Fino's 58 Wagon

Here is some stuff that came out:

Aluminum bellhousing from the T90 to (I think) an OEM powerglide adapter that was on the back of the sbc283....the t90 front bearing retainer is housed in the bellhousing for the TO bearing to slide along, and the back of the bellhousing acts as the bearing retainer on the front of the T90....




And just because...the clutch cable and fork:


Anyone think these adapters are worth anything...maybe aluminum scrap? The OEM powerglide adapter might go with the 283....of course, not sure anyone wants a 283 core anymore.

The removed clutch disk is 10" and has 10 splines that match the T90 input shaft....10" is also the OEM size for the willys L6-T90 combo...doesn't really matter as it won't be re-used. But, the clutch cover/pressure plate....looks to be for 10.4" clutch, as I think that is the smallest clutch cover that can be used with the large sbc flywheel....

Speaking of the flywheel (casting 3729004), it has 168 teeth and is 14" diameter to the outer edge of the ring gear, so I assume its the 'large' sbc flywheel - hoping to re-surface it and re-use it with the 350/465 combo. It appears the 168t flywheel was used with either 10.4" or 11" clutches - and I think either size clutch/pressure plate assembly used the same bolt pattern on the flywheel?

So here is where I am going with this....To use the 168t flywheel with sm465, I will need the correct, large (5 1/8") bore cast iron bellhousing as many of the later aluminum and aftermarket ones have the smaller bore and won't fit the larger 168t flywheel (they fit the 153t flywheel). I think I can get one via local CL or ebay etc...And as for the clutch, a standard 11" clutch kit (with appropriate sm465 compatible 10spline x 1 1/8") should work just fine, was quite common, and should be quite affordable at FLAPS etc....

 

we'll see....the large cap HEI is huge

 

Doing a bit more research - found some oem sbc to powerglide adapters for sale in various places....
1955-1961 Chevy Transmission Adapter Plate V8 Engine To Powerglide 3836782 SHOW | eBay
1956-1961 Chevy/Corvette 3742366 Original V8 Powerglide PG Transmission Adapter | eBay
Chevy Transmission Adapter Plate, V8 Engine To Powerglide, Used, 1955-1957

also, I was thinking the front bearing retainer that was in the bellhousing was the t90, but it isn't...its some GM part with 4 bolts used to hold it down (whereas the t90 is 3 bolts), and the its too small to fit over the T90 front bearing....kind of a bummer as a T90 isn't all that useful, but one without a FRB is even more useless....


Not sure what other transmission used to use the same bolt pattern as a T90 - maybe it was somewhat common?...the only identification I can find is FC-93....just wondering if this bellhousing had other applications than just a willys t90 to a sbc with powerglide.....I guess some other companies like IH used the T90, so maybe there was enough demand.

 

Learning a bit more here....looked at the flywheel a bit more and realized I don't think an 11" clutch will fit even though its a 168t flywheel....there is a groove that is less than 11" diameter, and the pressure plate mounting holes are not out near the edge of the flywheel...


so as with everything associated with the very early sbc's, I wondered if something was different (and they say all chevy stuff interchanges!)....so although its non-verified internet info, it seemed pretty applicable...that the very early sbc's came with 168t flywheel and 10" clutch, which can now use 10.4" modern clutch kit....so I guess a 10.4" clutch will be the way to go - or get a different flywheel...
From the interweb - my flywheel matches the bottom one:
Below is a 153 and 168 teeth flywheel. The 168 teeth flywheel has the bolt holes near the edge of the flywheel. This is the bolt pattern necessary for an 11in clutch (or 12in).


Here is one of the early 168 teeth flywheels. Notice the bolt pattern for the pressure plate. This flywheel will ONLY ACCEPT a pressure plate for a 10 1/2in clutch.

 

The weight is not a huge concern as performance isn't the biggest issue, but I guess saving some weight makes it a bit easier to manhandle what is already a hefty transmission etc....they also require two separate pan/dust cover pieces to keep up (and maybe would be more susceptible to damage when wheeling?) I was looking at the mount pads - they don't seem to be in the way, but don't think I would try to use them for a cross-member mount. I think it would be better to have the rear mount at the back of the sm465 with the D18 - although I guess it worked for chevy having it at further forward, but maybe that was for 2wd applications and not 4wd with transfer case. I am keeping my eye out, but so far, I haven't found any aftermarket options for the larger bore, and its always a bit random what can be found used local - but I did find one very nice cast iron unit local for $70, but he only has the bottom pan and not the starter dust cover (can be bought aftermarket). At $70, I kind of want all the pieces, but it will be my fall back option....Chuck and Boston-bob are going to take a look at their collection when they get a chance...I inquired with some local ads that have the later belllhousings as part of a complete sm465/np20x set-up to see if they might want to sell the bell separate....we'll see what happens....Wondering if there is any advantage to getting the later version of the 14" flywheel and running the larger 11" clutch?

