The Ford Barn

tubman · 02-26-2022, 08:15 AM

A little clarification as to bell housings. You can use either '48-'53 Ford pickup (cast iron) or '49 to early '51 Mercury (pressed steel). The main difference is that you can use an 11" clutch with the truck bell housing, while it will not fit in the Mercury unit. You wouldn't want to use an 11" clutch on a light hot rod anyway. Make sur you get the matching starter plate; The first Merc bell housing I bought was missing the starter plate and it took me three years to find a matching one at a reasonable price (the smart guys keep them in matched sets).

02-26-2022, 08:15 AM	#4
tubman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys Posts: 11,639	Re: What's needed to put in a 8BA replacing a 59A A little clarification as to bell housings. You can use either '48-'53 Ford pickup (cast iron) or '49 to early '51 Mercury (pressed steel). The main difference is that you can use an 11" clutch with the truck bell housing, while it will not fit in the Mercury unit. You wouldn't want to use an 11" clutch on a light hot rod anyway. Make sur you get the matching starter plate; The first Merc bell housing I bought was missing the starter plate and it took me three years to find a matching one at a reasonable price (the smart guys keep them in matched sets).