Here goes with a mock-up of the transmission adapter plate.
I had some 5/8th" plywood handy, so I thought I'd give that a try. I flopped the bell housing onto it, traced that, and marked the holes.
Next, I tried putting the entire transmission on the plywood, before I realized how much lighter and easier it would be just to trace the Chevy bell-housing instead, as that is the exact size and shape of the transmission anyways!
I traced that and marked the holes. I drilled out all the holes, then jig-sawed out a five-inch center circle for the raised area in the center of the transmission.
With that, I was able to mount the plywood to the transmission, then the bell to the plywood. It's not perfect. I quickly saw where I will have to counter-sink some bolt heads or tap and thread the plate, but that's kind of thing I want to learn by making a mock-up!
I got the engine, bell-housing, plywood adapter plate, and transmission all together. Suddenly, it started feeling like this project was really going somewhere.
More blog and photos at:
Plywood Transmission Adapter Plate