out of spec unless it was damaged. But aluminum won't hold a scattered clutch. The old Lakewood scattershield on my Corvette was .120" out when I checked it, and caused the input bearing and mainshaft on the trans to fail. (I bought the car that way). Futzing around with the dowl pins got me to .005", and so far so good with a new mainshaft and full rebuild of the ST Trans with parts sourced from Paul at 5speeds.com. What a mess that was.


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## ponchonlefty (8 mo ago)

geeteeohguy said:


> What Lust said. I've never seen an oem aluminum housing that was out of spec unless it was damaged. But aluminum won't hold a scattered clutch. The old Lakewood scattershield on my Corvette was .120" out when I checked it, and caused the input bearing and mainshaft on the trans to fail. (I bought the car that way). Futzing around with the dowl pins got me to .005", and so far so good with a new mainshaft and full rebuild of the ST Trans with parts sourced from Paul at 5speeds.com. What a mess that was.


sounds like they didn't use a fixture to locate things. maybe the new ones are better.


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## Noangelbuddy (Dec 6, 2017)

I bought a QuickTime for my T56 Magnum. Not cheap. However, the alignment was spot on. I didn‘t know an alignment was necessary, until I read the instructions and the requirement related to the warranty. I want to believe the manufactured precision was worth the expense; good quality rarely comes cheap.


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## Duff (Jan 12, 2020)

geeteeohguy said:


> What Lust said. I've never seen an oem aluminum housing that was out of spec unless it was damaged. But aluminum won't hold a scattered clutch. The old Lakewood scattershield on my Corvette was .120" out when I checked it, and caused the input bearing and mainshaft on the trans to fail. (I bought the car that way). Futzing around with the dowl pins got me to .005", and so far so good with a new mainshaft and full rebuild of the ST Trans with parts sourced from Paul at 5speeds.com. What a mess that was.
> .120 that's a lot, even for an old muncie mainshaft / bearing. I think your vettes a 61? I've never owned a solid axle, I'm envious. Paul's a great guy, I bought a few parts from him and had him rebuild the Hurst shifter in my 66 GTO, it uses 67 and up linkages now, it's better than new!


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

ponchonlefty said:


> sounds like they didn't use a fixture to locate things. maybe the new ones are better.


It was mainly a bad install. The previous owner had hammered the dowel pins flush with the block and had a large ground wire trapped between the block saver plate and the scatter shield. It was waaaaay off. Re-positioning the pins, re-routing the offending wire, and time with the dial indicator got the job done. It was a mechanic problem, not a parts problem!


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