The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop How many danged bellhousing patterns ARE there??

Just curious-how many bellhousing to transmission patterns did Chevy/GMC use?
A friend of mine wanted to install a good running 1947 Car 216 in his 1949 Chevy 3100. The truck was acquired with no engine or bellhousing,just the SM420. Simple,huh? Nope-wrong bellhousing. So he figures,"Well,it's only gonna be used for little stuff-I'll just use the 3 speed tranny that fits the engine!" WRONG! It's too short. So he contacts a friend about it,and that guy gives him two old sixes,junk motors,with bellhousings on 'em. He pulls the trailer into the shop and starts measuring-now he has four bellhousings,three different patterns,and NOTHING will fit his SM 420! He picks out another truck 4 speed (the one with a reverse lock out)and a bellhousing that were together,and installs 'em,and installs the set up. Now,the driveline and torque tube is a couple inches too short. He figures out he has enough slack in the tube to reach,but the driveline's not gonna reach. So he takes the driveline yoke off,gets another one with the same splines but a worse u-joint and cuts the spline off,and welds it to his good yoke. Instant extension. :rolleyes: I keep tellin' him if he's gonna build a Stovebolt,he'd better get logged on here,get some coaching from the folks who KNOW this stuff,but does he listen? NOOoooo!!!Well-it'll be interesting to see if this thing actually functions when he gets the wiring done. Maybe he'll be lucky-he'll probly come outta this just fine...No-he'll probably get to do it ALL again in a few days,with the RIGHT parts. SHEEESH!!!
Speed

There are at least 6 bellhousings that fit a 216/235/261 and GMC 6 that I can think of. There are car and truck bellhousings and each one fits a certain era of production. Some have provisions for the pedals to mount, some have provisions for a hydraulic clutch, some are for the early square mounts and some for the later angled mounts.

The car bellhousings don't fit SM420's because the center hole is differant (too small). The crashbox (4 speed lockout) art deco bellhousings don't fit the SM420 either, but a genuine 1949-53 truck bellhousing out of either a GMC or a Chevy will fit an SM420.

He's not going to like the reverse lockout 4 speed, it is a constant mesh box without synchronisers.

Welding an extension onto the driveshaft is probably the dumbest stunt I've ever heard of, or at least it's in the top 10! He will be lucky to get 5 miles before it shears off, and now he's got two ruined drivelines. Cobble-up jobs like that need to be avoided at all costs! Let him screw it up royally, then offer him about a nickel on the dollar for his pile of junk! You might get some good parts out of the deal.
Jerry

I've recently learned there are at least 3 different truck bellhousings. My truck housing has the clutch fork on the passenger side. I have a SM420 with a hydraulic clutch. I bought another bellhousing from a 59 a while ago assuming I could use it before I looked closely. I guess what they say about assumptions is true.

Six! Holly crap my dear chevys are sounding like a ford endever here.

I agree with Hotrod about welding the driveline yoke. I think he'd have been waaaayy better off to just table the project for a few days and find the RIGHT parts to make it fit. But-he does things HIS way,so he can pay the price. I don't think running the crash box will be that much of a problem-The '47 coupe he got the engine out of didn't have any syncros in it either,and he mastered it pretty quickly. I think the best move will be for me to try to gather the correct parts and stash 'em for when he finally experiences the "catastrophic failure" we know is coming;then I can either teach him how to do this thing right,or buy the truck from him extra cheap and build it for myself. (Like I need another truck.) Funny thing-the bellhousing he needs is exactly the same one I needed to get MY GMC on the road,and a good-hearted fellow trucker sent me one for just the cost of shipping-$26.00. Maybe he'd get lucky if he'd sign on here and ask a few questions. Or-no-he already knows all that;I forgot.
Speed

Bigmacdaddy;
Would you sell the '59 bellhousing? If so,how much? At least then he could install the right bellhousing when he breaks his newly built Klugefest.
Speed

I am talking to a guy about trading some of my parts for some of his. If he doesn't want it, I'll sell it. $25. plus shipping should work, right?

Sounds fair to me! Let me know if your other deal falls through.
Speed

so....does an Art Deco big bolt bellhousing fit the military style trucks of the same year?

I am now thinking the tranny(4spd or 3spd) AND the type of clutch(mechanical or hydraulic) have to match if the bellhousing is going to.

Yeah, and so does the mount style. The cross member changes around 1954 to slanted. The pre-54's are bolt-on vertical mounts. One won't fit the other without frame modification.

> Dear Experts:
>
> I am new to Stovebolt & not very good at using computer tools, but
> would appreciate some advice. I am a 71yr old disabled vet and still
> enjoy driving my much loved 1941 Chevy 4 door which is in immaculate
> original condition, (still have picture of my Mom standing in front of it when
> they bought it new and it has always been stored in doors). The old 216
> is tired and the vacuum UN-assisted three on a tree is a real pain.
>
> I have in my shop a totally rebuilt 261 and was told it came out of a
> 53-54 Corvette. I also have a T-5 transmission that has been totally
> gone though by a transmission builder. I would like to put the engine
> on a dino, run it in and make sure the rebuild was done properly (The
> builder has died and the shop is closed), and I have all of the parts
> before I start taking it apart. (It is still drivable now) So to the
> point, what bell housing will connect between the 261 and the T-5
> without any adaptors or modifications? Or does such a thing exist?
>
> Thank you!!!!

Hy speed 6351, unfortunately a 59 bellhousing won't help much, it uses the angle mounts whereas the proper bellhousing for your friends truck uses the flat mounts, I hope this catches your eye before you order that 59 bellhousing.

WRT "a totally rebuilt 261 and was told it came out of a 53-54 Corvette"

They all did, didn't they!

WRT (With Respect To)?

"> I have in my shop a totally rebuilt 261 and was told it came out of a
> 53-54 Corvette."

A 261 was never put in a Corvette as standard equipment or as a factory option.

It could be put in a 53-55 Corvette if the crankshaft end was suitable (or made suitable) for use with a Powerglide transmission and the water pump is mounted in the correct location (as in 53-55st 261).

Red Wheels,

A t-5 could have a Chevy bolt pattern or a ford bolt pattern, depending when it was made and what it was used in. The chevy bolt pattern should fit, but the diameter of the collar on the input shaft may be different on a 41. Also, if your 41 has an enclosed drive shaft ( torque tube) the t-5 will not work. Hope this helps.

Tommy,
Thank you for the info. The transmission re-builder knew that the host was going to be a 41 Chevy and the engine was a Chevy 261, so I am hoping that he sent me the right transmission. I think I have the rear-end problem solved and have two choices in my shop. One is out of a 56 Chevy PU and other one out of a 70 Chevelle with all of the extra clips removed. There is a drive shaft builder not far from my shop that will make one to fit when all else is installed. The problem I am still stuck on is what bellhousing will bolt up to the 261 and to the Chevy T-5.