Are all the torque converter bolt patterns on a SBC the same? I just did an engine swap for someone yesterday and I'm having a problem with the bolts not lining up correctly. The car is an 88 Trans Am and the engine that went into it is an earlier model two piece rear main seal non roller engine. I couldn't reuse the old flywheel because the center hole for the rear of the crank was larger on the older engine. The new one seemed to be the same outer diameter and I thought the bolt holes lined up correctly.

I installed the engine and got two of the bolts into the converter....it almost looks as if the converter or the flywheel is crooked because the last bolt hole has about a half inch between the two mating surfaces. And it may be a little off center. It got dark on me last night so I had to stop working on it.

Any suggestions?

 

ok are you talking about a flywheel or a flexplate?

if your trying to hook this up to a flywheel, thats yours problem right there, flywheel are for standards


if you are talking about the flexplate i can't help ya as i don't know

 

Sorry brainfart, I meant flexplate.

 

You need to pull the motor back out and turn the flexplate around. You have it on backwards. Easy to do. I have done it many times.

 

I've had cases w/ aftermarket flexplates where I had to open up that last converter bolt hole a bit.

If you're positive the flexplate is on correctly as mentioned above, it may be time to whip out the Dremel.

 

It's definitely on in the right direction. Like I said two of the other bolts are in already. I'm wondering if tightening the other two first wedged the converter in a little and that's why I can't pull it in to the third hole?

I'm going to try taking the other two out and getting the converter flush all the way around.

Also it's a stock flexplate but if I have to I'll grind it a little.

This whole thing was the engine swap from hell....I've done dozens before and never had this many problems.

 

After reading the reply from dehaus, I went out in the garage and tried it, sure enough, with the flexplate backward you'll have two bolts perfect, the third is a half inch or so off. The fplate I have has a raised area for the converter mounts, recessed side for bolts.

 

The raised side goes against the converter, atleast that's how I've always done it. I'll have to double check that I have it in there right, it was a long day that day and I could have screwed up but I think I already checked it.

 

Wait a minute....the raised side goes the other way doesn't it? What was I thinking? The recessed side goes against the converter so that they sit inside the flexplate. Great! Any easy way to get this apart without pulling the whole trans out?