Cutting the Lakewood Bellhousing

[Argess]

I'll throw another wrench into the discussion.

Back around 1994, I received a notice stating to return my Lakewood bellhousing due to a recall on a series of serial numbers. Apparently, they found they had performed the heat treatment improperly.

So if the heat treatment is that important, what happens when you heat things up with a grinder? I know the edges of mine did turn blue during the grinding operation.

On another note, other than flywheel bolts failing, would a steel billet flywheel really fragment? I'm wondering if a lot of the flywheel safety devices were put in place with regards to cast iron flywheels (and pressure plates). I guess the pressure plate still has a large cast portion.

The stock Ford "place bolts", i.e. flywheel bolts are reputed to be the strongest avialable, although I would certainly trust ARP as well. My main concern are the pressure plate bolts. My flywheel is counter-bored a bit so the pressure plate bolt shank will drop down in the flywheel a bit for stronger shear strength. I bought Mr. Gasket pressure plate bolts, and wouldn't you know, where the shank ends and where the threads start is exactly at the pressure plate to flywheel parting line. So far, they havn't failed.