 

Yea - I am kind of thinking an 11" clutch would be best, and that requires a new flywheel....wondering if its better to buy a new aftermarket 168t flywheel for 11" clutch, or pick up a junkyard/used one and pay for it to be resurfaced (assuming the ring gear teeth are good)....

I don't even have that on the cj5, and I wheel it hard...no intention to wheel the wagon on that type of terrain...no saying its a bad idea, but sheesh, sometimes I think you guys like to overbuild everything...

 

Well...I hope I found a functional one...I think I overpaid for it, but it was close by. I turned down some flywheels as the purchase price plus resurfacing didn't seem worth it - just buy a new one. Can always go back and get one if needed....

 

I think its worth nothing until this project is usable...then, if we get to that point, we'll see what it was worth - hopefully priceless. Not sure there is much in between. I have about one more week before leaving town, so see what I can do. I woke up on Sat and could barely move with a bad back - this is probably the worst episode I've had, especially in terms of it lasting for a whole week. I could barely pick-up the various parts and flywheels to look at them...trying to crawl around, under and in the willys is almost impossible right now, but I'd like to make some progress - doing this research and figuring out what I have, what I need and trying to find some parts etc is necessary, and doesn't stress my back, but ready to do some wrench work....

 

Most likely a cable set-up similar to what is on my cj5 (I have an extra D18 cable mount bracket - but would probably need a custom made cable)....but I was thinking about the AA chain set-up is a possibility....not interested in hydraulic - I want to keep some semblance of the old-school, willys-esque, 1950s truck type feeling. I am already concerned I am loosing too much originality as is....there is an L6-226 (running when pulled, of course) for sale locally for $1k.....
Willys Super Hurricane Engine Complete - auto parts - by owner -...

 

Sticking that in there would solve your clearance issues, plus eliminate some other dilemmas also.

 

Here is kind of where I am, and not sure where to go next.....
How to try and fix up the firewall any?


1) The 'notched' out section to accommodate the sbc distributor is probably still necessary in some way. Although the engine will probably move forward a few inches, I think its still going to need some sort of clearance. The box in the notch is made from galvanized sheet metal/flashing I think and is riveted in place etc....I cut some of the top to create a bit more clearance when messing with various distributor options. I am thinking of just removing all of the flashing, leaving the open notch for test fitting and eventually figuring out how to patch it back up....not sure I can patch it up any better than it is now using sheet metal and trying to weld some stuff together...additionally, there is a brace from the back of the dashboard to the cab side of the notch that is riveted in - i can probably just bolt that to the backside of whatever I end up making to patch the notch, and may have to modify or recreate that dash brace in some way (the dash brace is OEM, but its been cut to fit the firewall mod)....

2) the horizontal seam halfway down the firewall - what I think is actually the seam between the firewall and the top of the floorpan 'kickboard'....I think to give some rigidity to the seam, it has a mating lip, but a big chunk of that has been cut or flattened out to make room for the sbc valve covers etc. In some places where things have been cut, the joint is opened up a bit, or cracking just under the lip....I am thinking of trying to cut out a bit more of the lip to each side, where its already damaged, and then placing a long strip of flat sheemetal (maybe 4" high) to overlap the seam from one end to the other (or maybe a few shorter strips) and spot weld in place? I will probably have to hammer the strip(s) to fit the bends back into the tunnel hump.

3) Steering shaft....


The existing motor mounts are the L6-226 mounts that were re-used with the sbc front cradle mount....New side of block mounts will be used with the 350, and probably mounted to the frame a few inches behind the current mounts. But I am concerned the steering shaft is going to be in the way....It would probably be better if the column came down steeper (maybe just longer and lower), and the shaft extended horizontally (instead of angling downward) to the steering box and staying below the new motor mount (I think)....but....


the shaft uses a rag joint, and maybe that limits the angle or alignment between the shaft and steering box. The current box is aligned with the downward angle of the steering shaft - in other words, the nose of the box is lower than the back of the box. Another thing I don't like about this set-up, although maybe its beyond what I am trying to do right now, is how long and low the sector shaft sticks downward. Its so low, and with the nose down position, the straight pitman arm is angle back up to the drag link - although maybe not a huge issue. but, the bottom of the sector shaft is lower than the bottom of the axle tube - in other words, its pretty exposed hanging down there. Raising the steering box mount higher might be beyond my scope, but it would be nice, and would probably require notching the front cross-member to allow clearance....Not really sure how much of this I want to undertake, but if I have to start moving the steering shaft....

guess for now, I will go and start trying to work on the firewall...