I have done the mod for every motor I have built over the last 40 years. Do not use a lock washer or stainless bolts, or anything harder then a grade 5 bolt. Use a tiny bit of pipe sealer on the bolt and snug down. All the years I did this, I never had to take the cover off. In 2015 I finished up the 261 build I was doing. Very modified motor. Two months after it was running, I discovered my timing cover gasket was leaking. I also always drill and tap my crank snouts for a bolt. So it was an easy repair (btw, installer error, I apparantly pinched the gasket on install). Loosened up the front motor mounts, jacked the motor up a bit for clearance to get the balancer off, remove the balancer, remove the timng cover, replace the gasket, install the balanceer with a balancer install tool, reinstall the balancer bolt and put it all back together. Man, was I grateful I had made those mods. Made that repair so much easier.
Last edited by Dragsix; 10/17/2022 2:41 PM.
