[Bert]

Hey
Killer site.
I just picked up a 4bt that was in a frito-lay truck. I got the adapter plate, flywheel, clutch and pp but not the bell housing. is there something special about the bell or will any bell work. I probably need to know so I can go back and get it before its gone. I believe it was a SM465 but I'm thinking I want to go 5 speed

 

[Fleabag]

bellhousing

I believe if you stay with the sm465 about any older bellhousing will work for you, if you go with a nv4500 your going to have to get a bellhousing that came frome that application. I have a nv4500 to put behind my 4bta that I got a month ago. I bought what I was told a chevy manual flywheel but turned out to be a ford application flywheel, looked at the chevy auto flywheel that came with engine and it was same size and tooth count. I will now use the ford flywheel and pressure plate with a chevy clutch disc and everyone will be happy! No need to buy those expensive chevy manual flywheels, get the cheaper fords and use it like I'm going to. A pressure plate can't tell the differance between a ford disc and chevy disc unless you tell it! Both use a 11 inch disc and you can go down to the local parts store and get both the disc and pressure plate cheap. Good luck in finding what you need, the nv4500 bells are harder to find and can be a little pricy. Fleabag!!

 

[BobS]

Fleabag,

How do you intend on making up the 1/2" difference in thickness between the thinner Ford/Borg-Warner flywheel to the thicker Chevy/SM-465 flywheel?

BobS

 

[Fleabag]

flywheel

Bob, I looked at the auto flywheel and manual together, laid both flat on workbench both seemed to be same height? I put the torque hub on bench then laid auto flywheel on hub then put the manual flywheel next to that and looked at the height and they were the same, am I missing something here? Both the ford flywheel and the torque hub are machined the same depth on the back. Should I be looking at something else? Are you saying that the ford flywheel is going to have my clutch disc to far foward on the input shaft of the tranny? Thanks Fleabag!!

 

[Fleabag]

flwheel

Bob, should have said that the gear matches up on both at same height, on post above. Do you have the height measurement on a chevy application flywheel? I have never seen a chevy flywheel and ford side by side so maybe I'm missing something here? Thanks Fleabag!!

 

[BobS]

The ring gear on the auto & manual flywheels are both located the same distance from the crankshaft mounting face. This is why all of the 4BT Ford and Chevy versions permit swapping starters between them. If you take both versions of the manual flywheels and examine them they are identical with the exception of the thickness and the pilot bearing bores. The Chevy is thicker by about a half inch from memory. You are correct because it would move your clutch assembly forward on the splines by 1/2 inch and you might run out of spline length. The pilot bearing could also become an issue. There may be a couple of ways around this such as fabricating a spacer for the flywheel clutch mounting face but balancing could become an issue. The other way could be using a Dodge NV4500 as in the build up thread by Driverswanted and making a thinner spacer/adapter between the trans and bellhousing. Some experimenting would be required to find the exact thickness required for the trans to bellhousing spacer. I think this method would be the safest and cheapest way to go.

 

[Bert]

Thanks for the reply's. Am I getting this right? The bell housing I want to use would come with the trans?

 

[mcinfantry]

yes. the bell mates the tranny to the cummins ADAPTER. you need whatever cummins adapter for your tranny of choice.

 

[Bert]

thanks