Hawk-Rod: The "Tune-Up"
- Thread starter HawkRod
- Start date
being that close the shaft would have to be in the clutch disc already
Did you measure front bearing retainer OD and ID of bell housing hole for bearing retainer.
Yeah but maybe it's hitting the bushing in the crankshaft, it's got a lineup between the back of the bellhousing the clutch disc and a bushing in the crank
Thanks all for the replies so far.
Agreed. Rather than a brass bushing in the crank, I have a bearing pressed in. So the bearing must align perfectly with the clutch plus you have to overcome the slight friction when mating it to the bellhousing.
Having said that, I'm not confident in that and don't want something stupid to cause damage. I just can't think of what else would be problematic that I did not check???
I test mounted the bellhousing to the transmission - it fit what I believe to be perfectly. No play at all, but not tight to put on - just a little bit of pressure to slide it on, and then it stayed there due to friction.
Agreed. Rather than a brass bushing in the crank, I have a bearing pressed in. So the bearing must align perfectly with the clutch plus you have to overcome the slight friction when mating it to the bellhousing.
Having said that, I'm not confident in that and don't want something stupid to cause damage. I just can't think of what else would be problematic that I did not check???
Maybe I am just being paranoid and overly careful. Passon 5 speeds are like hen's teeth, and I want to exactly follow and check everything needed to help assure a successful installation. Plus, with my pending drive across country (assuming this corona virus nonsense ends soon), I REALLY don't want problems halfway across the land!
Having said that, because I WAS/AM paranoid, I pulled it back apart and will work to stabilize my rig and realign everything again.
I'll report back...
I truly appreciate the responses and help! Thanks!
Hawk
I just got in from the garage and SUCCESS!!! I pulled off the bellhousing and clutch and then aligned each piece as I went along, starting with the bearing pressed into the crank, then working my way out with the clutch. When I installed the transmission this time, it went in fine. So it must jut have been a minor misalignment with the way the transmission input shaft was sitting in relation to the clutch, bearing, etc.
This part is DONE! Thanks again for all your help!
Hawk
This part is DONE! Thanks again for all your help!
Hawk
congrats
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Congrats, Hawk!
Anyone who's danced this particular dance before can easily identify/commiserate with
you on this journey - and there's many old transmissions out there with broken off mounting ears
from "when things went wrong", so you were correct in being concerned.
Anyone who's danced this particular dance before can easily identify/commiserate with
you on this journey - and there's many old transmissions out there with broken off mounting ears
from "when things went wrong", so you were correct in being concerned.
Congrats, Hawk!
Anyone who's danced this particular dance before can easily identify/commiserate with
you on this journey - and there's many old transmissions out there with broken off mounting ears
from "when things went wrong", so you were correct in being concerned.
Thanks guys.
Ed, I have done many stupid things in my life, but eventually I DO learn. I just wanted to make sure this was NOT one of those stupid things - this one could be expensive and put me on the side of the road without an easy repair!
Hawk
Machmeter1
Well-Known Member
Congratulations Hawk, you did it right, you walked away, got your head free and tried again with success. I always check things twice if they aren't going as they should, a bit OCD does not harm.
Btw, really nice package!
Cheers, Wolfgang
Btw, really nice package!
Cheers, Wolfgang
Last edited:
Thanks. Yes, I had a lot of OCD when I built the car, and I think that OCD helped get us across country when I left less than two weeks after it was built! It always pays to check twice and try to do the best you can to get it right the first time...
I worked today on modifying a throttle bracket to make it fit and look similar to the original yet function with the high rise manifold and the fuel injection throttle body. Will hopefully be able to paint that tomorrow. Painting all this stuff Hemi orange may seem boring, but I like trying to make the whole package look as stock as possible.
Hawk
Working on some small parts now.
The black bracket is the original bracket from my 383. The bracket on the right is the one I modified when I installed the fuel injection. I cut it in half lengthwise and added metal to it so it has a steeper slope to it - look at the difference on the left sides of the brackets.
This revised bracket did not fit with my new high rise manifold. I had to modify it again and cut off a part of the bottom (see piece below my thumb) and massage some other minor parts.
Here is the modified bracket installed after some fresh orange paint (just mocked up, but you can see a nice straight pull for the throttle).
On my old setup, the return spring ran to the front of the engine and just didn't look nice. I made a bracket to hold the spring and just didn't like it. So I came up with a new idea to attach a bolt with a hole drilled in it to hold a spring from the back. You can see this in the picture above and below. It's nice and straight and this just seems like a much cleaner installation.
Finally, I added some other brackets needed for A/C and alternator, and also bolted the power steering pump back on. Progress!!!
Hawk
The black bracket is the original bracket from my 383. The bracket on the right is the one I modified when I installed the fuel injection. I cut it in half lengthwise and added metal to it so it has a steeper slope to it - look at the difference on the left sides of the brackets.
This revised bracket did not fit with my new high rise manifold. I had to modify it again and cut off a part of the bottom (see piece below my thumb) and massage some other minor parts.
Here is the modified bracket installed after some fresh orange paint (just mocked up, but you can see a nice straight pull for the throttle).
On my old setup, the return spring ran to the front of the engine and just didn't look nice. I made a bracket to hold the spring and just didn't like it. So I came up with a new idea to attach a bolt with a hole drilled in it to hold a spring from the back. You can see this in the picture above and below. It's nice and straight and this just seems like a much cleaner installation.
Finally, I added some other brackets needed for A/C and alternator, and also bolted the power steering pump back on. Progress!!!
Hawk
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Hey Hawk, just found this build thread. Hopefully you have those pesky oil leaks solved. I will be interested in hearing how it runs with the new 5 speed.
Just a friendly word of advice. Now would be an ideal time to put the pulleys on and check for alignment. Much easier than in the car. I added AC, double belt alt. & HD water pump pulley. With a aftermarket balancer. Had to do some shimming to get things perfect.
Thanks! Yes, I am excited to get the whole thing back in the car and running. Work has been crazy, so my time to work on it has been limited. I had hoped to have the car basically running by beginning of April, and as you can see I am not there yet! Once running, I will need to break in the transmission for about 500 miles, so no aggressive driving too soon!
I certainly hope the oil leaks have been addressed. I wonder and worry about the rear main seal, but it looked perfect - I hope I was not wrong - otherwise the whole dang thing needs to come out again!
Thanks for checking in - I promise to try and give your old engine a good home in the Road Runner!!
Thanks. Yes, this was a pain when I first installed the hidden A/C system. In rough measurements on the new engine, it looks like things will fit OK except we may have to drop the two shims from the water pump. Mounting pulleys, etc. is the next step (except for A/C which is still charged and on the car), so look for an update on this next!
Thanks,
Hawk
My original 383 crank pulley (black in picture), has an offset hole (circled in yellow crayon) that matches the holes in the balancer on my 383. It can only go on one way. The holes in the balancer on my new 400 stroker are all equidistant. The crank pulley off of that engine (aluminum one in the picture), has one elongated hole, I assume so it can fit either a balancer like my 383 or one like the 400 stroker.
Questions:
Hawk
Questions:
- Can I just elongate the hole in my original 383 pulley and use that on my stroker?
- I can't understand why Chrysler would have done this arrangement. There is no balancing going on with the crank pulley. Why does it matter which way it goes on? So why would Chrysler have made more complex parts when they were not needed?
Hawk
Machmeter1
Well-Known Member
Hey Hawk, maybe that helps, there is a link in this thread leading to an article:
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/damper-holes.176842/
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/damper-holes.176842/
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