Hot Rods Safety of aluminum and/or cast 2 pc bellhousings?

I have been debating on getting one of the old 2 piece aluminum or cast(?) scattershields for my SBC. But the question that is screaming at me is: Are these actually safe? Or were they more of a primitive, probably better than stock type part?
Also, I think I have read that some of these will only work with some flywheel/clutch combos.

The one I am currently looking at is an R.C. brand.

It would be nice to have the convenience of the lower cover being removable. But, this is a 500hp car and I am kind of attached to my feet. So, if they aren't safe, then I guess I'll keep what I have(old Lakewood steel shield).

Thanks

 

go lakewood the others are safe as long as nothiing goes wrong

 

We use a Quick Time. Stronger where the plate is welded to the hydro formed housing. Both owned by the same company.

 

"safe" is a relative term....the old ones are safer than a stock bellhousing. Probably not as safe as a one piece formed steel scattershield with a block plate.

If you wanted to be totally safe, you would not be driving a car like that. You have to figure out your own acceptable level of risk.

 

I use an original 2-piece RC Ind housing behind my 427FE with block plate, it does not meet current SFI safety standards and only for aesthetics. The housing is HEAVY and THICK and 1964 period correct. If it wanted to go racing I would install a modern rated SFI housing.[

 

Excellent advice...I used to street race my '40 Chevy in the 60's, until I had a flywheel explosion that sent
parts through the floorboard, taking out the bellhousing and everything around it. Never had extra money
for a scattershield. That incident ended my street racing episodes.

 

In the 60’s a friend of mine had an Ansen (two piece) Aluminum Scatter Shield on a small block Chevy. He had a clutch explosion that broke the scatter shield in six pieces. Part of the clutch came through the cowl just in front of the windshield. Lots of bending of transmission hump but no piece/parts into the inside of car. Why chance it when there are more modern choices with proven containment of clutch/flywheel.

 

That is like the one I was considering.
I don't race the car. But, it does see 6500+ a dozen or so times a year.

 

Put the motor behind you. Just ask Don Gartlis.
I know, apples to oranges, not possible with a full bodied car. After Big lost half his foot in a clutch explosion, and it was in a scatter shield, he made the rear engine digger work.
Since you can’t do that, I’d get the best scatter shield I could get if I was going to do any spirited driving. You only have two feet, and they don’t grow back if they get cut off…

 

Not to take anything away from the message of safety here but Garlits lost part of his foot when the Garlits Two Speed Transmission he had just installed was low on lube and it exploded as the car launched.

 

Definitely stay with the Lakewood steel scattershield, cast anything is not the way, haven't been made that way in many many years for good reason. The 2 piece bell doesn't really save you any time anyways, it's just a few extra bolts to remove the whole bell and clutch swap is done quickly with full access. If this is for your 56 chevy and you still use bellhousing mounts check out my post on making solid mounts from stockers.

 

Get the Lakewood, this guy should have!

 

Think not only of yourself, but others that ride with you. I am using a McLeod, with center mounts.

 

More testimonial

 

Another guy I knew, 327, 10,000 rpm flywheel thru the roof. Ran over the transmission. Would have run over the engine but the distributor kept it from falling out.

 

The reason I asked about the 2 piece was because it appears to me that I would have to remove the mount bolts and pull the engine forward slightly to get at part of the bellhousing bolts as it is currently set up. This may be primarily because I have relatively large hands and I'm very uncoordinated... but, still.

This was indeed going to be for my '56. There are no longer any mounts on the bellhousing. I currently have side engine mounts and the rear transmission mount.

 

It only takes one time to change your life forever, or you may be lucky and never have a problem. I like to control the things I’m able to.

 

This was the Quick and Dirty Dodge. He was running a Quicktime scatter shield when this happened. Here is a link to the build page here with the clutch explosion for those interested. Here is a picture from inside as well. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-dodge-southeast-gasser-build.938352/page-149

 

I was a passenger in my friends mustang when his clutch blew during a 1-2 shift. Huge noise, the hood was smashed up like a canopener had cut it. Big hole in the pavement behind us and little pieces flying all over like a grenade. The bellhousing was gone, the back of the engine was broken off where the bellhousing attached, the exhaust was smashed, the transmission input shaft was just hanging there and all the brake lines were ripped apart. And there we were heading towards a t-intersection with no brakes. I changed my driving habits ( and my shorts) after that. Apparently I was lucky because the Ford motor is mounted ahead enough in the car that it didn't come through the floor and take off my feet. If you must abuse a manual transmission setup install a good scattershield or better yet switch to an automatic.

 

Eric, to your knowledge was any explanation given by QuickTime for the failure?
Their bell looks odd, like a hydro-formed cover with a machined plate for the transmission, making it a two piece fabrication. Looking at the photo you posted it appears that the bell in the Dodge gasser had its failure at that juncture.
I have a Lakewood with block plate, I prefer one piece shields, it’s the only way to go IMO.

 

Same thing happened to an acquaintance of mine in the early 70's, he was a madman in his 63 Galaxie, original 406 3x2 4 speed car, took off the back of the block with a clutch and flywheel explosion.

 

Larry, as I remember the guy either modified the housing, or left some bolts out. I don't think he blamed Quicktime.

 

Thanks Marty, that’s good to know. So does Q/T weld nut plates inside the formed bell and also use the transmission plate ?

