69 bell housing paint

[Bob Lanham #32271]

I'm getting ready to put a clutch in my 69 427/390. I thought it would be a good time to paint the bell housing since it will be out of the car. The housing is currently painted with large areas where the paint has peeled off. Do I cleant the housing with gas or lacquer thinner (or something similar) and just paint over whats there or should I strip it down? If I should strip it, can somebody recommend a preferred product or method?

This has been an interesting experience. I found out the exhaust is non-stock with headers. The good news there is a pipe that goes from the headers to the cross member the trans rests on AND I was able to get it out instead of having to remove the entire exhaust system.

[Klaus Friedrich #33362]

Re: 69 bell housing paint

Hello Bob,

while I restored my 69 390HP Vette two years ago, I got the same problem. The rear part of the bell housing was pure aluminum and the front part was sprayed orange. I looks like the bell housing was mounted to the engine in pure aluminum and the complete block was painted after that. It was no intense to paint the whole bell housing. Meanwhile I cleand the bell housing and mounted it to the engine unpainted.

Klaus Friedrich Corvette Freunde Bodensee

[Jack H.]

Re: 69 bell housing paint

Use a good brand of spray-on paint remover, let it sit soak, and wash off the old paint. You may have to repeat a few times to get stubborn paint to let go, but we're talking $5-10 worth of chemistry here.

Now, think again about the alternative -- DO NOTHING.... The motto of the club is restoration/preservation. Often there is controversy over how much Chevy orange the bellhousing saw on the engine assy line. When you remove and re-do, you're taking the restoration line and if you did nothing you'd be taking the preservation path. Who knows what it's worth to another serious restorer to have a look at your 'untouched' bellhousing to observe/note the degree of coverage by year/VIN.....

[Bob Lanham]

Re: 69 bell housing paint - Do Nothing

I fully understand and appreciate your comment, but the engine was rebuilt around 10 years ago and somebody got happy with the paint. At some point I need to remove the paint from serial number pad on the engine. Its half covered with paint now. I don't think this was factory overspray because the paint is in the numbers. I truly wish that I had to decide on whether or not I was hurting or helping by painting the engine.