Scattershield in my '60???

[firstgear]

Got a call today and my car is ready at the shop, they pulled the motor and trans for me, I need to go next weekend and pick up my new trailer (R+R aluminum trailer with a power winch) so tha tI can move the car from house to house while I am working on it....and figuring that there will be future needs as well.

When I talked to the shop he told me that the car had what looked like a bubba home made scatter shield put above the transmission. I saw something like that when I was looking down into the engine bay before and thought that might be what it was, but wasn't sure. Does anyone have something like that between the transmission and the floor pan of the car? or is really bubba had at work?

I won't have pictures for about 1.5 weeks, but when I do, I will post them. I had the shop leave the bubba shield in place, figuring I will be able to take itout while I doing the engine compartment.

Comments??????

 

[Subfixer]

I want to keep the original bell housing in mine, but I do "drive the car aggressively" from time to time. I was going to build something similar just to protect my toes in case the flywheel came apart.

 

[henny496]

scattershield

A scattershield is in replacement of the stock bellhousing. Bell housings can crack and break when abused. The stock flywheel can break and then it can cause more damage.
I have seen a car that broke a bell housing. It lifted it off the ground going into third, while taking the tranny, shifter and part of the block with it and drove over it. Flywheels(and clutches) can break and cut the car very badly in the firewall area (seen that also) If you are not racing the car, or seriously beating it up, the stock stuff should be OK as long as you have them magnafluxed for cracks
Tom

 

[John Mcgraw]

He may have been talking about the metal shield that goes around the yoke of the transmission. They put this there to prevent the driveshaft from coming up and joining you in the passenger compartment if the U-joint should break! There is nothing but a thin layer of 'glass between you and the driveshaft, so you want to replace it if you take it off to do work.


Regards, John McGraw

 

[cbernhardt]

Here is a picture of the "stock" shield (viewed from underneath the car). As John said, it is right above the transmission yoke. I doubt that you could see it from the engine compartment.

 

[IH2LOSE]

Here is a picture of the "stock" shield (viewed from underneath the car). As John said, it is right above the transmission yoke. I doubt that you could see it from the engine compartment.

Is my 62 supposed to have that? Now I am wondering if I should be installing a saftey item like that,Allthough with the tires I am running I would think they would be braking loose prior to snapping something

 

[John Mcgraw]

Larry,

I would sure think about it. If that u-joint breaks, there is no where to go but in your lap! I think that the steel shield is just there long enough to direct it downward.

 

[firstgear]

I will get some pictures and see....it seems to me that it was something completely different than that....when looking from the engine compartment where the back of the engine and the tranny comes together, there was a huge casting kind of thingy there.....I won't know for sure till I get my head under the car...but that is waht I could see from the compartment......

 

[magoo]

I seem to remember in the 60's of drag racing, scattershields of exactly the type you seem to have. I believe they were about 1/4 in. steel. Some I believe were 2 piece, top and bottom. They were only about as wide as a clutch/flywheel assem. and of course were installed in line with same. They may have been Bubba made or mass produced, I'm not sure. I'm also not sure when the "blowproof bellhousing" came about, but I no not everyone had one. You could buy a lot of solid lifter cars from the factory back then and I think that a scattershield was required to race them. Good thread, I'd love to see some pics.
You may have already known all this.

Mike

 

[IH2LOSE]

Larry,

I would sure think about it. If that u-joint breaks, there is no where to go but in your lap! I think that the steel shield is just there long enough to direct it downward.

John I will see what I still have left over in that aluminum plate,and then maybee roll a tunnel liner by the u-Joints.

 

[JohnZ]

The stock bellhousing on a '60 is cast aluminum (one-year-only part, BTW); a scattershield is hydroformed from 1/4"-5/16" steel stock, and is smooth all over; the (scanned B&W) pic below is from the pre-run on my Grand Sport in 1996, and shows a Lakewood scattershield so you know what one looks like. It's also all one piece, covering the full 360-degree area around the flywheel; the stock '60 bellhousing is open on the bottom with a separate stamped sheet metal inspection cover.

 

[white56]

I think I understand what you are describing as a scattershield. When I pulled the body off the 56 there was a piece of sheet steel about 5" wide and about 3/16" thick welded to the frame in an arc over the bell housing. I asked some some other "senior" Corvette owners about it and their response was that this type of scattershield was required in the 1960's in some drag racing classes. I cut it off the frame but if you need further information I could Email you a couple of pictures of the thing as I found it.

 

[firstgear]

I think I understand what you are describing as a scattershield. When I pulled the body off the 56 there was a piece of sheet steel about 5" wide and about 3/16" thick welded to the frame in an arc over the bell housing. I asked some some other "senior" Corvette owners about it and their response was that this type of scattershield was required in the 1960's in some drag racing classes. I cut it off the frame but if you need further information I could Email you a couple of pictures of the thing as I found it.

I need to get a picture of what I am talking about...but it could be seen between the transmission bell housing and the body of the car. A sliver of what looked like a casting that went all the way around in a semi arc.....the speedometer cable came out of the front of the firewall and then went down between the transmission housing and the "scattershield"...I have got to get over to the shop sometime this next week and pick up my motor and see if I can get som e pictures of the what I am talking about....the guy that owns the shop described it as a "bubba" scattershield.....

Pictures to come soon....and yes, if you have some pictures...post them up!!!!

 

[white56]

FirstGear,

Sorry for the delay with the pictures. I am trying to learn how to resize to fit the limitations of the site. I hope this works. These pictures were taken at the time of the body lift. The yellow rope is holding the 3 sp tranny.

Rick

 

[white56]

First Gear-
Here's a closeup
Rick

 

[JohnZ]

Definitely homemade - had the right idea, but it wouldn't contain a flywheel/clutch explosion, or the pieces that bounce back up from the road.