 

Looks like I posted the wrong page link. This one is more like it.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-dodge-southeast-gasser-build.938352/page-149

 

I have only built one car with a QT, a Lakester with an Ardun. It was on the engine, when it arrived from Don Ferguson. They appear to have a good name, and their shape, certainly fits better in many applications, over a Lakewood, or McLeod.

 

If you raced after 1964 and did not suffer a horrendous blowout, thank Joe Shubeck…

Hello,

We had the unfortunate experience of having a heavy duty clutch with no more than 25 runs with SBC carb motor power to a 671 292 c.i. blower spec motor until it let go. It was after getting to the final elimination race in August 1960. The same clutch company in Long Beach was where all of the local drag racers had gone to get their custom built clutch for their race cars. It was a few blocks from our old high school.

It was installed behind a 283 SBC slightly modified motor with 6 Strombergs in our initial 1940 Willys Coupe build. It ran well on the street and for the two months of racing, performed well for a dual purpose modified, street legal coupe. We kept the same drive line for our next rebuild to a larger 292 blower spec motor and again, it performed quite well.

We had no idea that anything was wrong, the power from the 671 SBC motor was just getting stronger and the elimination races to that point was going our way for every round. My brother had finally figured out his quick start techniques and was usually out in front and pulling away by the orange tower.

It was an impressive set of elimination rounds. Until the clutch let go just about at the timing lights and a resulting fire caused 3rd degree burns on my brother. The incident was view by a lot of people and we saw it from the starting line, some racers told us later that from their view on the return road, it was horrendous.

Jnaki

If you have a doubt, a solid Lakewood Industries 360 degree steel enclosure has saved plenty of lives after it was on the public market. We missed that development by several years. Our legal inspected two piece scattershield was what was sold at the time to most racers. But, we had a hard time finding all of the pieces (if any) of that scattershield on the track and/or where the Willys was stuck in the fence.



From a previous thread:

...If Joe Schubeck’s invention was around back in 1960, we would still be involved in drag racing for many more years to come. We may have still been in the hot rod industry of some kind. His invention prevented many exploding clutches as strong as the clutch could be made, from flying all over the place. It was able to enclose the remaining parts inside of the 360 degree catch-all metal shield. This was a real “scattershield.”

My hat is off to Joe Schubeck for his ingenious development and that every time I see that red FED, silently, I thank him for saving tons of racers lives from the ravages of exploding clutches and flying metal pieces in all drag race cars. Sorry, you did not invent it in early 1960.

Jnaki

“I had built my own tubular chassis,” explained Schubeck. “that was the first tube chassis in 1958, and then in 1959, I rounded up a bunch of people that wanted them. So, I found myself in business. I called it Lakewood Chassis Company.”

"One of the most difficult pieces to construct was the aluminum transmission bell housing. He knew there had to be a better way to manufacture the part and while visiting a fabrication shop in Cleveland, he learned about a machine called the Hydroform."

"Through persistence and hard work, he developed a die to put in the Hydroform and 20 seconds after the engineer flipped on the machine, Schubeck was holding a gorgeous, seamless, aluminum bell housing. It was a tremendous product. His old friend, Jack Harris knew what it might mean to the industry. Across the country, drag racing was plagued with flywheel and clutch explosions. Chunks of cast iron were flying into the grandstands, blowing cars in half, sometimes proving fatal for drivers and spectators."

“It was obvious that what I needed was to make a bellhousing out of steel,” said Schubeck, “and Jack Harris told me: “If you could make that thing out of steel and it will contain that clutch, you would have a multi-million dollar product on your hands.”

"The catch to developing such a coveted product was that Schubeck was going to have to retire as a driver. He reluctantly stepped away from the cockpit, and the move paid off. Before long, he had two shifts going seven days a week, putting skid loads of new steel bell housings on trucks."

 

I will start by saying your best protection is a modern hydro formed steel housing. If I understand your situation you take your car to the track a few times a year and the engine sees 6200 - 6500 RPM. That is the typical upper factory limit for a lot of engines that are applicable here. There is some more information that's not provided that would be needed to comment on your level of risk and what you are asking the the shield to contain:

• I assume the shield is in good condition.
• What is the RPM rating on flywheel and clutch are you using.
• Was the flywheel / clutch assembly balanced.

The shield you have, if in good condition, should be an improvement over an OEM bellhousing. Ideally you have an OEM or aftermarket flywheel and clutch with a RPM rating a bit above your intended redline and the assembly has been balanced. Only you can evaluate and decide what works for you. It part of the process of using period correct parts.

 

The car sees between 6500 and 7200 rpm.
The shield is in good shape.
I can't recall the rpm rating on the clutch and flywheel right off the top of my head. The flywheel is a RAM steel unit and the clutch is a McCleod Super Street.
The assembly was not balanced(FYI it is an external balance engine, I assume that makes a difference with regard to trying to balance the assembly).

 

A good quality flywheel and pressure plate is more important.

On my Road Racing Corvette [650 ft/lbs torque] we used a stock OEM bellhousing for weight and sandblasted the outside to key the surface.
Then we glassed in some "woven Kevlar matting" to stop any explosion.

 

Any clutch can explode. It is far less likely with a quality, SFI approved clutch. But stuff can go wrong, parts can be defective, missed shifts and over revs can happen.
I wouldn't use those ancient bellhousings. They're unsafe and heavy.
On the explosion that was not contained by the QuickTime bellhousing above, I'm pretty sure there was no block plate. The block plate and all of the nuts and bolts around its perimeter are essential because it holds the big end of the bell closed.