So pretty simple question will a 94 3.4l bell housing work on an 88 2.8l engine? Ik it will bolt up just fine but im not sure if the clearances are any different because the 3.4l has some round internal casting around the throwout bearing that the old 2.8l bell housing doesnt. I have a 2.8l bell housing but one of the mounting holes is ruined and will require some aluminum weldding and a machine shop to redrill both of which i do not have in my area. Advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

The 3.4 bellhousing will bolt up to the engine just fine, BUT the trans side on 3.4 bell uses the Ford pattern instead of the thirdgen Muncie pattern, so it wouldn't fit your transmission (assuming you have a thirdgen T5).

A 2.8L S10 bellhousing would TECHNICALLY also fit, but it lacks the angle of the F-Body T5 bellhousings and has a different slave cyl setup, so you'd have to get creative with mounting/ shifter placement, and it would probably end up costing a bit more than another thirdgen V6 bell anyways... 2.8 S10 bells, at least the ones I've found on eBay, are priced a bit cheaper than the thirdgen ones, and are easier to find, but most people don't seem to be selling them with the clutch fork you'd need for the different slave cyl. From what I've seen, the clutch fork alone seems to add another $100 or so to the cost if you stick with eBay. Your best bet, if you don't want to mess around with using a non-angled bellhousing and a different slave cyl setup, would be to either try to find another 2.8/ 3.1L thirdgen bellhousing, or see about making some calls to local mechanic shops to see if they know any reputable welding/ machine shops in your general area.

 

appreciate the info, ive actually 3 t5s the og from the car im working on which i believe is damaged, another that im pretty sure came from a 91(dont have the bell for it) and a 4th gen t5 from a 94 3.4. With bell housing. I cant visualy discern any difference in tail housing aside from the speedo gear. Will the 94 t5 work alright without moddification?

 

The spacing and all on the '94 should be the same as in your thirdgen, 4thgens are pretty much identical from the firewall back. Can't say for sure if the VSS signals will be the same, but it oughta bolt up just fine. You will need a different clutch at minimum, since the 3.4L uses a 26 spline input shaft vs the thirdgen 14 spline V6. The 3.4 clutch (9 11/16) is also a little bigger in diameter than the 2.8/ 3.1 (9 1/8), so I'm not sure if the thirdgen flywheel would work properly using a 3.4 clutch. There IS a 26 spline clutch available in the proper sizing, however, for a manual 2.2L S10 (circa 2001 or so). It'll be available in 9 1/8s with a 26 spline input shaft, and will bolt onto your thirdgen flywheel. I have the Exedy kit for the 2.2L S10 from RockAuto on hand at the moment, and have test fit it (S10 pressure plate/ clutch) on the 3.1 flywheel, lines up perfect.

Addendum: Not sure why I didn't think to look this up before, but the flywheel/ starter appears to be identical between the 2.8/ 3.1/ 3.4. If you already have a clutch/ pressure plate from the 3.4 T5, should bolt up fine to your current flywheel

Anyways, I digress; tailhousings should have the same spline count between 3rd and 4thgen, as the driveshafts are interchangeable between the two gens. I'm not entirely certain about the spacing for the mount, but the 2.8/ 3.1/ 3.4 T5s do all use the same trans mount bushing part number. Tailshafts may be swappable for VSS gearing purposes, but I haven't looked into it much. You might want to measure the input shaft length on the front of the transmissions as well, I seem to recall one of my friends mentioning that the 3.4 input shaft was slightly too short for his application, but that also went behind an LS so your mileage may vary