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Mcleod Bellhousing HELL!

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Old Sep 27, 2008 | 07:16 PM
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Default Mcleod Bellhousing HELL!

OK, I got my new SFI 6.1 approved Mcleod bellhousing with all the parts. This is my dilemma. I installed the motor plate without any issues, had to do minor grinding on the bellhousing and the plate to make sure the headers fit. So I installed the spacer between the bellhousing and the transmission and the tranny won't go far enough forward so that the shifter and the tranny cross brace is out of place by a good inch or so. Without the spacer in the input shaft won't fit all the way into the pilot bearing. WTF is going on? Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!
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Old Sep 29, 2008 | 07:15 AM
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Did you grind the area on the back of the block above the crank? I think it was a square shape. It has to be removed so the motor plate will sit flush against the block. I also had to enlarge the bolt holes on both pieces slightly to get the bolts to go through. I didn't use any spacer.
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Old Sep 29, 2008 | 07:58 AM
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Yeah, what spacer?

There's a plate that goes flat against the block. You have to grind a little on the oil pan area to make that section flush with the plane of the bellhousing bolts.

Once that plate is on, you put the clutch on, and then slap the bellhousing on. Then bolt up the trans and away you go. No spacer at that point...
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Old Sep 29, 2008 | 09:21 AM
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For Mcleod you have to grind alot of the oil pan ect to make the plate fit. This is the same reason I use the Qiuck Time bellhousings instead.
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Old Sep 29, 2008 | 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Halloran
OK, I got my new SFI 6.1 approved Mcleod bellhousing with all the parts. This is my dilemma. I installed the motor plate without any issues, had to do minor grinding on the bellhousing and the plate to make sure the headers fit. So I installed the spacer between the bellhousing and the transmission and the tranny won't go far enough forward so that the shifter and the tranny cross brace is out of place by a good inch or so. Without the spacer in the input shaft won't fit all the way into the pilot bearing. WTF is going on? Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!
Originally Posted by ss2000
Did you grind the area on the back of the block above the crank? I think it was a square shape. It has to be removed so the motor plate will sit flush against the block. I also had to enlarge the bolt holes on both pieces slightly to get the bolts to go through. I didn't use any spacer.
Originally Posted by Camaroholic
Yeah, what spacer?

There's a plate that goes flat against the block. You have to grind a little on the oil pan area to make that section flush with the plane of the bellhousing bolts.

Once that plate is on, you put the clutch on, and then slap the bellhousing on. Then bolt up the trans and away you go. No spacer at that point...
Originally Posted by Slowhawk
For Mcleod you have to grind alot of the oil pan ect to make the plate fit. This is the same reason I use the Qiuck Time bellhousings instead.
Wow, this sounds like a well-designed, top-dollar product...
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Old Sep 29, 2008 | 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by Halloran
OK, I got my new SFI 6.1 approved Mcleod bellhousing with all the parts. This is my dilemma. I installed the motor plate without any issues, had to do minor grinding on the bellhousing and the plate to make sure the headers fit. So I installed the spacer between the bellhousing and the transmission and the tranny won't go far enough forward so that the shifter and the tranny cross brace is out of place by a good inch or so. Without the spacer in the input shaft won't fit all the way into the pilot bearing. WTF is going on? Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!
call mcleod, they will tell you that there bell housing with all the paltes and ****. is about 3/4 taller(longer) the the stock. that sucks. if i had an auto i would buy it. but i went with quick time cause it is stock size and better peice.

so if i was you i would call mcleod and see what they recommond.
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Old Sep 29, 2008 | 12:05 PM
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Well, I was able to FINALY get the damn thing to fit. I did grind the back of the oil pan gasket with a dremel and the back of the cover a tiny bit to make sure thin block plate sat flush. I did have to helicoil a couple of holes in the bellhousing because it seems like the steel it's made out of doesn't want to take any more than a couple of torques before the threads become soft and weak.

The bellhousing to transmission adapter plate isn't required on my T56. We found that out after we raised the tranny into place and the shifter plate sat back too far about an inch and the tranny cross brace wouldn't bolt in. I had to bolt the headers into place temporarily in order to template and sharpie mark where they would hit on the bellhousing. I ground down those areas and now the headers clear. I'm also glad I ground down the area where the bleeder screw is located or else there would've been NO WAY to gain access to it with a socket or any other device. I had to sacrifice 3 chickens and say 5 hail marys in order to get the damn dowel pins and bolt holes to line up right. I'd have to say this thing is a POS but I got it into place after almost a full day and 3 people helping me drop the tranny in and out of place.

The instructions on McLeods website are a total joke and the pictures look like a fax that had been photocopied at the darkest setting possible. Not to mention that the spelling on almost every word is incorrect. I mean seriously how can to misspell the word "block" and put "black" and have incomplete sentences and words like "ins" should be "pins"? I hope for their sake that those aren't the instructions they send out with all their modular bellhousings to everyone across the United States.
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