QuickTime Bellhousing

[comethead]

I'm considering a QuickTime bellhousing for my Falcon 302/toploader. I've read that the dimensions and weight are decreased and they usually don't need any adjustments for bore alignment.
Roy commented to me once that they fit in the Falcon/Comet real nice where the Lakewood is large and a heavy beast.
I can get a used Lakewood for a couple hundred $$. The QuickTime costs around $600.
So before I pull the trigger...any experiences good or bad with these?
Thanks in advance!

Joe

[peps64]

Joe, I have a Lakewood bellhousing in my 64 Cyclone. It is a fairly large and heavy beast. But, if you're ever concerned of an exploding clutch, this bell should put your mind at ease. The one problem I had was mounting my headers, which are Doug's Tri-Y's. I had to grind down some of the mounting flange on each side so the headers wouldn't rub the bellhousing. It was quite a bit of grinding, but that is only because the metal is that thick. I really didn't have to "remove" that much metal. Whether that was the bellhousing's fault or maybe the headers, I'll never know. I can't imagine, this day in age w/ Doug's headers being made south of Donald's Wall, that each set is perfect. I also recall, I had to do a little customizing to the transmission tunnel, because the Lakewood bell doesn't taper like a normal bell. And by customizing, I mean I took a hammer and did a little "massaging" of the tunnel where it rises up to meet the firewall. Nothing major.

This was my experience, but it could be different for you. In fact, Roy had told me that he had used the same combo of Lakewood and Doug's, and it fit like a glove w/out "massaging." So, if you can get it cheap enough, it may be worth it. And, in the spirit of Roy, may he RIP...JMO!!!

Peps

[comethead]

Thanks Peps!
I'll be looking for a Lakewood. I just can't justify the cost and it looks like for my 164 tooth flywheel the Lakewood is the way to go!
Thanks again!

Joe

[peps64]

No problem, Joe. I'm happy to help. Let me know how it works out for you.

Peps

[65clevorcyclone]

I wouldnt put anything other than a quicktime bell in any manual car.

[Aussie Comet 1964]

Hi Joe, I have a lakewood in the Comet ute, I found it needed some trimming for my steering box (RHD) & the floor was no problem as I made it to suit, but it was a dual bolt pattern so had a lot of extra over hang so I gave it a grind to closer fit the block shape just to give some more clearance. John

[StPro]

I bought Lakewood bell housing for my 71 Comet class rules said slicks mandated steel bell housing.
I also ordered Hooker super competition headers. The headers hit the bell housing flange in 4 places on one side and 2 on the other. I called hooker to inquire about fitment issue. The headers were never built to clear scatter shield. They said just grind away the bell housing. I did ask them if they knew any sanctioned racing that didn’t require SFI bell housing. I sent the headers back and built my own headers NHRA says no modifications to safety equipment.
Under no circumstances may any certified product be modified, altered, or in any way vary from the “as manufactured” condition. Such a practice is in violation of the SFI, Snell, DOT, etc. program, voids such certification and therefore will not be accepted by NHRA.
Choose parts wisely when building a car.