[61-63]

If so how did you do it? Those blocks had bell housing mounted starters how was that dealt with? What flex plate did you use? I understand there is an adapter out there that is needed to do this. Who makes it and where do I go to obtain one. Any advice would be appreciated.?

[Stuart]

Wilcap and Speed Gems have adapter plates, I think there may be others too. https://www.wilcap.com/pontiac.html or https://transmissionadapters.com/collections/pontiac

[61-63]

Thank you Wilcap shows theirs out of stock and the Speed Gems adapter is only for a Chevy trans. I've got a Pontiac TH400 and the folks at Speed Gems tell me the differences between a Pontiac TH400 and a Chevy TH400 will prevent me from using their adapter even if I install both my trans and the adapter using longer bolts.

Stuart I appreciate your response.

[b-man]

If the Pontiac trans case is a stumbling block then swapping the guts into a Chevy case might be the easiest path to follow.

[61-63]

Originally Posted by b-man

If the Pontiac trans case is a stumbling block then swapping the guts into a Chevy case might be the easiest path to follow.

That is a possibility I will investigate. Another possibility is forget using the '63 engine and use a '72 I have, which is probably the direction I should go.

I came back. Moderator you can kill this thread I will solve my problem by using a '72 engine.

[Keith Seymore]

In before Bart kills the thread - but

Pete's book has a design for a starter mount plate, which is what I used to put a Buick TH400 behind my '63 block in my GP.

The orientation is such that you just use longer bolts to capture the plate between the trans bellhousing and block, and reuse the original starter.

K

['ol Pinion head]

Have examined the cast iron starter pads from later blocks properly welded to early blocks. In each case, a fantastic job. Not the easiest thing to have done in this day & age, but again it's who you know, not what some search engine spits out.

[61-63]

Thanks guys. Keith it appears to me you could do that with the Speed Gems adapter and just use long bolts to mount their adapter between a Pontiac th400 and the '61 type block but the guy on their tech line says no you can't, because a flex plate for a chevy th400 is different from a pontiac th400 flex plate, etc., etc. Their kit is for mounting a chevy th400 to an early block and it won't work with a pontiac th400, he said. I didn't know enough about th400s to argue with him.

[pfilean]

Maybe I got the last adaptor in stock at Wilcap. That was last fall. I don't see why Speed Gems would say you can't use a BOP trans with their adaptor unless it is how close the two upper bolts come to the firewall. That was why I went with a Chevy trans. Check some of the first pictures in the thread in 61-66 Forum for "Goodby Old Jim Hello 350". I used a TH350 but the bolt pattern to the engine is the same as a TH400 in BOP. Chevy is also the same in either 400 or 350 just different from BOP. You can see how close the two upper bolts would have been if I had used a BOP trans that had that extra thickness at the top two bolts. The trans might go in if you install it with the engine but good luck getting a wrench on it after it is installed.

Either Speed Gems or Wilcap would give you a flex plate and spacer proper for their installation.

[61-63]

Thanks pfilean great thread and pictures. The car I'm dealing with here is a '63 LeMans that I just bought and which will be coming my way as soon as the seller pulls the engine out of it. He wanted to keep the engine to put in a GTO he has but I am getting everything else. It is a done car with a 9" Ford rear end and a built th400 and all I have to do is stick an engine in it.
I have a good '63 engine that came out of my '63 Catalina and also a good engine based on a '72 block but is in a '65 GTO my son wants when I go. I wanted to use the '63 engine but need an adapter if I do. If I use the '72 engine then I have to build another engine for the GTO. Something will work out. I could stick the '63 engine in the GTO but kind of hate to do that.