Bell Housing

[Ron Haney]

I need a bell housing for my 1962 Corvette. It does not have to be correct number-wise - does anyone know what years or application would fit this car? I would like an aluminum bell housing.

Thanks,

Ron

[Donald L.]

Re: Bell Housing

Ron,
The correct bellhousing is cast # 3779553 and is aluminum. There is no date code.
Bellhousing cast #3764591 is aluminum and is correct for 61 .The difference
I beleive is the size of the opening for the fork. Ebay has them
for auction occasionally and they usually hit the hammer for $275. Vendors get
about $100 more.

Regards,
Donald #31176

[Mike E.]

Re: Bell Housing

3779553 is actually correct for 61-62-- the 591 is correct for 60. Donald is correct--the early one has a smaller clutch fork opening. the casting number is visible on neither when they are installed on the car. The two most significant things about the 553 is that 1)there are no reinforcing ribs on it like many of the later bellhousings, and 2)there is a boss on the left side with two holes--the bracket for the clutch cross shaft bolts to that. Earlier passenger cars have the boss on cast iron housings, but they also have motor mount provisions (ears) at the bottom, while the 553's do not have those ears.
Good luck.
Mike Ernst

[Joe L.]

Re: Bell Housing

Ron------

Unfortunately, even though you aren't concerned about originality, you're pretty much stuck with using a C1-type bellhousing for your car. If you want aluminum, then you'll need the 1960 or 61-62 bellhousings previously described. These bellhousings were used on some passenger cars (albeit not too many), so they are not Corvette-exclusive parts.

You cannot use the "full-round" 1963+ style aluminum bellhousings on your car without significant modifications. Although the cost of the 63+ style bellhousings is a LOT less than the earlier style, the cost of modifications and consequent lowering of the value of your car would not justify the use of the later style bellhousing.

[William C.]

Re: Bell Housing

If looking for a "it works" bellhousing, the lease expensive alternative is the '55-57 Chevy passenger car piece which is functionally correct, although it carries the extra mounting features Mike Ernst alluded to. Though not needed on the Corvette application, they should not interfere with anything either.

[Tom P.]

Re: Bell Housing

The 58-62 pass car iron housings will work just fine also. They look like the 55-7, except they don't have the provision for the side motor mounts. Actually, the 58-9 Vette and 58-62 pass car iron housings were the same. Also, the 58-62 iron housings look like sisters to the 61-2 alum 409 housings and the 60-62 Vette alum housings (and if I'm not mistaken, the 61-2 409 and 61-2 Vette alum housings ARE the same!).

[Joe L.]

Re: Bell Housing

Tom-----

Yes, the 61-62 Corvette bellhousing was also used on 61-62 Chevrolet passenger cars with 409. Plus, it was used on 61 Chevrolets with high performance and special high performance 348 engines. In addition, and much less well known, it was used on 1962 Chevrolet passenger cars with the 300 hp 327 engine.

[Verne Frantz]

Re: Bell Housing

One small difference I've noticed between the 553 bell on Corvettes (and the '62 passenger 300hp small blocks) and the one used on the 409 is that the 409 used a bolt in the top hole to the block, where small blocks do not use this hole. So, if a bell has not had the casting flash removed from the top hole, it was most likely installed on a small block.

Also, Joe, my research indicates the only '61 passenger car to use this bell was with the limited 409s that year. I believe the 348s used the cast iron bell.
The '63 409 passenger cars also used the 553 bell.

Verne

[Joe L.]

Re: Bell Housing

Verne-----

Circe 1961-62 GM-published information which I have indicates that the following cars used the GM PART #3774739 (casting #3764591) aluminum bellhousing:

1960 Corvette

1960 Passenger car with high performance and special high performance 348

The following cars are shown as using the GM PART #3785644 (casting #3779553) aluminum bellhousing:

1961-62 Corvette

1961 Passenger car with high performance 348

1961-62 Passenger car with 409

1962 Passenger car with high performance 327 (300 hp)

The following cars are shown as using the GM PART#3785643 (casting #3779552) cast iron bellhousing:

1961 Passenger car with 8 cyl except high performance 348

1962 Passenger car with 283, 327 except high performance

Also, as a side note, the GM #3774739 (casting #3764591) was discontinued from SERVICE in October, 1963 and replaced for all applications by the GM #3785643 (casting #3779553).

It is possible that the above-referenced applications were not as actually used in PRODUCTION. But, this does come from GM-sourced information which I consider to be reliable.

