Flathead Bellhousing question

My memory isnt so good but it seems that I have seen a stamped steel Ford bellhousing for the 49 to 53 flatheads. Can anyone verify that for me. I want to use the bottom half to be able to use the 49-53 pan on an early block. If anyone has a stamped steel housing I would like to buy one or trade for a cast iron type.
Thanks
deChrome

 

Yes, some were stamped. I'm not sure if the bolt patterns for the early and late pans are the same though.

 

I have 2 stamped steel ones and would be glad to trade one for a cast iron one. PM your info and maybe a few pictures and we'll work something out.

Matt

 

I understand the stamped steel wouldn't accomodate the 12" clutch, need to use the 11" with them. Haven't had reason to mock it up yet, can't be taken as gospel.
Why use a different pan?

 

Your right the stamped one wouldn't work with my big clucth disc.

 

I think the big clutch disc is 11" with most '49-53 p***enger cars being 9-1/2" - earlier cars also had a 10" clutch, so there are 3 sizes.

Can't speak for the full bellhousings, but I do know the adapter ring that goes from 8BA down to pre-48/Merc/truck trans needs to be cast iron to take the 11" pressure plate/clutch.

I had an 11" on an 8BA, but for the life of me, I can't remember if it had a cast iron or stamped steel bellhousing - for some reason, I want to say it was stamped steel...I'll know in a few weeks when I go back to the states...

 

I was told that the stamped steel one is the Mercury bell housing and the 49-50 Mercury used the 10" clutch.

The cast iron one was supposed to be the truck bell housing and should accomodate the largest clutch and flywheel.

I don't think either is preferable over the other unless you have to run the big truck clutch. Which I think most people think is not desireable.

I have one of each.

 

The truck clucth is useful for, well, a truck. Big, heavy, high pedal effort, more m***, yada, yada, yada.

I prefer the 10", but the 9.5" works fine for most cars....

I know my dad's '50 shoebox had a stamped steel bellhousing. But I ended up putting that engine in his '35 truck, so used the adapter ring - think I used the cast iron ring so I could use the 11" clutch if I wanted , but think I ended up goign with the 9.5" clutch after all...

Gotta love Ford's mix-n-match parts system...

 

Tommy,

I have a couple of these, and we didnt get many ( read lucky if it was 2) 49-50 mercs in Australia, so they must have come out on regular cars too.

from what I have seen they didnt use thick enough steel as both the ones I have would need to be straightened. and trued.

The stamp steel ones are popular here as you can nearly bolt a toploader 4 speed straight up. and I know of a few people who have used them to adapt 5 speeds also.

 

My mistake. I was talking about the light apple green mini bell housing in this picture used to adapt the 8BA engine to the early trans. This is a cast iron truck mini bell. The early Mercs had the same part in stamped steel. sorry.

 

makes sense now. as I have never seen one of those truck adaptors in stamped steel.

 

Yup, the stamped steel adapter ring (green in the picture above ) was indeed a Mercury item. The full stamped steel bell housing was on the 1950 Ford (possibly some 1951's also). To confuse things, there was also a stamped steel full bell housing on some of the in-line 6 Ford flatheads. The latter has a slightly different bolt pattern than the V8 bell, so you have to know what you are looking at when at swapmeets or on internet auction sites.

The Ford V8 stamped steel bellhousing has the transmission adaptation options mentioned above that make it quite desirable.