What is up with the bellhousing in this BAT auction?

[eschaider]

If you read the seller's description of the car it is apparent he is uninformed and uses clumsy English to describe the car. When you look at the car it looks like it was poorly constructed which is unbelievable for a Kirkham. The owner was as uninformed about building the car as he is about describing the car.

Inspection cover not withstanding, the bell housing is a cast bell housing that offers no protection to driver or passenger if something goes awry in the clutch / flywheel department and there is an explosion. There should be some type of blowproof steel bell housing on the engine.

Then of course there is the matter of how the engine was built. The narrative suggests the seller does not know the compression ratio when he says the "engine is said to feature 9.8:1 compression" Interestingly he follows that up with a statement that the block was sonic checked for core shift. It is interesting he has specific knowledge about a sonic check but what sounds like hearsay information about the compression ratio. Might just be an uninformed copy writer or ...

With either 45 or 200 miles on the car this car is definitely not sorted out and just from the pictures requires considerable attention. The transmission appears to be a top loader and while period correct does not provide an overdrive capability which you might find useful on the highway. You also don't know which top loader it is.

$90K is cheap for a Kirkham but this particular Kirkham will require some TLC after purchase. If you are up for the TLC this could be a decent buy.


Ed

[RB60]

I know nothing about Kirkhams. Wouldn't one think a Kirkham would have a blow-proof belhousing? They build beautiful top quality Cobras, don't they?
When my clutch let loose, it tore up and ruined the blow-proof bell. A stock cast bell would have been horrific!

[tortuga]

Originally Posted by RB60

I know nothing about Kirkhams. Wouldn't one think a Kirkham would have a blow-proof belhousing? They build beautiful top quality Cobras, don't they?
When my clutch let loose, it tore up and ruined the blow-proof bell. A stock cast bell would have been horrific!

At what point should one consider a blow proof housing? HP or what you are doing with the car? My motor is north of 600hp with an aluminum bell?

Thanks

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by tortuga

At what point should one consider a blow proof housing? HP or what you are doing with the car? My motor is north of 600hp with an aluminum bell?

Thanks

Isn't it feasible that the owner/builder of the car is replicating an early Comp 427?
If so, fitting a cast steel bell housing rather than a modern scattershield would most likely be period correct.
That said, fitting AutoMeter gauges and a Speedhut GPS aux. speedo doesn't fit with "period correct"

Cheers (again from my armchair perspective )
Glen

[eschaider]

Originally Posted by tortuga

At what point should one consider a blow proof housing? HP or what you are doing with the car? My motor is north of 600hp with an aluminum bell?

Thanks

I find a lot of reassurance in both considering and also acquiring it prior to a clutch / flywheel failure.

The failures are not so much power related (although it can be a contributing factor) as they are material and fault related. Like a pane of glass with a scratch that breaks along the scribed line, the rotating assembly will break along some type of surface defect or internal flaw, which you can't see once you get to the right rpm.

You can buy new clutch parts, you can't buy new feet — or legs.


Ed

[RB60]

Originally Posted by tortuga

At what point should one consider a blow proof housing? HP or what you are doing with the car? My motor is north of 600hp with an aluminum bell?

Thanks

Believe me, just pray you're clutch doesn't explode...