Another Resto Question -- Bell Housing

69L89396 · #1 03-13-2002, 03:38 AM

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 · #2 03-13-2002, 03:59 AM

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** · #3 03-13-2002, 11:42 AM

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 · #4 03-13-2002, 06:04 PM

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 · #5 03-13-2002, 06:09 PM

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

**SS427** · #6 03-13-2002, 06:36 PM

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

69L89396 · #7 03-13-2002, 09:57 PM

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 · #8 03-13-2002, 11:51 PM

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 · #9 03-14-2002, 05:16 AM

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

**Kurt S** · #10 03-14-2002, 08:11 PM

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?

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