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I'm aligning a Quick Time RM-8019 bell housing onto an LS427 and I'm doing so with the help of the QuickTime RM-130 indexing plate. I'm using the process as defined in the instructions as well as the Holly instructional video. Found the most positive point which was around the 5-o-clock position and have done several sweeps. All numbers are coming back consistently. Here's an image of my readings...
I would like confirmation that I'm analyzing this properly. So what I'm seeing here is I have an offset of -0.0095" (0.019/2) and that needs to move the bell housing towards my zero mark (5-o-clock position). Correct?
Also, does anyone know what dowels I need to get that will move align the bell housing properly? I've read they come in .007, .014, and .021, so I'm guessing I need the .007 offsets. Is this a GM part or should I be getting it from Holly? A part number would be absolutely fantastic.
Those look real nice. Do you know how they compare to the Lakewood offsets? They definitely look nicer, have a set screw, and the price is easier on the wallet.
Last edited by roguegeek; Feb 14, 2021 at 10:31 PM.
I agree with both of these. I bought my .007 offset dowels from RobbMC as well. The RobbMC dowels come extra long for the guys that use an engine plate. For most of us, you'll have to cut them down a little shorter with a hacksaw. RobbMC included some good instruction sand they say that the dowels are easy to cut with a hack saw. They were easy to cut shorter.
It was the first time that I'd ever used offset dowels and the offset can be very tricky to see. Very tricky. I had them installed in the wrong direction the first time. When I took dial indicator measurements after installing the offset dowels, my numbers were terribly skewed. I turned the dowels 180 degrees and my numbers came well into spec at .006".
Last edited by dannyual777; Feb 16, 2021 at 10:06 PM.
Reason: added text
It was the first time that I'd ever used offset dowels and the offset can be very tricky to see. Very tricky. I had them installed in the wrong direction the first time. When I took dial indicator measurements after installing the offset dowels, my numbers were terribly skewed. I turned the dowels 180 degrees and my numbers came well into spec at .006".
Picked up the RobbMC dowels. They appear to be the nicest out there. Seems like there's no offset dowels on the market that label where the offset is. Considering we're dealing with thousandths of an inch, it's a little strange to me that manufacturers are leaving it up to us to feel where the offset peaks and install them in the right configuration. Oh well.
From: Montgomery (Lake Conroe,) TX north of Houston
Originally Posted by roguegeek
Picked up the RobbMC dowels. They appear to be the nicest out there. Seems like there's no offset dowels on the market that label where the offset is. Considering we're dealing with thousandths of an inch, it's a little strange to me that manufacturers are leaving it up to us to feel where the offset peaks and install them in the right configuration. Oh well.
I agree 100%. They have the precision equipment making these dowels and they know exactly where the offset is. Why won't they mark the dowels for us?
Picked up the RobbMC dowels. They appear to be the nicest out there. Seems like there's no offset dowels on the market that label where the offset is. Considering we're dealing with thousandths of an inch, it's a little strange to me that manufacturers are leaving it up to us to feel where the offset peaks and install them in the right configuration. Oh well.
Alright, so I need to revise this statement. Got the RobbMC dowels today. They're very nicely engineered, as expected, but they also do identify where the offset is. Not only does the offset run parallel with flattened portion, but it's also marked on the top with the offset number. Very nice, indeed.
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Bell housing alignment analysis... 
