Cut slot in bell housing, ability to turn engine Options

[930cabman]

I can find no easy way to turn the engine in small increments as needed to adjust valves, static spark timing, etc. Spark plugs removed to relieve compression of course. It seems to make sense to cut a small ( 3/8 x 1/2") slot in the bell housing to allow for a screwdriver to engage with the ring gear for small adjustments.

Have a fallen off my rocker?

thanks

[VaccaRabite]

I've done a good bit of playing with engines on the test stand.

With the plugs out and engine out of the car, the engine is fairly easy to rotate by grabbing the "fan" belt and pulling that to rotate the crank. If the fan belt is off I have also just grabbed the fan and rotated it. DO NOT try to wedge a screwdriver into the fan vanes and turn it that way. That is how the fan vanes break - though this was a very common way to do it "back in the day."

I've also taken the dog house and fan off and used a bar between the bolts to rotate the engine that way - but that's more when I was setting pushrod geometry. You can get a lot of control over rotation doing it this way though.

The flange bolt on the nose of the hub is tempting to put a wrench on and turn it. If this bolt breaks for some reason, its a pain in the butt to extract. I'm not sure my way is any better, but its worked for me.

Zach