Other than what has already been mentioned I can only ask one other question,
Did the ID of the bell housing match the OD of the front bearing retainer on the trans. ???? I have seen a couple of vehicles come through the shop with carnage similar to yours and the root cause was mismatched bearing retainer to bell housing ID.
I might also suggest a scatter shield in lieu of a stock bell housing. They are 40+ years old and questionable at best