Clutch / Torque Converter: dial indicating time... sourcing dowel bolts

[Jeff T.]

Since I got the pilot problem fixed, I can move on to dial indicating the whole mess.

What I have is:

a 64 ohv six out of a long gone Challanger

an 8E rear engine plate for a V8 transmission use in a six (trucks and taxi cabs)

a standard V8 bellhousing.

a modified 64/65 taxi transmission with cone/top shift.

The whole mess is going in a Champ truck project

I woke up this am really early (not that I wanted to) and have been looking at the tech pages and searching the back threads of the forum for insights on dial indicating. I'm going to go to Menard's to get some angle iron to make a bracket sometime after taking my daughter to school, then I will pick up a dial indicator.

Since I am working on a six, I have read that I need tapered dowel bolts. I used to have a pair or two from Larks I scrapped out but like most things I have no idea where they went. anyone have a stock number so I can hit a local hardware store or Fastenal and pick up a couple in 3/8s, I have check past threads but have come up dry.

Also where can I get a 3/8s reamer.

I figure that sometime in the next week I can dial indicate and set the dowel bolts, I installed the flywheel and clutch assemblies before realizing I had to dial indicate the whole lot before I installed the transmissions so its disassemble, dial indicate, then reassemble. At least the engine is not in the truck yet

[Stan.Gundry]

I do not know where I picked up this tip, and others may disagree with me. But instead of tapered dowel pins and a reamer, here is what I have successfully done. After everything is dialed in and securely clamped in place, drill your two new aligning holes--I think I drilled 5/16th inch holes. Then tap in 5/16th inch pinch pins. It holds the alignment as well as tapered dowel pins and is a lot easier.

[StudeRich]

I am thinking that your Planning for this "Dial-in" may be all wrong, because the Overhead Sixes that I dialed in did not have Dowel Pins like a V8, but IIRC they had Dowel BOLTS, with offsets that all you had to do is turn them to center the Housing.

But maybe this Hybrid Taxi thing is different.
I guess I can't get my mind around how or why this would work, because if it is going in a Truck, why not use the Heavier duty complete Truck setup (Clutch Housing) to get your T-90 Trans, and Top Shifter. Why would you need Taxi Parts and the Adapter to do the same thing?

[Ron Dame]

What Jeff is doing is typical for 8E trucks. Like he said, they use an engine plate that bolts to a V8 bell housing and transmission, and uses tapered pins. It's unlike any other Champ engine.

As far as pins and reamer, AFAIR I got them from S-I, though I've heard the roll pin Stan mentioned method works well too.

[Jeff T.]

Looks like another call to SI

As to why I'm using what I am using... Why not

I'm using a lot of leftover parts on this truck project, if I can ever find a 185 crank I'll modify the engine too. When I was looking out in the barn, I found that I had a couple of buckets full of OHV six rods and pistons and a bunch of camshafts.

Now if I could remember where the bucket is with V8 pistons (another project)

[candbstudebakers]

I might be wrong but some place in the past I think I heard the the late six cyl. engines did not have a problem and could just bold the bell housing on with out dialing it in, any one else hear that???

[StudeRich]

The Bell Housing Mounting Bolt Holes are not precision drilled close enough to center it to the Crank Centerline. I am pretty sure Studebaker cast all of their Housings the same way, in their own Foundry, 6's and V8's.

The only one I do not know much about, would be that weird Borg Warner AS8-35 Rambler Trans. with the Aluminum Case that they started using on '63 Automatics with 6 Cyl. Engines.
As I said in Post #3, I have done the Standard Trans OHV 6's as V8's, except for the method of securing the Housing.