Looking for scattershield advice
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,289
Likes: 3
From: East Waterboro Maine
Looking for scattershield advice
Well, in the interest in keeping my lower legs and feet intact I've decided to install a scattersheild on my vette. Any advice on brands to look at or ones to stay away from? I was thinking of buying a used Lakewood off ebay (they go for cheap) and cleaning it up. I really don't want to drop three bills on a new one...
Has anyone ever created their own shielding? It seems like someone with a reasonable amount of talent could weld up some plate steel and install it between the original bell housing and tranny tunnel pretty easily. Wouldn't this accomplish the same thing and help maintain a more original appearance? Seems like it would be pretty cheap too...
Has anyone ever created their own shielding? It seems like someone with a reasonable amount of talent could weld up some plate steel and install it between the original bell housing and tranny tunnel pretty easily. Wouldn't this accomplish the same thing and help maintain a more original appearance? Seems like it would be pretty cheap too...
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
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From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
I was thiniking the same thing, don't care about the car or the motor just my legs, so I nice thick piece of steel on the driver's side of the bell housing would be an easy fix for someone with some fabricating skills 
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2006
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Buy a unit with a block saver. I witnessed a guy grenade a flywheel about 100 ft out at the drags. He had installed the scattershield but not the block saver. The back of the motor was severed by the explosion, the tranny/scattershied dropped down dug into the pavement and flipped the car. Pretty horrific.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,289
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From: East Waterboro Maine
Originally Posted by C2BOB
Buy a unit with a block saver. I witnessed a guy grenade a flywheel about 100 ft out at the drags. He had installed the scattershield but not the block saver. The back of the motor was severed by the explosion, the tranny/scattershied dropped down dug into the pavement and flipped the car. Pretty horrific.
Whoa!
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,289
Likes: 3
From: East Waterboro Maine
Originally Posted by C2BOB
Buy a unit with a block saver. I witnessed a guy grenade a flywheel about 100 ft out at the drags. He had installed the scattershield but not the block saver. The back of the motor was severed by the explosion, the tranny/scattershied dropped down dug into the pavement and flipped the car. Pretty horrific.
Food for thought -
A point located on the outer edge of a 14" flywheel rotating at 6500 RPM would be traveling at about 4,760 fps. For comparison, a shot fired from a 0.30/06 rifle 'only' travels at about 2,700 fps.
With that in mind, if a chunk of flywheel weighing 1/4 pound were to break off from the flywheel perimeter at 6500 RPM it's impact force on the bellhousing/scattershield would be well into the hundreds of thousands of pounds!
Yeah, I think I'll definitely go with the scattershield...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
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From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Block Plate (aka block saver) comes with the SFI certified Lakewood bellhousings ... you can get the same 1/4" thick steel LW bellhousing (it'll be black instead of red) but without the plate but it will not be SFI. Suggest DO NOT buy a used bellhousing from way off (ebay) ... they DO get bent ... just a few thousandth's & you'll be pulling your hair out ... and the trans again ... and your wallet again. McLeod bellhousings generally fit a bit better than LW ... probably same deal on block plate/SFI ... dunno. SpeedwayMotors.com has bellhousing w/ plate for about $240 ... P/N 515-8650.
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Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
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From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
I have the lakewood SFI - For my auto tranny I have the external flex shield and the case shield. Years ago i had one of those tranny flak jackets, but i always thout that it held in to much heat. do they sell external stuff for manual trannies?
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Pettis Performance 565 with two stages of Nitrous Supply nitrous 1.082, 4.61 at 155, 7.17 at 192
Originally Posted by Maine Vette
I was just trying to imagine how a flywheel grenading could cause that kind of damage so I did some quick math (I know, I'm a geek) -
Food for thought -
A point located on the outer edge of a 14" flywheel rotating at 6500 RPM would be traveling at about 4,760 fps. For comparison, a shot fired from a 0.30/06 rifle 'only' travels at about 2,700 fps.
