Torque converter including housing shells press fit together

A torque converter comprising:

• a housing;
• a turbine, impeller blades and a stator within the housing, the impeller blades being configured for directing fluid to the turbine, the stator being configured for redirect fluid from the turbine back to the impeller blades,
• the housing including a first shell and a second shell joined together, the first shell or the second shell supporting the impeller blades,
• the first shell including a first tubular end section and the second shell including a second tubular end section, the first tubular end section being received within the second tubular end section, the first tubular end section including a base circumferential surface and a protrusion protruding from the base circumferential surface, the protrusion engaging a circumferential surface of the second tubular end section to form a press fit connection between the first shell and the second shell,
• wherein a rim of the second tubular end section is welded to an outer circumferential surface of the first shell by a weld,
• wherein the protrusion is axially spaced from the weld by a gap defined in part by the base circumferential surface.