Browell Bellhousing "Bowling Pin Tool"
This without a doubt is the coolest tool I have ever bought. I don't know how many of you have tried to center a scattershield using a dial indicator, but even for a seasoned veteran it's a bitch! This tool is so simple, and works so good, it makes this pain in the a$$ job a piece of cake for professionals to driveway warriors. Got it in under a week, and for under $200. I am IMPRESSED beyond belief, and for someone who has been buying Snap On tools for work (including the cool ones) for 30 plus years, I don't know why someone hasn't thought of it before. They are very friendly, professional, prompt, and will answer any questions you have.

Tool photos (http://community.webshots.com/album/561157114McFTnz)

Browell Bellhousing Inc.
711 North 31st Street • Lafayette, Indiana 47904
Phone: 765.447.2292

How do you check parallel alignment with this tool?

It index's on the crank hub to center it, and 2 bolts hold it in place. Then you slide the ring over the tool, up to the bellhousing. The ring is .006 smaller than the hole in the bellhousing, so you use offset dowels in the block to rotate the bellhousing until the ring slips inside the hole. You then can use a .003 feeler gauge to fine tune the fit around the ring. I use Lakewood self locking dowels that you can tighten after alignment to ensure the bellhousing goes back where you indexed it, after putting the flywheel p plate & disc on. Of course you have to enlarge the bellhousing to block mounting holes so it can be tightened without moving the dowels. It is a CNC machined billet piece that is as sweet as anything you have ever seen. Here is a link showing the procedure from Camaro's.org

Camaro.org article (http://www.camaros.org/bellhousings.shtml)

It index's on the crank hub to center it, and 2 bolts hold it in place. Then you slide the ring over the tool, up to the bellhousing. The ring is .006 smaller than the hole in the bellhousing, so you use offset dowels in the block to rotate the bellhousing until the ring slips inside the hole. You then can use a .003 feeler gauge to fine tune the fit around the ring. I use Lakewood self locking dowels that you can tighten after alignment to ensure the bellhousing goes back where you indexed it, after putting the flywheel p plate & disc on. Of course you have to enlarge the bellhousing to block mounting holes so it can be tightened without moving the dowels. It is a CNC machined billet piece that is as sweet as anything you have ever seen. Here is a link showing the procedure from Camaro's.org

Camaro.org article (http://www.camaros.org/bellhousings.shtml)


he was asking how to check parallel alignment with it, and the answer is it won't. It looks cool for checking center alignment though.

Jody

If you are talking about the block surface where the bellhousing bolts to, you use the crankshaft with the tool. Indexing a scattershield has more to do with the bolt hole placement, than the surface that bolts to the block being square. To say that surface needs to be checked is laughable... as then not even a stock bellhousing would work. The crank & mains are parallel to the back block surface and that doesn't change. If that was the case, offset dowels would have no effect on the centering of the input shaft, because you would have to "tilt" the housing to make it parallel instead of moving it in a parallel circle to find the center of the crank, and if it wasn't parallel for whatever reason, you would never get the tool to align a tilted housing... so if after you think you have it aligned and the ring still won't fit true & square in the bellhousing, you obviously have a problem other than the simple alignment of an input shaft and a crankshaft. If that is what you are talking about, you need to rethink the theory of block surfaces vs making 2 shafts aligned and centered, however if that was the case the tool would fail to function to the designed intent anyway. I promise you, with this tool you would have a 90% better chance of discovering a problem that theres no possible way a dial indicator could detect or measure. Worrying about parallel is over engineering something that the block surface ensures.... Wow

Worrying about parallel is over engineering something that the block surface ensures.... Wow

Not if the scattershield is made wrong. Looking at the fabrication of the shield, I would think there could be a good chance that the block face might not be parallel with the trans face.

However, I also agree that the Browell tool would catch this if it fits the pilot hole tight, and the pilot hole is perpendicular to the trans face on the shield. If surfaces are not parallel, you'd get some angle on the tool that would definitely show by the time you get to the crank pilot (unless, of course, the pilot hole is not perpendicular to the back face of the bell).

I had a Lakewood bellhousing and it was out of parallel alignment by .014".

Bellhousing parallel alignment specification is +/- .001" or a total of .002". The flywheel run-out is +/- .001" too. These checks are more important than you think.

Sometimes we shim a bellhousing to achieve parallel alignment. Worse case, we use a Bridgeport with a flycutter and machine it parallel. We also check to make sure the bellhousing block mating surface is parallel with the crankshaft.

I have that tool and it does work sweet. Anyone interested in trying it out please PM me.