Dowel pins for 440 block and Lakewood safety bellhousing

[68383]

I've run into a snag on my current project. I'm putting a stroked 440 in my car. The block is a '75. I bought a Lakewood 15330 series safety bell housing. It came with a block plate.

The dowel pins in the back of my block are too short. The plate rests fine on them, but there isn't enough length to properly align the bellhousing.

Lakewood's instructions give the following information for offset dowel pins:

Use a dial indicator
Indicator reading: .012" to .020", use dowel size .007" (PN 15950)
Indicator reading: .022" to .034", use dowel size .014" (PN 15960)
Indicator reading: .036" to .052", use dowel size .021" (PN 15970)

I'm doing this job in my garage at home. I'm not a mechanic, and don't have a dial indicator. Is there any other way to tell which dowel pins I will need? I tried Mancini, where I bought the bellhousing, but the tech couldn't tell me.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[moperformance]

A dial indicator is realy necessary.http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-travel-machinists-dial-indicator-623.html. summit also has the dial indicator and magnetic stand.
Until you know how for out the runout is and how to center everything your just guessing. It's not worth having to take everything back apart because of vibrations. Been there done that and it sucked!Good Luck!

 

[Cranky]

Take the block shield off the block and make sure the faces are cleans on both the block and the bell housing. Install the bell housing without the shield and check it. If the run out is within about .005 or so, just buy longer dowel pins and not offset ones.

 

[68383]

Good news is my brother has a magnetic dial caliper. I'm thinking of buying all three sets from Mancini, measuring with the caliper, then putting in the ones I need. Just tired of losing time / not getting momentum on this every time I step into the garage.

 

[Cranky]

Dial indicator you mean? Also, treat these tools with care as they are precision measuring tools and are delicate and use them on clean parts and with clean hands.

 

[68383]

That's what I meant.

I'll treat it very carefully. It's not a $20 tool from Sears. He's a mechanic and said it was pretty expensive.

 

[Cranky]

Yup, the good stuff isn't cheap. Even the lowly universal back plunger dial test indicator is over 100 bucks now. http://www.wttool.com/index/page/pr...ator+(Starrett)&update_continue_shopping=true

Yeah, the cheap China crap is a lot cheaper but it's crap. I'm a retired 30 year machinist and I refuse to even look at the China chit anymore.