Muncie 3spd OD to a later Chevy bellhousing???

Maybe I'm crazy, but I have a Muncie 3 speed overdrive ('59 or so) that I would like to bolt to a Chevy truck engine that had a Saginaw three speed. Everything looks good except for the bearing retainer on the Muncie is 4.680 inch diameter where the Saginaw was 5.12 inch diameter. Is there a special bearing retainer for the muncie or some type of ring adapter to do this? Is there a better way to solve this? I have a cast iron bellhousing that looks like it might work, but the starter area looks different. Any Chevy experts out there?? Thanks

 

There are bellhousings that will work, is the one you have now iron or aluminum? the iron type with the big hole was used from 68-72 in trucks, it uses a starter that bolts to the bellhousing. The aluminum bell was used starting in 73, the starter for it bolts to the block.

To replace the iron one, find a 55-67 V8 or 63-67 6 cyl truck bellhousing.

To replace the aluminum one, find a car bellhousing from the mid 60s to about 1981. THere are different types, some for large flywheel, some for small, so you need to find the big one because the trucks all had big flywheels. THe casting no on the one you'd want ends in 621, they are pricy on ebay.

Alternate solution is to get a local machine shop to make you a spacer ring.

Or just put the trans in, and see if it works ok, it might be fine...or it might not stay in high gear...

 

That is good info, Thanks. The aluminum bellhousing on the Chevy truck engine has an 11 inch clutch, which wont fit in the aluminum bellhousing that fits on the Muncie three speed. I haven't tried the cast iron '56 bellhousing to see if the 11 inch clutch fits it, but it sounds like I need to find that Chevy pass car bellhousing with the small hole that will hold an 11 inch clucth. I'm glad it exists, now to find one.
Thanks.

 

You should be able to use the 56 car iron bellhousing. They used the same flywheel as the trucks.

 

I'll give that a try. The truck engine is '85 or so and the starter bulge on the '56 bellhousing looks a little different, but it seems like the flywheel will fit like you said.
Thanks.