I lifted the motor out of the car, and there was grease all over the transmission. I mean it was damn near pitch black. So I start cleaning it on the moving dolly to prep it for bolting up to my 2.3L. I remove the rear tranny mount to take the grime off and I stumble upon a hole in my transmission. It's about the size of 2 dimes and is right where there's a bolt tying the transmission to the starter casing. Just about the most depressing thing.

Anyways, I need a replacement transmission. It's a 95, but I'm going with a 6 bolt stroker in a 6 bolt block. I'm not sure if any 95-99 tranny will work. BTW, it's an AUTO and I'd like to keep it that way, for simplicity reasons. Please chime in with any helpful info. I'd greatly appreciate it.

-Corey

Just get a new bell housing.

I was talking to a well informed guy that I work with. He told me that since it's on the bell housing where the torque converter is, it really doesn't matter that it's there. Since there isn't any liquid in that area, a hole won't hurt anything. He said it would actually be a good thing, since heat can exit through the hole easier (a breather). Apparently, way back in the day, auto makers used to put holes in the same area and have a screen over it. I'll probably just make a shroud to cover the hole somewhat, so that a bolt or debris can't easily find it's way in there.

I would still replace the bellhousing. If it needed a hole there Mitsu would have put it there from the factory. All that does is make it easier for the bellhousing to crack later on. There are already vent holes in the bellhousing anyway. See all those little black rubber tubes sticking out the top?

No, I don't. I know it looks pretty much like it was factory, because there's a bracket that needs clearance in order to be bolted to the housing. I'll post up pics tomorrow.