Follow my 1967 Dodge Dart Restoration
Sledger46, thank you very much for your interest in my project and your advice. I love to get input from others.
I also thought of getting a viper bell housing at first, but after reading a bit more about it i learned that there are a number of reasons why it can not be used for my application:
- The bell housing bolt pattern on the v10 viper engine is very different from the LA v8 engine that i am using.
- The viper t56 pilot shaft length differs from the camaro t56 pilot shaft length (which is what i have). So even if i could bolt the the viper bell housing to my engine, the bell housing depth will not allow the pilot shaft to correctly fit the pilot bearing in the crank shaft.
- The starter bolt pattern and position on the viper bell housing will not line up with the old mopar starter.
I chose to use the camaro pressure plate and clutch plate for a couple of reasons:
Keep in mind that i got the camaro clutch system included with the transmission and that it is still in a very good condition.
-The distance between the engine and transmission is much smaller than with the original 4 speed transmission, i need to use a clutch system that is narrow enough to fit in between the engine and t56, and the original dodge 4 speed pressure plate is much wider (or longer) than the camaro pressure plate and simply does not fit in between the engine and t56.
-Since i already have the camaro clutch system, i would prefer not spending the extra money on buying a dodge viper clutch system, which will probably also need modifications to work for my application.
-Also, by using the camaro clutch system, i can use the clutch fork that came with the t56 and will not need to modify the clutch fork at all.
Lastly, i am an engineering student and i am currently taking a machining class and have to do a final project to pass the class. Since we are learning about casting aluminum i decided to cast and machine a bell housing for my final project.
Thank you,
Louwtjie