Caveman tech - building a bellhousing for a flathead cadillac

GREAT post thanks for sharing ........I am filed it to my email

 

Wow great work zibo !! I also must aplaude your tenacity most people would have never even atempted this project !!

 

Thanks guys!
It's really wasn't difficult, just time consuming...

Drewfus, the engine is a similar green already,
and I had that paint stashed away..I'm a spray-can junkie!
The camera makes it look turquoise its not as bad as the pix...
TP

 

This is the kind of stuff I love !!!!!!
Great job !!!!!!

 

Hell of a deal, you take a guy with some good common sense, some good fab capabilities and an idea and turn him loose! What do you get a truely great looking and functioning part!! Great JOB!!!!!

Rex

 

Two thumbs up!

 

Alpine Green. I used to buy it by the quart in Centari. Gives it an industrial look.

Great job. wait. Fantastic job.
.015 across the face woulda been OK. Even better now that it's fixed.

Frank

 

Awesome tech! Great job!!!

 

wow , I am amazed. Great work!

 

Completely amazing work! Why the clutch arm though, instead of adapting a GM one to fit? Just wondering...........


Got my Tech week vote!

 

First thanks for the vote(s)!

Second, cause i didn't have a GM one!
I had the original caddy one but I misplaced it,
but it also didn't fit the muncie/saginaw throwout bearing anyway.


This is a version available online that I thought to copy,
uses a heim joint in that pivot slot.
I like the leverage adjustability, but too hi-tech for this caveman!

TP

 

impressive. very impressive!

 

WOW!!! Great example of what can be done with simple tools and imagination. Very ispirational for me to make my work better.

Brian

 

Great fab work!!!

-Saint

 

You had my vote.........and you are doing the building yourself......and fabbing everything with minimal tools......Cool......and I sorta' listen to your "music" while traveling on Sirius radio.

Chris

 

A year later, so how well does it work?

 

This is my "Treasure" pix of Linda that she autographed for me at 1971 L.A. Autoshow.
A neat lady all thru the years!!!!!!!-------Don

 

Looks great!!!

Trully inspiring to see it from start to finish...

 

I think you want this thread: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=233162&highlight=linda

 

It works great as a stand to hold up the engine/tranny in the frame!
Becoming a longer short-term project.
TP

 

An outstanding effort! A little rough around the edges, but if it works and saves you $$, you're way ahead. I would have never have thought of MAKING a bellhousing from scratch.

Bob

 

Awwwee, now don't get him started on the damn music. I used to never really like the Dead, save but for a handful of greatest hit songs. And now, now I find myself listening to them quite a bit.

 

Great, great article about the flat head Caddie bell hsgn. I am doing the same build for an industrial four cylinder Ford OHV 4 cyl into a 8N chassis and transmission. And to address the fellows that said he should take it to a "real" machine shop, I say "try it." If the shop's secretary doesn't run you off when you enter with a project such as this, you will be bombarded with a rash of crap about how the shop has NASA contracts and your piddling job couldn't possibly be accepted. It is a shame that machine shops aren't like some high dollar lawyers (imagine me talking good about a lawyer) that give away a little of their work week doing "pro bono" work. There are only so many big mills and lathes out there. Machines big enough to do a bellhousing, just are not accessible to the common man. Shame. You can see why folks bolt a bell housing to a car's brake drum and spin it using a body grinder trying to flatten the mating surfaces. And the wild thing about the big machines, is that some guy probably hand scraped their ways to make them as accurate as they are. Go figure why a man can't hand make an acceptable bellhousing. My two cent rant.

 

Pure INSPIRATION!

 

All "new" machines are made on Old machines