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bell housing alignment

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Old Sep 13, 2005 | 10:41 PM
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Default bell housing alignment

i know when installing a new bell housing or scatter shield you must or should make sure the housing is centered with the crank centerline. is there a tool that sits in the pilot bearing to allow you to be on the crank centerline? i can understand how to do the procedure, im just not sure what if any tools are needed other than of course a dial indicator. if anyone has a how to link they can point me towards that would be great. thanks
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Old Sep 14, 2005 | 12:04 AM
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Default this link has a detailed description for

the procedure.
http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/clutches_etc.htm
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Old Sep 14, 2005 | 08:38 AM
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Any dial indicator and magnetic base works. The flywheel must be on the engine without the clutch and pressure plate installed. Just place the magnetic base on the flyweel and extend the dial indicator out through the hole. No matter where the magnetic base sits the dial indicator will move centered around the crank centerline.
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Old Sep 14, 2005 | 12:31 PM
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ok i see because if the dial indicator is mounted down stable enough then whatever is is off center when you mount it down is what it will be off center the whole way around. it too will rotate around the centerline on its own.

thanks for the help guys.
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Old Sep 14, 2005 | 01:02 PM
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Default Offset Dowel Pins??

Great Information, there's a ton of info on that page.

The alignment procedure says to use "offset dowel pins" if the face of the transmission mounting surface is out of parallelism with the crank. I'm not familliar with offset dowel pins but it sounds like they would change the spacing between dowel pins rather than changing the height of something mounted on them. Has anyone here used them?

Bill
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Old Sep 14, 2005 | 01:48 PM
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Offset dowels are pins that come in different offsets and allow the bellhousing to be moved up or down or left or right by how the offset on the dowel is installed.
The maximum runout allowed is .005 but if you zero the dial indicator to zero at one spot you are allowed run out of .010 since you divide your reading my 2 to get runout from the centerline.
So say zero at 9 oclock, if the reading at 3 is .010 the actual runnout from centerline is 1/2 or .005
Stock bellhousing are usually ok or within specs.
The dowel pins align the bellhousing, the bolts only hold it in place and there is room to move with offset dowels.
Coleman racing sells them along with alot of others.
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Old Sep 14, 2005 | 02:18 PM
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Originally Posted by norvalwilhelm
Offset dowels are pins that come in different offsets and allow the bellhousing to be moved up or down or left or right by how the offset on the dowel is installed.
I see..............I didn't know there was such a thing. I'm getting ready to do my engine over this winter so this is good stuff to check out. Thanks for the explanation!

Bill
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Old Sep 14, 2005 | 09:39 PM
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What happens to the bolt alignment if you use offset dowels? Is there enough clearance in the bell housing bolt holes to still line up with the holes in the block?
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Old Sep 14, 2005 | 10:00 PM
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Offset dowls come in .007 .014 and .021 With this small offset the holes are usually oversize enough to allow this movement. If you find a bolt won't start a little work with a round file in the direction you want the bolt to move won't hurt.
Remember the dowl pins control the alignment and the bolts just hold the bellhousing on, they do nothing for the alignment.
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