ok ok... yea i know, do a search. did one, and came up empty so here goes. i'm getting ready to mock up the engine and trans, and am wondering if the ****ter shield needs to be formed from one piece of 1/4" plate? or if i can weld plates together to get the form i need? also, which is recommended, attaching it to the ch***is or physically on the bell/rear of the block?> thanks guys
What engine are you running? I am running a GMC and a Chevrolet 3 speed trans. I made a motorplate out of 1/4 inch aluminum and drilled it for the Gmc bellhousing as well as the Chevrolet bellhousing. This allowed me to bolt up a blowproof can for a ****tershield. The only hard part is the starter. You have to be dead on with that. If you buy the ****tershield from Speedway it comes with a plate that has the starter setup on it and all you have to do is drill the plate for the engine. I wish you were closer and I could bring it by so you could see how it is made. You do have to run a 168 tooth flywheel or make your own motorplate as I did so you can run a different size flywheel. Roy
The closer to the flywheel you can get it the better the protection. Unfortunately, the closer you get it the more it usually costs. We welded ours up from flat 1/4" plate sections and bolted it to the frame. Tech's out OK.
223 ford is what i'm running... its gonna be interesting to see how many pieces i am going to need to weld together to make the shape to get around the starter pocket on this bell... if anyone made a ****ter trap for this engine, trust me, i'd buy one thanks fellas.
It helps for getting around the starter by using a piece of tubing, like around 4" stuff. Cut it to length and then cut through length wise, pry it open to achieve the proper radius, trim to fit and weld. Hope this helps. 2B
2B, it SURE does actually... tubing was never on my mind staring at the starter cove in the bell, but it sure is now. i gotta find a source for steel up here in GB so i can get some plate and tubing for this. THANKS
wow, as "loophole" as I try to view the rules, I think I missed it on this one!! The rule says "1/4 inch plate ****tershield, or stamped steel bellhousing" I took this to mean -stamped steel bellhousing- or -stock bellhousing AND 1/4" plate ****tershield- so, in order to save weight and follow the rules I went out and bought a Lakewood bell/block plate (swap meet, $175) for a Chevy, drilled the block plate to bolt to the flathead six block, drilled the bellhousing for the Lasalle trans, and cut the flywheel to fit a 168 tooth Chevy ring gear. At this point, who knows how the clutch and input are going to play out, but the starter shoudn't be too tough. If I had read the rule differently, I would have just built the "****tershield" bellhousing/trans adapter from scratch. dammit!
it does mean what you thought... you cannot build a home made bell from plate and expect to p*** tech. not the way i see things. in no way take it that i am building my own bell housing here, only a plate cover to keep pieces away from my feet and the stands if things let loose
OK, I feel better now. Thanks Fiddy, for clearing that up. In my case, the stock bellhousing is cast iron, weighs a ton all by itself, I couldn't see it PLUS a ****tershield.
yea, my stock bell is cast too... with my fat *** back there on the axle along with the shield and the cast bell i'm gonna be a traction fool
I'm with you on that FiddyFour. I figure that the weight is towards the rear, and with all the screaming horsepower my tricked out '34 Dodge will make I'm gonna need the ballast. Actually the rear mounts are on the bell housing and it makes hanging the ****** easier too.
LOL @ "ballast" ... i got a serious weight to horsepower ratio problem with my choice of engine vs. my gut... glad to see ya healin up well Tom... hope ta stage with ya some time SOON T
I was on the down stream end of a clutch explosion at the flathead nationals one year. All the pieces missed me luckily, but cast iron is downright explosive. A chunk did conk the noggin of a guy in the stands. I've posted these before, but it does serve as a reminder to take those foot protection devices seriously.
"I took this to mean -stamped steel bellhousing- or -stock bellhousing AND 1/4" minimum plate ****tershield." Yep, that's the correct reading. Stock bell AND ****tershield, OR custom bell. Thus the custom bell's definitely the lighter choice unless the stock bell's aluminum (for which the rules make no distinction), then it's a closer comparison. However if going with aluminum a conscientious man will also go with a bit thicker ****tershield as well. And Mr. Marlett's quite correct, the WWII vintage "pineapple" hand grenades were indeed cast iron. Cast iron fragments so well that it often didn't bother to follow the pre-cast grooves. As to "putting it all behind you" (a practice Team Geezerspeed certainly indulges in ), that's great for the driver but still does leave the public subject to the ****tershield's capabilities. I hope none of us ever have to bear the weight of failure in that responsibility. Man, that last sounded preachy. Oh well, it's sincere. It stays.
Here.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=165661&highlight=****tershield 1/4" plate, covering the entire area where the clutch ***embly is, fab to suit..... Cheers, Drewfus
When the stamped steel bell housing was originally suggested for the rules, it was with the stamped steel stock flathead Ford bell housing in mind. It isn't a full 1/4" thick, but it beats the snot out of cast iron. NHRA does not require a flywheel shield in cars going 11.50 or slower. This is the one area I can think of where HA/GR rules are stricter than NHRA rules. However, I'm for it and, in fact, I think I was the one that originally brought it up.
drewfus i cant tell from the pic you have in the other thread, but does your shield wrap around 360* of the entire bell?
In order to be effective, the ****tershield MUST surround the clutch/flywheel 360 degrees and must extend forward to a point at least 1 inch ahead of the flywheel and 1 inch to the rear of rotating components of the clutch and pressure plate. See NHRA 2009 Rulebook, General Regulations, 2.10 If no ****tershield is made particularly for your application, you may use a ****tershield from a different application by fabricating a motor plate which bolts to the engine block with all available bolt holes, then drilling the motor plate to accept the stamped steel ****tershield. The alternative is to fabricate a shield from minimum thickness 1/4 inch steel which fits over the stock bellhousing and mounts to the frame or frame structure. Again, this shield must encircle the stock bellhousing 360 degrees and extend forward to a point at least 1 inch ahead of the flywheel and 1 inch to the rear of rotating components of the clutch and pressure plate. This is written from a tech inspector's point of view and is according to the rules in the NHRA 2009 Rulebook. NHRA does not require the stamped steel commercially-available ****tershield or a fabricated unit until the car goes 11.49 or quicker, but I think the fellows who put the HA/GR rules together were using their heads in requiring blow-up protection for the drivers, crew and spectators. And by the way, one of my fellow inspectors at the drag strip came up with a neat explanation for HA/GR when explaining it to a newbie. Home-***embled / Gas Rail.
Here is another example of what can happen. I've posted this before. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185297 Please, with the use of old equipment, show a little respect for your self and others that may come to watch your feats of speed and bravery.
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