Triumph Repair: gear-box nos., spitfire 1500, bell housings

Question
I am considering getting an alloy bell-housing for my spitfire 1500. It is dated 1978. Can you tell me if I need a scroll or the later lip type?The engine no. is 102,568, and the gear-box is original.  

Answer
Hi William,
As I remember and all reference material I have, there were only two gearboxes used on the Spitfire and the change was between 1974 and 1975 and the later gearbox had a sheet metal top on the gearbox and the earlier box had the shift tower mounted directly on the top of the box. I have never heard the terms "Scroll or Lip" type applied to either box. Even though the two bell housings looked similar they were not interchangeable. The boxes were easily identified by the top cover on the box but if you only have the bellhousings to look at, the only thing I can tell you is that the later (75-on) bellhousing had more of a rounded hump than the earlier one did.
As far as the engine number goes, your 102,568 is an early 78 model.
That's the best I can tell you.
Howard