Dodge bell housing/trans info needed

Hi, new to the board and hope I can find an answer.
Putting a 1955 331 chrysler hemi into 57 Dodge D100. I have a 315 v8 bell housing but it is longer from the block to the back edge then the 6 cyl bell housing.
This leaves the transmission not long enough to reach the pilot bearing(it originally came from the 6 cyl setup I am replacing).
Is there a difference between 6 cyl and 8 cyl transmission input shafts? or do I have a wierd bell housing? (it was out of a larger truck with a 5 speed attached)
Does anyone have a 6 and 8 cyl bellhousing that could measure front to back for me?
I was told that all v8 bells would bolt right in, but not this one. It bolts to the hemi fine, just too long to use the existing trans. Is there a crank extender adapter?
How much trouble am I into to change over the input shaft, and is the 5 speed input transferable to a 3 speed?

Ya I know.... I'm into it big. But I must have my youth back so this truck is going on the road this year. It's just a matter of how much.
Thanks
Dave

 

That bell was probably made for a New Process 5 speed... won't work with any passenger car trans that I know of.

You need to buy a bellhousing adapter from TW Waters, WILCAP or HAMB'er 73 RR and use a later model MOPAR 833 manual trans with a 273/318/340/360 bell......

 

I previously owned a 57 Dodge D100 3 speed with a 313 (Canadian version of the 315). No adapters were required for that bolt up.
The bell is out of a 313/315 56 or 57 Dodge truck (but it may have come from as large as a 5 ton) I was not aware of any difference between the 6 cyl and v8 bell housing length.
So I am thinking that you are at least partially correct in the fact that I have a bell housing specific to the larger truck transmission. Can anyone else confirm that there was a longer bell housing made for the larger truck transmissions in 57?
Better yet, does anyone have a measurement from block to back wall of a manual v8 bellhousing from a car or light truck 313/315 setup?
I really thought it would just bolt up as did my old truck with the exception of me using a 331 hemi instead of the 313/315
Dave

 

dave, i just measured a 270 dodge manual bell housing, and it measures exactly 8 1/4" from mounting face to mounting face. it is surplus to my needs, if it will work for you P.M. me.
tom

 

Thank you so much for measuring that for me.
I now know that its not my bellhousing that is the problem. The issue is that the hemi crank does not protrude into the bell housing as far as the 315 does and my transmission input is only 7 1/2 "
What I need is a crank flange spacer from Wilcap to be able to use my original transmission and flywheel setup.

My old truck (35 years ago)was a direct bolt in for the 315 and it worked out perfectly. So the only real difference has to be the hemi's crank length now that I know the bell housing is the correct length.
Ok Spock, chime in here..... "I find your logic sound"

Thanks again for the measurement

 

All the hemi and early poly crankshafts are the same distance out the back of the block, save a very slight variation in the 51-53 331 Chrysler.

 

I agree with Tom. Not sure what you measured...

Many of the 50's manual trans in pass cars used very long input shafts. Trucks, as you found, use a much shorter input and is easier to adapt a newer trans.
All v-8 engines (except 51-53 331) (except the B&RB) from 52 to 62 share the same bellhousing-to-block bolt pattern. The are also a couple of L6 engines that have a bell with both L6 and v-8 bolt patterns.

It sounds like you need a truck bell. There are several designs, based on application, and none are light-weight.

.

 

Ok.... my logic is NOT sound.
So where is the extra length required for the input shaft to the pilot bearing coming from?
My bellhousing is 8 1/4" long but the input shaft on the trans isnt long enough to meet the pilot bearing. Only about 7 1/2"
Same transmission as was used 35 years ago with the 315 installed, no adapters required.
Do I have an odd input shaft as it came from a 6 cyl setup?

Can this be corrected with a flange spacer to take up the extra? Or is that going to mess up my flywheel alignment with the starter?

There is little in life that throwing enough money at wont fix. Just let me know how much to fix it! LOL

 

Ok, new logic
There was a bellhousing put out that fits both 6 cyl and 8cyl vehicles in the late 50's and early 60's. I'm wondering if it is actualy a shorter housing than the standard v8 bell housing.
What would work is a bellhousing that is the same length as the 6 cyl and has the bolt pattern for the 8cyl. Then my short input shaft will meet up with the pilot.
Anyone have one of these units or does anyone make them?
Dave

 

Dave,

I have a early Hemi stationary engine bellhousing, which I would give away, but it’s very heavy and I’m not sure if it is the proper dimensions for your application. I guess I could check. You would pay shipping, which is likely to be considerable. It has bosses for a hand clutch and other gizmos.

If you are interested PM me.

trakrodstr

 

Dave,

Maybe I'm missing something here, or perhaps, you are. Logic 101.....the distance from the front matching face to the rear matching face is 8 1/4"....correct? Now, when the bellhousing is attached to the block it meets the back of the block......BUT the crankflange protrudes into the the bellhousing, it is NOT flush with the with the block surface......and is, therefore less than 8 1/4" from the rear face of the bellhousing.

I realize the pilot shaft of the trans inserts into the crank pilot bushng, but even at that, the distance from the trans surface to the pilot bushing should be somewhere in the 7 1/4" neighborhood.......should it not? Further, by time you add a flywheel, it's friction surface is even farther away from the block than the crank flange...and the clutch disc hub back abit more....so, it seems to me, the trans input shaft need not be 8 1/4" in length to do it's work.

Have you actually assembled any of these parts and found them not to fit or have you been relying on just a couple of measurements and "logic"?

btw.....I have a '57 315 removed from a large truck that had the same HD truck trans and the bellhousing was a major boat anchor. It is now (probably) on it's way back into the market as some kind of new thingy that was made from scrap.


Ray

 

It would be much easier if you would change the transmission... and you'd get overdrive to boot.

 

It probably would be but I want what I want and at my age I'm just grumpy enough to not know when to stop.
When bolted up, the input shaft just touches the crank and does not enter the pilot hole. I didn't have the clutch in place but I believe that I will not get full penetration of the splines into the clutch disk even when I support the input shaft with an in flywheel bearing.
I am trying to find a T87D 3 speed that should cure the problems. My current transmission is a NewProcess medium duty made for 6cyl use. It is extremely rare to find the v8 version or even to get a model number of the beast. So a T87 D is the next closest transmission to what I need. At least I can get parts for it.
Everything short of paint, windshield and box floor are done so I will be making a 15 hour trip down to Alberta to look for the T87D in a scrap yard down there. Pain in the butt.
She will move this spring if I have to install a hamster wheel
Dave