Harmonic Balancer Rebuild ??

[JohnG]

My '58 352 has the original harmonic balancer, untouched. Last summer I had an email conversation with a newbie who said his balancer on his 1960 turned out to be 2 1/2" off!

Since my car has about 160,000 miles on it, I have no reason to believe the balancer marks are accurate.

So I can either send mine out to be rebuilt or buy a rebuilt one and swap. Any thoughts or experiences?

1) send it out - who did you use, what did it cost?

2) swap - what range of years for Ford FE motors would be compatible?

I still use the timing marks as a starting point for ignition work, so accuracy here is of interest, even if I fool with the timing later on.

John

[Guest]

Balancer ...

Use this one on most of my FE's for anything under 6500 rpm. Can interchange pulley's, $86.00, great buy If you not worried about non original apperance. Search E- Bay (ford fe harmonic balancer). Mike
( scroll down )

PP-80009 - New Professional Products 7.5 " High Performance Street Balancer for 352,390,406,410,427 & 428 ci. Big Block Ford FE V8

Manufacturer: Professional Products

Description:

Our great new BB Ford FE high performance street dampers (Harmonic Balancer) are made from extremely tough nodular iron and are suitable for all street applications and mild (non SFI) racing applications. These dampers are designed to be safely revved to as high as 6,500 rpm. Our dampers are of the highest quality and are precision machined to tolerances tighter than OEM. They come with a gloss black paint finish and white timing marks for easier reading.

What is Bonding? When we say our dampers are bonded, what does this mean? It means that the elastomer (rubber) that is sandwiched between the ring and the hub is bonded, or vulcanized, to metal. This is similar to the process used to bond the metal motor mounts to the rubber vibration isolaters used in these mounts. This greatly increases the safety of the damper as most stock, and many inexpensive aftermarket dampers, are just pressed together and under heavy duty applications, the ring can rotate, moving your TDC mark from the true position, or fly off the engine. And that is very bad! NOTE: This precision damper will not slide onto your new crankshaft like cheaper machined dampers.

Features: Nodular Iron Construction - extremly tough damper
High RPM Design - safely to 6,500 rpm
Bonded Hub - elastomer bonded to ring and hub
Timing Marks - white marks for easier reading
Precision Machined - tighter tolerances than OEM. Precision fit to crankshaft, not like cheap dampers on the market
Very affordable & High Quality - priced like the cheap dampers but with the precision of the expensive ones.









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[JohnG]

Great! Thanks! I don't even have to make my own timing marks either...

[byersmtrco]

Make sure that balancer is marked correctly
for the early style timing marker on the 352
Tmg/Cvr (It should be) I had to replace mine
a few yrs ago. I was lucky to find an orig OE
1960 352 balancer. My 390 has all the orig pulleys
brkts etc.

NOS Parts here in San Jose had it.

[Guest]

The one I listed ...

below comes with its own pointer & directions. Mike

[simplyconnected]

...NOTE: This precision damper will not slide onto your new crankshaft like cheaper machined dampers.

Features: Nodular Iron Construction - extremly tough damper
High RPM Design - safely to 6,500 rpm
Bonded Hub - elastomer bonded to ring and hub
Precision Machined - tighter tolerances than OEM. Precision fit to crankshaft, not like cheap dampers on the market...

Sounds like an OEM-quality damper, to me. I've never seen one go flying off a crankshaft (on a Ford, GM, or Chrys).

Why not just degree your present pulley? You can 'bust-out' a spark plug, and weld a 2" steel rod thru the base, screw it into either #1 or #6 spark plug hole, hand crank the pulley in one direction til it stops, mark it, turn in the opposite direction 'til it stops, mark it, and your true TDC will be exactly between your marks. I use a small file to 'nick' the pulley (the portion that is NOT rubber mounted), then I paint the nick yellow. Don't forget to remove the spark plug stop.

Another, more accurate way of timing your engine, is by using a vacuum gauge.

Of all my cars, only one needed a damper pulley replaced; a 1989 Tempo. The original progressively made a loud racket at every light. Murray's (O'Rileys, now) had them on the shelf with no core deposit. - Dave

[JohnG]

I don't mind at all degreeing my own in... Do I know that
it is going to stay where it is??? If the material in between the two components has aged to where it slips, can I have any confidence in it?

[simplyconnected]

John, 'slip' in older 'balancers is very common. I don't know why Ford put timing marks on that part. I always use the pulley part for my marks. Pulleys are never mounted in urethane and are solid to the crankshaft. - Dave

[Alan H. Tast, AIA]

Harmonic Damper Rebuilding

Do a web search for "Damper Doctors" or "Dampener Doctors"(?) - they advertise in Hemmings that they can rebuild rubber-isolated harmonic dampers. Reports from people I've read that have used them have had no complaints.

[simplyconnected]

...If the material in between the two components has aged to where it slips, can I have any confidence in it?

John, notice the picture below? The 'damper' portion has timing marks just like the original. Also notice, the damper is on the inside, just like OEM.

Neoprene gets old after a long time, but have you ever seen one separate? I haven't. There are places who re-mount pulleys in fresh silicone or urethane. That's why they charge a core deposit. It's a simple process... actually I've seen kits for do-it-yourself'ers (but I've never had one done).

Confidence? Yeah, you can trust them, even if they slipped a little. Let's not jump to conclusions, either... you may find yours is still accurate.

If you still want to rebuild your original, be prepared for a hefty fee. Here's a good source:
damperdoctor - Dave

[JohnG]

At this point I am going to drill a plug out and see if I am
in the ballpark on TDC.

The prices seem to be: $85 aftermarket (see above), $165 for a rebuild, possibly less $25 core.

Now Dave, consider this: when my balancer was assembled, Dwight Eisenhower was President and we had 48 states . . . :-)

By the way, I agree with you on vaccum based timing but if I put new points in I need a starting point.

John

[Guest]

To each his own ...

All of my FE builds are performance oriented, and I would no more use a 160k damper than I would old piston rings or crank bearings. I have seen dampers fail and it can end up costing you a whole lot more than than $85. If you do use a new damper make sure to use an installation tool. Do not pull it on using the crank bolt. JMO. Mike

[JohnG]

Mike, you're on. Tell me about the installation tool.

[Guest]

Balancer ...

You can buy an installation tool from Summit racing or Jegs among other places . If memory serves they run around $50, but if its going to be a one time job you can usually rent or borrow one from one of the auto parts stores. If you try to pull it on with the crank bolt there is a better than even chance you will stip the theads out of the crank as you are initially only engaging a few theads and the damper should be an interferance fit, while the tool threads all the way into the crank and then pulls the damper on with a thrust bearing and a nut. If memory serves they run around $50. This would be a good time to replace the seal also. Good luck with your project. Mike