[Verne Frantz]

Re: Bell Housing

Hi Joe,
No question on the '60 application with the small fork hole. Sometimes I've gotten in trouble by using the parts books, depending on the printing date, the date of release of a new part, etc. I have a Feb. '61 parts book that does not have one single thing in it applicable to the 409, when I believe they started building them in January.

I've also been fortunate enough to document a few unrestored '61s with Hi-Perf 348s, and those cars had an iron bell. But we all know strange things have happened on the assembly line. Perhaps if I looked at a '61 passenger assembly manual it might be more accurate.

Just one example: All the parts books I have, including my AC/Delco books list the incorrect voltage regulator number for my car. It's a service number;not the assembly line part number. Only the assembly manual lists the right number and (believe it or not) a '62 Motor's Repair Manual.

I'll recheck my other books. I would imagine they would agree with yours.

Best Regards
Verne

[Joe L.]

Re: Bell Housing

Verne-----

All of my information does not come from SERVICE parts information, although some does. With respect to SERVICE part information, there are some cases in which SERVICE part numbers do differ from PRODUCTION part numbers. Voltage regulators are one of those cases and ignition coils are another. However, I have found that in about 99.9% of the cases, the SERVICE parts are the same as PRODUCTION parts, especially those shown in GMSPO catalogs published at approximately the same time as the cars were produced. Over time, of course, things do change and some consolidation, parts updating, and/or other changes in parts may occur---even parts for which part numbers do not change.

In the case of the bellhousing, though, I would expect that the SERVICE parts would be the same as PRODUCTION. In this particular case, the 60-62 cast iron bellhousings were available and specified for certain applications. So, it's not as if the aluminum bellhousings were "consolidated" into other applications for SERVICE.

Usually, SERVICE parts information reflects which parts were scheduled for use in PRODUCTION. Sometimes, changes occur in this and certain earlier P&A catalogs don't reflect a change that was made in the parts scheduled for PRODUCTION. However, in most cases, the SERVICE parts information "catches up" with the changes in PRODUCTION in later editions of the P&A catalogs. In fact, your mention of the lack of 409 information in a P&A catalog published after the installation of these engines began for 1961 models is a perfect example of what I'm referring to. In this particular case, though, I have checked many subsequent editions of the P&A catalogs and can find no indication that a cast iron bellhousing was used for the 61 348 special hi-performance application. But that doesn't mean, for sure, that it wasn't. Sometimes changes in parts scheduled for use in PRODUCTION, but not actually used in PRODUCTION, do not show up in GMSPO or other GM-sourced information. It's very rare, but it does happen.

As I have stated many times in the past, empirical information is always the best information. If you have observed unrestored exmples of the 1961 Chevrolet passenger cars with special high performance 348s (i.e. 350 hp with 3X2 and 340 hp with 1X4 with engine codes of "FH" or "FJ") and those cars have cast iron belhousings, then we know that at least some, if not all, of these engines did not use the aluminum bellhousings. Keep in mind, though, that for 1961 there were actually 5 different 348s used, including 2 with 3X2. Only the 340 and 350 hp 348s were special high performance. These were the only mechanical lifter 348 engines available that year and the only ones that would have used the aluminum bellhousing. I think that these engines were rather uncommon, too, and, as far as I know, were only available in the Impala SS.

One other thing: the 1961 passenger car AIM would not be useful in determining which bellhousing was used inasmuch as bellhousings were engine plant-installed items and were not installed at the vehicle assembly plants.

[Verne Frantz]

Re: Bell Housing

Joe,
I agree with everything you stated, with only one exception. Any of the 348s were normal RPOs for any full sized model (once the versions was released to production). The SS option in '61 required either the solid lifter 348s or the 409, but those engines were not limited to the SS package.
Yes, I agree, I will always tend to believe an unrestored car when I can convince myself I'm looking at something the way it left the factory.
Verne.

[Tom P.]

Re: Bell Housing

So, let's get back to the original issue. Ron wants to know what he can use for a bell housing on his Vette. Plus, he wants to use an alum housing. If he is willing to pay the price, he can buy ($200-350) a 60-62 alum housing and have a correct style alum housing. BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, in the meantime, he can use a 55-62 iron housing which will serve the purpose for now. The 55-7s will have the provision for side mounts, whereas the 58-62 iron housings will LOOK like a 60-62 alum housing.

[William C.]

Re: Bell Housing

So to really get back to his question in which he wanted an aluminum bellhousing "if at all possible" The only option is really the '61-62 piece since the '60 is even more scarce.