Ted- thanks for that info.  It SEEMS like you'd want to use the clutch for the reason you said- ease the load onto the system- but he's said a couple of times not to use the clutch....maybe what he meant was that you don't need to push the clutch in, and I just heard what I thought I heard.  

Jim- The bolts holes from side to side are 8.5" on center.  The ones in the car are narrower, and I poked a nail into the hole in the current trans to see if there was a threaded hole in the bellhousing and there is not.  I'm guessing it's nothing that a drill and tap can't fix.  Does that give a clue as to what size the bearing retainer hole in my bellhousing may be?

If nobody chimes in with the bell housing hole measurement I can get it later this morning for you, it's still dark here..

I'm not worried about it...this swap won't be happening while it's still cruising season up here.  

I re-read what I said before and even I had a tough time understanding it!  My current 3.03 is drilled for both bolt patterns, and it is using the narrow holes to mount to my bellhousing.  I used the nail to poke into one of the wider holes to see if it went through, indicating a mounting hole, and it did not.  This current 3.03 being drilled that way should make it easier to drill and tap for the wider holes...assuming the wide pattern matches.  

Does the front bearing retainer support the trans weight, or do the bolts do that?  Starting to stress out about that potentially not lining up.  

Can you drill the narrow holes in the case?  I was told (no experience) that you could drill the narrow holes in the case for a 4 speed toploader, I don't know if it applies to the 303 trans.





54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

The bearing retainer to bell housing hole keeps everything in alignment, the bolts hold the weight.

Sure looks like I could drill out for the narrower pattern71% of original size (was 711x19) - Click to enlarge71% of original size (was 711x19) - Click to enlarge, if I wanted.  

The flywheel would not need to be removed.  With the flywheel cover at the bellhousing removed, you should be able to see the lower edge of the crankshaft flywheel flange. At this point, rotate the engine so that TDC on the damper is at the 6:15 O’clock position looking from the front.  If it’s a 312 crankshaft with the aspirin sized dot, that dot will be evident at the 6:00 O’clock position (straight down) on the bottom edge of the crankshaft flywheel flange.

Just keep in mind that if there is no dot present, there was a small number of those 312 crankshafts made without the identifying ‘dot’.  The majority of 312 crankshafts do have that external identifier though.  On the flip side of that, there are some 292 crankshafts out there with a dot or dots but those are smaller and not aspirin sized.

Here’s a couple of pictures to help identify what you are looking at.
71% of original size (was 711x19) - Click to enlarge  

71% of original size (was 711x19) - Click to enlarge  

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Thanks Ted...That's great info.  I'll keep this in mind whenever I dig into this little project.  Probably be a few months.  

Ted, what was the original intended purpose of the crankshaft dots? Were they always there for identification purposes, or, did they serve an alignment or some other purpose needed at the time of their manufacture? I'm just curious about this since my 312 has the aspirin sized dot, but the main crank bearing caps have to be looked at to definitely determine the C.I. of the engine. Thanks for any info!

My thoughts point to being just for identification purposes.  Likely helped when raw castings were being passed around during the machining process.  While I can spot a 312 crankshaft versus a 292 crankshaft across the room, it may not have been that simple in the machining department or the engine assembly area. For what it's worth, the dot on the 312 crankshaft and the blank recess found on some of the 292 crankshafts has that dot or recess aligned with the #1 rod journal which could have been an assembly aid.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)