Technical Bellhousing alignment Offy Adaptor

So I'm using an Offenhauser SBC adaptor to the original flathead trans in my Merc.

I also ended up with the Wilcap adaptor which is identical to the Offy unit, just recast with the Wilcap name.

Neither side has alignment dowels and I'm not too comfortable just bolting it on and hoping for the best. Is this the way it's supposed to be?

 

Shouldn't there be alignment dowels in the block that correspond with the centered holes between the bolt holes on the sides ( look just above the starter bump).

 

The block has the dowels, but there are no dowels in the adaptor (s) or trans.

 

You know, to align the adaptor to the*******.

 

There should be alignment dowels just below the 4 top holes on either side of the adapter. Let me try and do a quick paint on the photo and reload it. Wish me luck.

 

Buy some dowels at the parts store and tap them in. Right where******* told you to.

 

Remember that it is VERY important to dial indicate the Transmission opening in Adaptor to the Crankshaft centre line. Off set Dowels are used to correct any out of tolerance. If it is not aligned properly it will kill the Crank Bushing and the front shaft bearing in the Transmission.

 

Yep, that's why I wondered. I'll drag the bellhousing down to the parts store and hope the mouth breathing keypad punchers can conjure something up!

 

I don't think it is necessary to drag the bellhousing to the parts store.Just measure the hole diameter and buy dowels. Then you need to know how to dial it in and have the tools to do it. Which I am going to guess from this thread so far, you don't.

 

Summitt Racing has many standard and adjustable dowel pins once you measure the hole size. You will need a magnetic dial indicator.

32 Spitfire

 

Here I just go to Ace Hardware to buy dowel pins. They don't have the offset kind. If the bell doesn't clock in with standard pins, I bang it around until it's centered and then drill the pin holes to clean up. I then turn new pins to fit what ever size the hole ended up at. Quick and dirty, but requires a lathe.

 

No local stores offered dowels so I made my own. 5/16" round rod to the rescue!

 

I guess your not going to dial it in on the block. Probably no one else ever did and it's been run for years.

 

Every transmission or adapter needs to be verified to the crank. In the photo that Beener put arrows on, the block dowels should be in the big holes just above the red arrow on each side.
If the mis-alignment is more than 0.021" TIR then you should take up about ½ at the block and ½ at the trans and also verify that the starter engages properly to the ring gear.

Most factory service manuals will indicate that any TIR above 0.006 must be corrected.

.