G body clutch fork in Lakewood Bell?

[Autoworks]

Hey all,

Im getting the Malibu together. Got a great clutch setup from Hyatt Racing and Im ready to start bolting up. But I need a clutch fork.

I used a Lakewood #15000 bellhousing (covers most BBC & SBC chevys) but Lakewood cannot tell me if the curved g-body fork will work with that bell.

Anybody here running that Lakewood bellhousing? If so, did the g-body for work of did you have to use a standard GM fork and relocate the floorplan?

Please help!

 

[kevind]

I tried the gbody fork in a non gbody bellhousing. I couldn't get it to work. My car has had a regular GM style bellhousing and a regular GM fork with the floor dented for going on 18 years.

 

[Autoworks]

Interesting.

Did you use the 15000 bell or the 15015 (F body bell)

 

[bracketchev1221]

No, it will not work. I ran a lakewood in my 78 Malibu, and my dad modified it. I had a factory bellhousing and we moved the pivot ball and bellhousing opening on the Lakewood to match the factory one. This allowed us to use the factory clutch fork and linkage. You didn't even know it was in there.

 

[kevind]

I have the 1500. I have the stock g body linkage. I also have hooker 2241 headers with one tube modified to fit.

 

[Jayz79]

I actually have the same problem. I had the standard Lakewood bellhousing, along with a lakewood shift fork. I had to "rig" it to make it work. The slot for the shiftfork will not allow the G-body fork to attach. I was reading that a F-body bellhousing would work, but I never tried that. I would rather have the blow proof bell houshing than a stock one.

 

[Jayz79]

"No, it will not work. I ran a lakewood in my 78 Malibu, and my dad modified it. I had a factory bellhousing and we moved the pivot ball and bellhousing opening on the Lakewood to match the factory one. This allowed us to use the factory clutch fork and linkage. You didn't even know it was in there"

Won't this affect the mounting of the transmission? I can only picture rotating the bellhousing, but the trans threads would be shifted.

 

[bracketchev1221]

No, my dad was a welder. So let me try to explain what I can remember doing.
1. Cut the threaded block off the inside of the bellhousing and filled in the hole where the pivot ball was.
2. Relocated the hole and welded the block back on the inside.
3. Welded 1/4" plate into the original cutch fork slot.
4. Cut new opening down at the between 7-8 oclock spot as the stock one had.

Now we had a 15000 bellhousing that was modified to match the original Malibu bellhousing. I used the factory clutch fork with the Lakewood adjustable pivot ball and the car drove like stock. It really turned out nice and was worth the effort. My dad even cut a block plate out of sheet steel to install as well since the bellhousing I had didn't have one.

 

[Autoworks]

Kevin, were twins! LOL

I have 2241 Hookers on mine also. I take it the tube you had to modify was the one that goes over the steering column? Did you have to move it far? Maybe you could send me a pic? If so, my email is: [email protected]

So, just to be sure, you used stock linkage, 15000 bellhousing with opening at 9o'clock position, stock GM (not gbody) fork, dented floor in (half inch or so) and moved that one tube?

Sounds like we have pretty identical cars. Glad I ran into you because Ive been having worries of making all this fit.

 

[kevind]

Stock type GM bellhoushing not a Gbody or early Nova. It is the one that goes over the steering shaft. I had to cut the tube in the middle of the bend and cut some off of it. The modified one is on top.