[78 monte]

I have a th350 out of a super pro car w/ a full competition build in my street car. The problem I have is it keeps breaking flex plates 2 stock and 1 B&M SFI approved thick race flexplate.The motor cant be making more than 325hp and I'm not really beating the hell out of it all the time anyway.The tranny snaped its own bellhousing off in the race car but it was a clean break and I had a welding shop weld it.I checked it for straightness and its OK so thats not it.Any ideas? This has been an ongoing problem for 3summers.

[mustang66maniac]

i say de-nut it, find a new or used stock valve body and put it in there, that should make a huge difference.

[dklong]

78monte are you using the same torque converter out of the race car , if you are the torque converter may be bent or the trans case may not be 100%true where it was welded. try a nother trans and torque converter .

[78 monte]

I did change the converter.As for the bellhousing I checked it with a straight edge and it seemed OK.Plus the converter tabs mate perfectly to the flexplate. Also I would think if it was off it would be destroying tranny pumps & front seal.The tranny has been in the car for a while and it took it about 10months worth of driving to break the race flexplate.About 2 weeks a piece to break the stock ones.

[willys36@aol.com]

Have you tried using a dial indicator to see if everything rotates without wobble?

[78 monte]

Thats an idea.Can you tell me how to do that?I can get a dial indicator.OH and one thing i forgot to mention befor I had a terrible starter problem w/ this setup. Went threw 8used and 1 new starter befor I got a head that worked.Shims didnt help.Kept grinding the teeth off the starters.This was befor the latest flexlate though.Think its related?

[ June 18, 2002: Message edited by: 78 monte ]</p>

[dklong]

78 monte what size engine are you using 305 or 350 . alot of the 305 that year used a small fly wheel. when you switched trans did you switch to a bigger fly wheel, some sbc are only dilled and tapped for one stile of starters.it seems that the stater drive gear is to large. there is a method of checking drive gear to fly wheel clearence, probably the best way is to remove the solinoid from the starter , then install your starter pull on the plunger until the drive gear meshes with the fly wheel. i think there shuold be .010in between the out side edge of the drive gear tooth and the inside edge of the fly wheel teeth . you need a .010in piece of wire to do this . this will require alot of patients to try this. your starter may be breaking your fly wheels, where the stater drive is not meshing properly,by this the drive is pushing back on the flywheel and causing it flex then breaking. you are right if the torque converter was bent it would take out the pump ,the bushing, and the seal .