Special bell housing

[Anonymous]

I have heard about a special bell housing that Ford used behind the 170 engine that had single bolt pattern. I think it was called heavy duty or taxi model. I heard these were used in the Fairlane. I don't know about any other models. This bell housing was larger and therefore had the bolts inside the bellhousing. This was made so they could use a larger flywheel and clutch. Does anyone know about this or even better have one they would sell?
L.D.

 

[Guest]

I've collected at least 8 different bellhousings that were used behind a 144/170/200 and none of them would have fit that bill. I did have (and may still do) a bell that was unique to a Fairlane (based on casting number). It was a small bell and required the 8 1/2" recessed flywheel and 3-bolt starter. The bolt holes were tapped in the bell to mount the tranny after the bell was installed. The bell was cast iron and was heavy.

The only bell that had the bolts mount from the inside was the Dagenham, and that certainly wasn't heavy duty. There is also the Econoline bell, which used the early Toploder pattern. It too used the small flywheel and was aluminum.

The reason you couldn't use a larger flywheel on the single-pattern block is that any flywheel larger than 8 1/2" covers the bellhousing mounting holes in the block.

 

[Anonymous]

I forgot to mention in the post that there was a spacer to set the flywheel out to clear the flywheel lip and bolts. You had to install bellhousing before flywheel because flywheel covered bolts. Maybe what I heard was just bull or wishful thinking. I was sure if such a thing existed someone here would know.
L.D.

 

[Guest]

Never heard of anything like that in production, but nothing surprises me. I had actually worked on something like that when I was first getting into it several years ago. Could it have been an aftermarket thing?

 

[addo]

Ford Australia made an adapter plate to fit the early small bell pattern (pre '67) and run a larger bellhousing. From memory it is about 3/8" thick, and has a Ford part number on it with ARC4DA prefix.

I know someone who's got one, but he's 100 miles away and generally likes the look of my money...

 

[BKNLINE]

I was thinking along the same lines that maybe it's a special adapter plate to bolt up another trans to the 170. Someone made an adapter plate to bolt a power glide behind the small block Ford, so I wouldn't be surprised if an adapter was made for the 170 - especially for a Bronco.

Dean T

 

[Mercury Mike]

Never heard of it. =D BKNLINE, where in SoCal are ya?