i dont know if i'm in the right forum for this topic. but i have an '85 ford ranger with striped out starter bolt holes, so i need to change the bellhousing. does the bellhousing bolt on to the transmission? or is the bellhousing/ transmission one piece?

from my knowledge i am pretty sure that the bellhousings bolt on to the trans so they can be separated. Because i swapped my bell housing off of my 87 ranger onto a different tranny do to a similar reason.

http://www.helicoil.in/helicoil.htm

Use a heli-coil. Available at most industrial supply shops.