"Dialing In" a bell housing
 

I recently bought a muncie 4 speed to put in my Chevelle.This will not be a race car at all just an occasional street cruiser. I have a GM Bell Housing. I know that the right thing to do is check it with a dial indicator, but is it neccessary with a GM bell? I've never done it but I know how...it looks to be a PITA. My dad's el camino is a 4 Speed car and we never have done it on his. My concern is I had to have my block align honed when it was machined and I'm afraid it will cause problems. My Dad says he has never dialed one in in his life( 73 yrs old) and he has always used standard shift transmissions and had ZERO problems.( He also went on to say "But I don't abuse stuff like YOU DO" :P ) Anyway, I can't imagine they were dialed in on the assembly line at Chevrolet,but could be wrong. I've heard MOPAR line honed the block with the bell.

So, my question...do I need to fool with it or not?

Todd, I would say it was worth the effort since the engine was align bored. The crankshaft has been raised from the standard point. You might get away if you're lucky, but most of us don't have that kind of luck. The are a few sites to check out attached. Good luck with it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Woh-fS3DJA
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/arch...p/t-79097.html
http://www.priveye.com/images/lakewood.htm
http://www.hurst-drivelines.com/file...206-15-09A.pdf

IT can't hurt if it is done right :?

LITTLEROD could probably help you out with the hardparts :roll: :roll:

If they only had to dust to the caps .002 - .003, I wouldn't worry about it. If they had to take a bunch off the caps or the block has been aligned honed before I would definately check it.

They just dusted them I think. The reason being, I bought a complete engine for a core.When I tore it down I found the thrust worn out on the crank and it had pushed fwd and ground away at the counterweights against the block.Crank was junk and the align hone was done because we feared the heat may have distorted the bores.

Just to be clear, I am not too lazy to do it, I just had never heard of it before I saw a thread on another forum about it. I Didn't know if it was a high performance type precaution or a necessary assembly step.This is my first time using a standard shift,other than helping my father instal his a few times. .

Cheap insurance, there are also available excentric dowel pins to correct the problem. When in doubt do just do it.

JMO

Zip.

x 2 It's a funky process, using the dial indicator fixed on the crank. Then you (or I did) usually go the wrong way on the dowell and have to back up. It's another area to blueprint.