Another Resto Question -- Bell Housing

[69L89396]

What color is the bell housing suppose to be?
I have read that they were orange like the engine but I have seen allot of cars that were suppose to be "correct" and they were natural aluminum color. Even this month's March Featured car has a natural color bell housing. What is the deal?

[Edited by 69L89396 (03-12-2002 at 10:38 PM).]

[Rat_Pack]

The last 69 I did the entire unit was painted orange from the factory so that is the way it went back together. Also Jerry MacNeishs' book on the 69's says the bellhousing is orange. I just looked at a 60,000 mile 64 Corvette with its unrestored drivetrain that I am doing some work on and the entire bellhousing is orange also...........RatPack..................

[SS427]

This has been an ongoing debate on many sites. I have several factory photos of the Tonawanda engine plant. It seems (on big blocks) from that plant that the bellhousing was mounted at the time the engine was painted. The survivor big blocks that I have documented showed the bellhousing with a 4-6" band around the flange area. When they sprayed the back of the block, they oversprayed the bellhousing, clutch fork, and pressure plate. I just recently retored and documented a survivor LS-6's and it was done exactly that way. It seems as though it was a Tonawanda thing as I believe Flint didn't have the bellhousing mounted when painted. However, small blocks could be a different story.

[T Billigen]

I owned a 1967 Impala with 1452 original miles, it was a 327 4 speed, the engine was a tonawanda and the whole bellhousing was painted red.

[Rat_Pack]

This 64 Vette is a 327/300hp and the entire bellhousing is also orange and it is a Flint engine.................RatPack.................

[SS427]

69L89, unfortunately no. Photos yes, scanner no, knowledge of doing so......no! I am good with wrenches not computers.

[69L89396]

I here ya SS427

How can a car get a Diamond status with the bell housing not painted? Is this not considered correct?

[Keith Tedford]

Over the years assembly sequences changed. In the 80s engines from the various manufacturing plants came into the Oshawa truck plant with just the flywheel and pressure plate, no bell housing. It was installed as the engine went down the engine line. Probably happened in the car lines too. This might explain some bell housings having no paint on them. Just a thought.

[69L89396]

SS427
Do you have any photos of the engine plant or the bell housings that you can post?

[Kurt S]

I'm always surprised that all the bellhousings you see at swapmeets are natural, not common to see a painted vintage part. Since most don't appear to be blasted, what happened to the paint? http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

[jon rand]

Paint dosen't Stick to aluminum to well, a couple good blast at the car wash will blow it right off.

[69L89396]

When was the transmission attached to the bell housing? It seams if the engine left the factory with the transmission, it should have some overspray on it as well if it was painted with it attached?

I'm like you Kirt S, I have not seen any bellhousings with paint and they didn't look blasted. I have had some before that were painted back in the old hot rod days.

How do you make paint stick to aluminum anyway without special primer?

[Edited by 69L89396 (03-14-2002 at 11:42 PM).]

[Charley Lillard]

I've had a a few bellhousings that I had to really work at to get the orig. paint off of. At least I assume it was orig. paint.

[L89DRMR]

I parted out an L78 with 48,000 miles on it and the bellhousing was completely covered in orange paint. This car was purchased from the original owner who never raced or modified the car so at least this one came through with the painted bellhousing,since he never removed the drivetrain or replaced the clutch when he owned it. Dave

[69L89396]

I was talking to a friend that restores cars and he said that most of the big block solid lifter Camaros he has seen, did not have the bell housing painted. He did say that on all the Corvettes they were though. The Camaro Z/28's were painted also. But there are too many inconsistencies to say which is correct. Back them there were no standards to go by like there are now.

So I guess it can go either way and be considered "correct". http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/laugh.gif

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I'm checking back through some of the old topics that I've missed.

Us Deuce guys have had this debate for a long time, and we were fortunate enough to get some pics of Dave Belk's bellhousing just as they were pulling it out of the car. It appears that his car had a wide band of orange at the flange. I think Schoneye's had quite a bit more orange on his bell. We concluded that for the Deuces, which were built in three consectutive weeks, the bell should not be completely orange but have a several inches of the flange oversprayed.

If some new info shows up later, at least it's not a tough thing to change! /ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif

[SS427]

I am documenting a very low mileage untouched survivor car tonight, checking numbers, dates and authenticity. It is a 4-speed big block car which has had NO work done to it. I will make note of the bellhousing paint and let you know what I find. This is a Tonowanda engine plant car.

[T Billigen]

I ownd a 1967 impala with 1,450 miles never touched, had the 327 from tonawanda and the bell housing was completely painted. Bottom side of car was painted Marina Blue just like the rest of the car.

[SS427]

Looked at the car last night. The upper half of the bellhousing was painted 'almost' completely. About 1/2 down the bellhousing, it tapered back to a 4" band around the bottom. I will confess, this is the only one I had seen like that. They have always been completely painted or just a band around the flange in the past.

[T Billigen]

I'm sure every person doing the painting had their own way of doing things, so I don't think you can say anyway is right or wrong! On my low mileage Impala the fire wall was not painted black, it was also Marina blue. I talked to some people that worked at the Lordstown plant in Ohio that worked there in the 60s, they told me if someone had to leave the line for some reason and could not get a replacement, cars would go down the line missing parts and people painting firewallls and other areas missed cars. Thats probably what happened to my Impala. I just can't see how anyone can say what is right or wrong. Just a lot of speculation!

[Mr70]

Can you imagine that,in 1969 an Assembly line worker had to leave work early to take his son to the school play,so that later he could play cards that evening with his inlaws,so he rushed his tasks and did them sloppy,if at all,compared to the way he normaly did them any other day.
Now 33 years later,restorers are tenatively looking at his work and arguing about it to try to duplicate it exactly!....
Some of those guys up in Heaven today must be looking down at us and Laughing thier A$$ off at us.

I am speaking generally here,not talking about Tom or Rick or anyone else on this topic specifically.

This Hobby needs an Enima! /ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif

[SS427]

I think I need an enima, these restorations are one of the reasons why I have picked up the nick name of anal Rick. /ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif Actually, that is the ONLY reason guys!!!!

This debate has gone on for years and will likely continue for many more. That is why I always tell people to restore the cars to THEIR taste not someone elses. We just need to enjoy them.

[T Billigen]

AMEN!!!!!!