For those of you running quicktimes.............

[Jerry Clayton]

Jason

I hope it isn't appearing that this is a fight about these bell housings, but a little enlightenment---I have said that I have had 2 failures over the years--one on my 1955 ford back around 1960 and one on my 64 Cyclone while at the drag strip in Pheonix City Ala. The 1955 was a stock bellhousing and flywheel--guess it was only a matter of time til it came out but at that point in time you had to weld fab 1/4 steel over and around your clutch/trans for riles and that didn't keep anything from coming out---just protected driver/pass
My 64 Comet cyclone with hp 289 toploader was a factory housing that was sorta accepted for super stock comp---it failed and the floor /dash was just strong enough to slow the pieces that they didn't exit the roof--
In both cases, bolt bosses were blown out of the block-----and the 63 broke 2 ears off the toploader---

Moving ahead to top fuel--some of you know that I was involved in NHRA,AHRA top fuel racing---couple of pics in my gallery--

They used to weld up a piece of lke 12 inch steel pipe(maybe pipeline type?)with a flat piece on the back to hold a bearing for the input shaft-- then Ed Donovan made a hydroformed aluminum canthat was much nicer and of course lighter.Later SFI (or whoever)required a chromemoly 1/8 liner with some method of anti rotation plus a engine plate between the can and block--up to that time the mounting plates were just that--plates to mount the engine into the rails of the dragster and most(all) had the big cut out so you could remove the plate without taking off the flywheel(important then for engine changes) The new motorplate also was only allowed the had 2 small holes in it for air to the clutch(slipper clutches get very hot)and to retain debries inside the can in event of explosion.

Then they required steel housings!!!!!!Donovan freaked quit making them and Joe Shubeck at Lakewood made them ---they were 3 times as heavy but did the job--later someone made them from titaium which were mainly $$$$$$

When people needed them for the bodied classes--Joe added the starter pocket-but they were still big barrels---later they started modding the shape to fit vehicles bodies floorboard ---

Now Quick Time comes along and I think originally that he was a sprint car /modified type racer who made a nice adapter bell housing---as he added various applications they didn't get tested/approved but in my opinion there were enough people buying them it didn't matter so they made them---I think that the people fixing up there cars, adding TKOs,etc wanted a bell housing and that somewhere it got lost that these weren't fully what most people thought they needed, but bought anyway or was done by the installers.

I am going to try to take some pics today of a Kieth Black alum hemi, a Lakewood, some engine plates and a midmount plate of 1/4 7075 Alum.

So stay tuned