A car transmission comprises sometimes thousands of parts. One of the more recognizable transmission parts is called the bell housing. It’s located between the transmission and the back of the engine, and actually performs very critical tasks. So let’s take a closer look at the transmission bell housing and find out why it’s so important.
What Transmission Do I Have?
What is a bell housing?
A transmission bell housing is a metal extension that bolts onto the front of the transmission and the back of the engine. It covers critical components like the engine’s flywheel and the clutch or torque converter. This not only protects these parts from the road conditions below, but also provides a sometimes interchangeable connection link between the engine and transmission. The bellhousing can be made from either aluminum, steel or cast-iron, and is sometimes interchangeable. However some bell housings are fixed and cannot be removed from the transmission (this is very common on front-wheel-drive transmissions).
What Transmission Do I Have?
Performance bell housing
A bolt on bell housing can allow you to mate a transmission with an engine that it was not originally designed to work with. This type of flexibility is ideal for people building a custom vehicle or racing application. But that interchangeable convenience doesn’t stop there. There are a number of performance bell housing’s on the market, that’s can allow you to improve the vehicle performance in even the most extreme usage conditions. The material selection for example, can reduce weight while protecting the clutch or torque converter from harsh track/road conditions. And other designs can aide cooling or provide quick access for clutch adjustments between laps.
