bellhousing spacer
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: indiana
bellhousing spacer
i have a 1979 460 that is externally balanced. i bought a new clutch and flywheel . i had to get a 83 flywheel because a couldn't fing a flywheel for the 79 year. anyways i had the flywheel turned on a lathe too turn down edge after it was rubbing on inside of bellhouding. got it to clear and put flywheel and clutch on set engine in and the throw out bearing was rubbing on fins of clutch. the engine block was about all the way to tranny. there was just a little space between tranny and bellhousing. i then could have truck in gear and tun engine over and it would roll truck. tightned the bolts all the was up on tranny and the engine was stuck. couldn't move truck. i think i could maybe grind little off of shaft where it goes into pilot bearing or possably make spacer. any ideas
Elder User
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Missouri
I have run into this three times. I turn about 1/8" off the face of the flywheel in a lathe. I have one of the flywheels out of the truck now and can measure the thickness tonight. It had a 12" clutch on it and fit inside a 400 bellhousing perfect with the stock spacer plate.
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Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Wallaceburg On.
460 bellhousing
According to my Haynes manual for 73-79 Ford trucks, Ford did not match the 4 speed manual with the 460. I have looked at wreckers for a 460 bellhousing for this swap but to no avail. There is plenty of info to adapt the 351M/400 bellhousing for the 460 including grinding the humps, using an 11"diaphram type clutch and or using spacers. I have not done this yet myself however I am about to. Am I correct that there is no such bellhousing available but if there is what years were they produced?
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Longvalley, SD
Originally Posted by fordtruggy
Thouse are the reasons why you dont use a 351m/400 bell for a 460.The 400 bell is 1/2 inch shorter than the 460 bell.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Sunny Florida
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The 390 flywheel is internally balanced so make sure of the balance on your engine. Externally balanced 460 will have a counterweight on the crankshaft spacer on the front of the engine behind the dampner. If you have an externally balanced engin you can't use the 390 flywheel. If you use the 390 flywheel and the 400M bell housing, you may have to use a different starter. I have heard that a 390 starter can be used with 2 bolts instead of three. I have also heard that you need to change the teeth on a 460 starter to 390 teeth or change the gear ring on the 390 flywheel to 460 gear ring depending on what starter you use. The 390 flywhell has 184 teeth and I don't know what is on a 460 flywheel or flexplate.
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Elder User
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Springfield, OR
I have a 75 460 with a stock flywheel mated to 400M bellhousing with all mechanical linkage. Im not having any trouble so far. The clutch is a 12 inch diaphragm type. I did not turn the flywheel or anything.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 130
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From: Langley BC
I have heard of people using a different size pilot bearing when doing this swap, in order to make up for the bell size difference. Anyone done this? I am about to swap a 351m over to a 429 so I am trying to find out as much as possible. I think I will use a 390 flywheel with the 11" clutch. Will it clear on the bell withour any other mods?
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,302
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From: Madison, SD
I used a Lakewood scattershield and a McCleod flywheel and clutch, works great and is much safer in the event of a clutch blow up......It costs more, but then chasing parts and machine work isn't free either. The added safety IMO is also worth a bit more $$$$
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 153
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From: Oregon
I am currently doing a swap on a 78 dump with a np435. What I decided to do was to turn the 460 flywheel to 400 size because they both used the same 400 clutch set-up which was 12 inch in the heavy duty diaphram style. That is with an externally balanced set-up
Bushman
Bushman
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