3 replies to this topic

[yel327]

Thought this might be of interest, picked it up a few weeks back. Bellhousing to suit Chevrolet design 6cyl into South African assembled Holden or Holden badged as a Chevrolet, with Aussie 3spd box. It is cast iron. Uses half-cable clutch actuation. It is 158mm face to face, not sure if that means 6cyl or V8 box. I think the Holden 6 housing is about 150-155mm so might well be for a 6cyl box.

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[rexy]

Must be pretty heavy?

[yel327]

Yes. Not as heavy as a Landcruiser one but still about 10-12kg. I think these must have been cast in South Africa as part of local content for CKD vehicles. GM South Africa built Chevrolet design 6cyl and rear axles (cast centre), and I think that most of those engines were cast iron. The SUP cars went over assembled using GMH equipment but the locally assembled cars if 6cyl used a lot of local content. I doubt South Africa had a ready supply of alloy casting sub contractors like GMH did here.

[Dr Terry]

The South African local content regulations were very rigid in those days, very different to those in Australia at the time.

 

In Australia they had a 75% local content rule to avoid import duties. The lawyers & accountants very quickly worked out how the "cheat" the rules. All they did was to include labour costs as part of the build. Isn't it funny how an imported CKD kit with 100% overseas made parts resulted in a locally built car with 75% "local" content here.

 

It was very different in SA. They rated the % build number on a weight basis. The result being that anything heavy that could be cast (or otherwise made) locally was used. So the first thing they did was to locally built the Chevy 6-cyl motors (nice heavy block & head), diff housings & axles & bell housings (as above), brake drums & disc rotors etc.

 

Looking at that bell housing I noticed that it had something the Aussie ones didn't get - an adjustable height clutch fork pivot. The Dellow ones got it though.

 

Dr Terry