GT's 78

Would a 500hp motor with centerforce clutch need a safety bellhousing. Would the steel non-safety bellhousing be sufficient???? or would the stock one be OK???

Gordonm

Do you like your feet? You are basically buying insurance with a blow shield for a bellhousing. The chances are slim that it will go but if it does you do not want a stock bellhousing there. It will rip an aluminum bellhousing to shreds in a split second. Kind of like buying a helmet. Do you want a 5 dollar helmet protecting your head. Do you want a cheap bellhousing protecting your feet?

TOM B1

O SO TRUE, My brother and I where in a CJ5 when we where teens and The clutch blew up, The engine will rev up to max when this happens and that rips apart everything. The clutch and flywheel shatterd and came through the bell housing and into the cab cutting up our feet, we didnt know what hit us, we where ok with no long term damage exept that I ALWAYS will have a blow proof bell housing.

cv67

Always! Hated spending the money and adding 40 lbs of weight to the car but the piece of mind when that tach is swinging...
Sometimes they can blow in normal operation.
Billet FW are a safe bet but cant be too safe...
Just spend the money.

Good idea to use a block protector also

arcticcatmatt

Make me feel guilty for installing a hays SFI rated flywheel and new dual friction clutch setup... into my stock bellhousing.. I'll be test driving for the first time this week.

Ben Lurkin

Depends a bit on your usage too IMHO. If you're just going to cruise with it, I wouldn't worry about it. BUT that's probably not the case since you have 500 hp.

DRIVESHAFT

Your not alone. I went with an SFI certified Hays flywheel & Ram clutch in the stock bellhousing.
I still get nervous though when the tach is up around 7000.

Lt1er

The SFI rated stuff is also insurance. To the poster it is not really so much the hp level. It is rpm. If you have a parts failure without a rev limiting device and you have a motor that could possibly zing to high rpm. You need some safety devices!

Bud2

I use one.

Bud

mysixtynine

You are simply buying insurance here. You may never need it.

Fact is a clutch could let go on a 200hp or less car and still go through the bellhousing. Most engines will spin up to 5k.

The probability of a failure is higher with more HP and the nature of these cars and our propensity to push them.

I would think a drive shaft loop should also be on any of these cars with fiberglass floors. The fact that the universal is mid thigh and mid forearm when your seated in the car is just as scary.

QuickTime makes some real nice units. Pricey but clean and light.

69 Chevy

GT's 78, you might be too young to know about Don Garlits losing part of a foot to a blown clutch/flywheel. If the same happened to you, would you mind being called stumpy the rest of your life? In a C3, you're bound to lose more than a foot. More like half way to your knees. Better to be safe than sorry. That's why in my mouse motored '69 I have an SFI approved steel billet flywheel and clutch, and a hydroformed steel bell.

cv67

If Im not mistaken that same explosion took off someones arm in the crowd too.

You can see the piece on the track about to take a young boys arm off.
If you got an iron FW youre real crazy if you dont..



Loop as said above a very good idea!

We spend so much on speed parts, bling etc but dont spend enough on safety so were covered.

GT's 78

Thanks guys for the replies. Think I'll let go of the x-tra cash to be on the safe side. Flywheel is Hays aluminum.

TheSkunkWorks

QuickTime has an SFI bell that weighs only 22#, but it ain't cheap. Sold my LW and saving up for one myself. Have run a Hays 15# alum flywheel for a while. Good piece.

IIRC, Big Daddy has a huge pic of the explosion on a wall in his museum (a must see if you're ever in central FLA), and he'll talk about the incident, but I hadn't heard about the boy's arm before. A lot of people just don't realize how scary dangerous racing (any kind) was not too many years ago.

birdsmith

Not only does Garlits have a picture of the incident; the car itself is there with all the pieces on display. A year before that at the US Nationals John Mulligan was killed when HIS clutch exploded at half track.(Replica Beebe&Mulligan car as seen at '04 Bakersfield March Meet)

jasonright

Lakewood safety bellhousings are designed for highest possible efficiency and strength. They are cut on CNC 5 axis laserlight blades rather than lcd blades to enhance complete quality, decrease heat damage and warpage from the lcd divider, enhance speed of produce.

gkull

Lakewood sells the non SFI model that is just as strong for considerably less money

nitrojoe

The starter with the black cowboy hat ( Larry Sutton ) , ran over to the boy and stuck his thumb into a bleeding artery . Saved the boy from hemorraging to death .

bmans vette

Safety first!
I was at Englishtown in late 60's and saw a front u-joint let go on a gasser. No driveshaft loop protector.
Driveshaft came thru the floor and sliced open the racer's right leg from his hip down.
Real nasty.
No 2nd chances when things are moving that fast.

Stay safe.
Bman

TimAT

My 69 has had one (Lakewood) since 1971- when the PO found out that if you miss a gear the L-88 that was in there at the time would spin to just over 7000 in a flash- and the diaphragm clutch sticks to the floor.