You are all probably fed up with hearing about me trying to find a bell housing for my Lancia engine by now.
However please indulge me in one further question. I am after a Fiat bell housing with the starter motor mount on the offside, the 124/Lada is no go (too small) and the Twin Cam has the starter on the nearside.

I have found a Fiat bell housing with a starter on the offside but the radius of the casting from the gearbox input shaft center is about 10mm larger than the 131 housing fitted to the twin cam.
The starter mounting bolts are about 25mm further out from the input shaft compared to the Twn Cam housing, which is what I am bassing my measurements on and expecting the desired housing to be the same.
Also the overall size is considerably larger than the Twin Cam
It is a Fiat box but what from?
Any one have any Ideas?
Nick

What about the 127? That was RWD as I remember it (well, I don't remember it, because they all rusted away before I was born).

Phoned the breakers in Surrey who have this box, they say that it is not the same mounting bolt patern as the twin cam box(he had one sat next to it). Also had a chat to the Fiat club registra and we concluded that it is probably from other useless piece of Fiat C*** that no one wants or cares about and should have fallen to bits long before the rust got it!
Nearly had enough, very nearly!!!!

Is it the larger flywheel that's stopping you fitting the lada box?, if so was chatting with conrodkid on sunday and you could take off the fiat ring gear(drill and cold chisel normally does it) get the flywheel turned down and fit a new lada ring gear. if this isn't the problem then forget all the C**P above.

Something I hadn't thought of however, I would still need to retain the Lancia clutch because of the power and that hits the Lada Bell housing and also the gearbox to bell housing bolt patern is not the same as the more robust 131 box. The 124 box would fall to bits.
I spent a good hour at the scrappy to day with the Lada box next to the Twin cam box trying to find a way of using it. The engineering involved is more than moving the starter position on the twin cam box.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will keep looking for the solution.
Nick

So, what are the bellhousings made of? Iron or Ali? Why not just find a bellhousing that bolts to your engine, one that bolts to the box, and carefully make one up yourself?

thats the line i was gonna take slim.....kept an eye on the string for a while, it is possible to make your own up, done it a few times, rover/vw, ford audi, ford/renault.....just takes a bit o time thats all, i would think the one your doing would be a bit easier though cos your clutch should all but be sorted, that for me is usually the hard bit...

Tried all the local scrap yards and a few out in the sticks nothing there. I have decided to buy a twin cam housing (starter on the nearside) and move the starter to the other side. Provided I jig it correctly it should mesh up with the flywheel again.
The housing is all ally which makes the job that much more fiddly, I can't weld ally, so I will have to take it to someone who can.
The mount bolts, for the starter are slightly different on the Lancia so will use that bell housing to make the jig and cut out the starter housing from it to weld into the Fiat one.
Fingers crossed!
Any tips would be welcome.
By the way I have found 2 X 1600 twin cams, 1 2000TC car on the road, a 131 SOHC car comp, a 131 TC housing fitted to a pinto box, another 131 box & housing, loads of 124 boxes all for sale. If anyone wants to go the Fiat route, it is probably as good a bet as the pinto, just steer clear of Lancia/Fiat.
Nick