Hi all,

so I was under my new to me truck, 82 pickup, and where the trans mounts up it just seems to me that there are 4 places where bolts should be that are not there???
seems strange but if I squeeze that connection point the thin "plate" moves a bit too.
the pics always load upside down on this forum for me, but you can see the 4 open holes in talking about.

thanks for the help!!

 

There are two brackets that bolt to each side of the block and to the lower part of the bell housing. Many never get reinstalled after being removed. Some vehicles never actually had them. if you want to source some of them for added piece of mind you can but its not necessary. Many people run without the brackets, including myself, and have had no problems. Don't sweat it.

 

thank You! Why do you run without them? So it's the brackets that mount to those 4 holes?

 

seen many a truck without those. Never heard any problems from not having them. Most likely someone did the clutch or motor swap and didn't put them back on. I don't suspect they are missing for any specific reason other than being lazy or loosing them. I doubt any rock crawlers worry about those brackets hanging up on rocks. I may be wrong?

 

Even if some trucks were sold from the dealer without them, it's hard to believe they'd leave the bell housing bolts out.

I've never a photo for proof, but it's said repeatedly on yotatech that without those brackets, the block is at greater risk of cracking. Maybe that's only true if all the bellhousing bolts are installed without the brackets? Anyone know?

 

The bell housing bolts attach to the bracket. Without the bracket the bolts have nothing to attach to. I would expect to break the aluminum bell housing before breaking the block.


I personally run without them because I did a 3.4 swap and the mounting bosses on the block didn't line up with my 3.0 brackets. The 3.4 originally came from an auto truck and never actually had them.