With that in mind, if a chunk of flywheel weighing 1/4 pound were to break off from the flywheel perimeter at 6500 RPM it's impact force on the bellhousing/scattershield would be well into the hundreds of thousands of pounds!
Yeah, I think I'll definitely go with the scattershield...
Food for thought -
A point located on the outer edge of a 14" flywheel rotating at 6500 RPM would be traveling at about 4,760 fps. For comparison, a shot fired from a 0.30/06 rifle 'only' travels at about 2,700 fps.
With that in mind, if a chunk of flywheel weighing 1/4 pound were to break off from the flywheel perimeter at 6500 RPM it's impact force on the bellhousing/scattershield would be well into the hundreds of thousands of pounds!
Yeah, I think I'll definitely go with the scattershield...
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,289
Likes: 3
From: East Waterboro Maine
Originally Posted by jackson
Block Plate (aka block saver) comes with the SFI certified Lakewood bellhousings ... you can get the same 1/4" thick steel LW bellhousing (it'll be black instead of red) but without the plate but it will not be SFI. Suggest DO NOT buy a used bellhousing from way off (ebay) ... they DO get bent ... just a few thousandth's & you'll be pulling your hair out ... and the trans again ... and your wallet again. McLeod bellhousings generally fit a bit better than LW ... probably same deal on block plate/SFI ... dunno. SpeedwayMotors.com has bellhousing w/ plate for about $240 ... P/N 515-8650.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,289
Likes: 3
From: East Waterboro Maine
Originally Posted by 69 N.O.X. RATT
I think your math is a little off. If that were true there is no way the scattershield would keep the flywheel from penetrating it. None the less, get the scattershield and make sure to index it. Don't use the off set dowels, they can be a major PIA, use the kit where you re-drill the scattershield and weld the collars on.....much faster.
A piece on the perimeter of the flywheel is traveling about 400 fps, not 4760 fps. Either way I don't want a piece hitting my leg.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Redondo Beach, California
Originally Posted by jackson
. McLeod bellhousings generally fit a bit better than LW ... probably same deal on block plate/SFI ... dunno. SpeedwayMotors.com has bellhousing w/ plate for about $240 ... P/N 515-8650.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
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From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Originally Posted by Maine Vette
Alignment issues? Can you elaborate?
Pro
Joined: Jun 2005
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St. Jude Donor '09, '24
Originally Posted by 68/70Vette
For my next scattershield, I think I'll investigate a McLeod. People on this forum seem to have opinions that they fit better. But on the other hand, McLeod's service telephone help line doesn't seem to be very good. After many phone calls, I was finally able to talk to their "tech advisor," I wasn't impressed. (Their "tech advisor" is only available at designated hours each day and the line is usually busy). He didn't know what a Chevy ZZ4 was. (!!!) The clutch he recommended that I buy was one identified in their catalog for a 1963 Corvette with the base engine. That he didn't know what a ZZ4 was and that he recommended a clutch for a 1963 Corvette suggests to me that this guy didn't know much. He did sound tired so maybe he just puting in his time as "tech advisor" for McLeods. I just said thanks and hung up
McLeod makes a very good scattersheild. Fits a lot better then the Lakewoods in my experiances. No need to index the McLeods. Have a lot better Quality Contfol then Lakewoods that I have used. Call McLeod first thing in the morning CA time. Small operation sometimes thet get overwhelmed out there, houstonvett
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 1999
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From: NorCal
Happened to me...
I blew up a clutch pressure plate ring in a '68 California Special on a 1-2 shift (on slicks). The piece that gave me religion came through the stock alloy bellhousing, through the tunnel just above my right foot and exited the car through the LH wiper arm and grille. All I experienced was huge bang and the engine was trying to vibrate itself out of the car! Never found the part.
I was just a dumb kid, but that was a lesson that sank in...
Hans
I was just a dumb kid, but that was a lesson that sank in...
Hans
