Jay M

My engine is in the shop being rebuilt. It'll be a 454 with about 500 HP and rev to about 6300 rpm. The transmission will be a Keisler TKO with a McCloud clutch.

I'll only be taking it to the drag strip about twice a year. Is a Scatter Shield really nescesary?

If so which one do you recommend?

Thanks,
~Jay

norvalwilhelm

They are good insurance but you don't need one. I personally don't like them. They are big, bulky and often not as accurate as a normal bellhousing. At the very least if you get a scattershield index it and correct any run out.
I do run a good steel flywheel, not a cast one but I don't power shift either. I have my rev limiter set at 7000.

SmokedTires

IMHO I like to push my car on occasion so I felt it was a good idea to install the scatter shield. I had to install one anyhow because NCCC required it for me to autocross ;) . It's heavy, but it's there for a reason :) .

vettfixr

In my opinion, if you race your car without a scattershield, you're just plain crazy. Don Garlits lost half his foot many years ago due to a clutch/tranny explosion. I'm sure he wishes he had more protection. When a clutch goes at racing speeds the effect isn't unlike a handgrenade going off in the trans tunnel. Since our cars are made of fiberglass you don't get much protection from the body. All that's holding the pieces in are the aluminum bellhousing. I would look at places like Jegs or Summit and maybe talk with some of their tech people to see what fits. Lakewood is one of the brands they carry and it's NHRA accepted.

Gordonm

If you like your feet it is cheap insurance. Chances are the flywheel and clutch will not go but if it does it takes everything in its path. I have seen a couple of cars sawed in half from this and it is not pretty.

tshort

So at what kind of power do you guys think a scatter shield is a good idea?

Schmucker

Exactly what I was going to mention. It swung around and lopped half of his foot right off.

ken markusa

Do you like your feet ? If youv'e ever seen a clutch explode you wouldn't even ask that question GET ONE.
Ken :cheers:

bence13_33

I agree with Gordon. Personally my feet are more than worth the $225 for the Lakewood Bellhousing. I think if you do any type of racing a scatter-proof bellhousing is advisable. If you run your car hard on the street it is also a good idea.

tshort

OK, you guys convinced me. It may be OK to go cheap on some things but safety isn't one of them. .......off to eBay to see if I can find any deals.

BTW, when going with a Lakewood, I assume the adjustable pilot ball thingy is a good idea but will my stock clutch fork work? Also, are there other companies that make decent scatter shields or is Lakewood the only one worth buying?

bence13_33

I purchased my bellhousing off of eBay too. It was rusty and had three different coats of paint but I sanded it and sprayed it, now looks brand new. Yes, you will need an adjustable ball stud.

Here's a recommendation. When you get the ball stud set to where you want it, tak weld it into place. I've had to pull my tranny back on three different occasions because the ball stud kept coming out of adjustment.

tshort

:thumbs: , thanks for the heads-up.


[Modified by tshort, 11:45 AM 4/15/2003]

Mack

:skep: In the early 60's, I was riding shotgun in a 1956 Ford SIX CYLINDER when the clutch blew. It's like somebody said, it looked like a grenade went off... Among other things, it blew half of the dash out of the car. I think if you're going to be doing any serious speed shifting at any HP level, you need a scatter shield.

I realize this has already been decided, but I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. :p:

Edit: I can nut speull... :lolg:


[Modified by Mack76, 2:10 PM 4/15/2003]