Ok, now that I have the engine running....I 've discovered that it shoots sparks underneath the car. I haven't yet figured out if it's the flexplate/ring gear hitting the bellhousing or not (168-tooth on an '80 350 connected to an '87 700R4).....I don't have a dustcover/inspection plate that will fit over it yet...if such a thing exists....

My question is, is the flywheel rubbing the bellhousing at all, and if not, what could be the cause? I'm planning on taking a look under the car tonight to see if I can spot any wiring issues (a friend came out when he heard it fire up for the first time since the swap and saw the sparks)

 

I installed a 168 tooth flexplate motor onto a 3rd gen 700R-4. No rubbing. It should clear since that same trans is used in trucks that typically use the larger 168 tooth flexplate on the back of their engines.

 

Well, took a look at it, and it's definitely nothing to be *really* worried about.....

However, with shorty headers, is it normal to have flames come out the collector?

edit: open headers at the moment, once everything's good I'll take it to the muffler shop to have the rest of the exhaust done

 

Sounds like loose metal/ceramic flakes from the heads or headers.