[Bob Carriere]

Need advice and/or opinions....

The machine shop working on my 261 which will be mated to the original 216 bellhousing is trying to match the bellhousing dowel pins for alignment of the bell housing to the tranny.

I gave them the service bulletin for doing such a task that I obtained from Alex.... should have seen the faces when I produced a service bulletin dated 1944..

According to spec. the centre hole on the bell housing where the tranny fits in must be NO more out of alignment than .008 and if so dowels pins must be removed to redrill and redindex..etc etc... spells money money money......

They have measured my bell housing as being .015 out of alignment.

My question to you is... how critical is it??? I have read that the tranny can be ruined..... the tranny will jump out of gear..... the pilot bearing will disintegrated.... the shaft will be howling...... and I may loose my virginity.....

Again how critical is that extra .007 ....

My feeling is that with the truck being 64 years old and well used..... previous engine was a 248 GMC which I am sure the country mechanic did not
re-index the bellhousing...... everything else is slighthly loose and oval...... suspect that there is probably enough slack between the dowels and the 4 tranny mounting bolts.... that it will not matter all that much......

...at the same time I have to manage the overall cost vs benefits of this project.

Thanks for your helpl