About 2 weeks ago I was leaving softball practice and hear a thump and heard grinding. So I got the car towed back to the house and set it up on jack stands and let it sit until now. I was just pissed and went out and just brought me another car to use for a daily driver. Anyway I get under the car today to pull the tranny thinking it was the clutch and guess what I found.

wow, lol, thats no good

Sheared metal, which part is that? I can't really tell from that close of a pic with no reference points...but yeah, that can't be good,lol.

Kinda looks likes the tranny bell housing... however, it is hard to tell. Thats just what I guess from a quick peek.

cracked bellhousing ouch. time to find a new one. might as well pull the tranny now and take it off. check the engine /tranny mounts also.

Yeah, that's what my guess is too, just not really enough to tell for sure though.

I can't think of anything that could do that other than extremely high stress on it, or a power tool, maybe ran out of transmission fluid and it burned up? Or do you have some serious engine mods? Anything under 300 hp it should handle...

If your V6 can bust a tranny bellhousing like that, I'll trade you straight for my 350 TPI!

Hey, once I finish building it mine just might :P I know it will once I get to the turbocharging stage, but that is like 5-10 years down the road, I'm building it up N/A then going to focus on everything else the car needs, or that I want on it, then after it's a pristine beauty "it's turbo time!" (anyone get that reference from that corny Christmas movie?)

that looks like the tranny...

Nope no major mods just a 3.4 swap. Took the bellhousing off and I now have a 2 piece bellhousing. She was running pretty strong though when it happened. LOL!

Can't figure out for the world why it happened though. All bolts were tight and used a torgue wrench when assembling so it was to specs.

I actually have a spare (used) bellhousing for the t5. Not sure what it would be to ship it to you though

I did the same thing to mine but ended up just getting it tig welded. Busted a tranny mount and it weakened it really bad then shifting too hard tore it.

Must have been the same reason for the softball-sized hole in the bell from the 84 transmission donor when I was doing my trans swap (read as: one of the most anemic V6 engines made), and the broken housing by the countershaft in said T5... I agree with metal fatigue... Had it happen to both my factory alternator housing and the factory alternator bracket. Blasted aluminum!

heh this thread reminds me of my reaction when i did this

the first time i broke the flex plate i wwas like wtf the second time i was like no way not again, after that i reinforced the center section around the crank bolts and havent broke one since

quess the flex plate just dosent like high hp v6's lol

I just used GOOGLE.... ... that to me looks like a flywheel... well now I know... flywheel is to clutch as flexplate is to Converter

Is that an auto trans? We have a spare good 700r4 v6 trans sitting here we pulled from a camaro for a v8 swap, 80k on it if youre looking for a trans.

Project where did you get a new flexplate, for that matter does anyone make aftermarket ones that you know of?

i got mine at advance auto or autozone each time i broke it. 50 bucks i belive

i looked for a spec certified aftermarket flex plate a while back and couldnt turn anything up, dont kow if there are any aftermarket pieces available.

jegs has a balanced SFI approved one for the same price. could this be a starter clearance or torque converter balance issue? the engine and tranny mounts are definitely suspect

derickab, dod you check your pilot bushing? also, it appears to be on the driver's side where you had your problem. bracing the clutch pivot arm helped that in older camaros.

Naw its a 5 speed. Hope to get lucky at the jyd today if the weather holds up.

Thats a good idea will take a look at that.