I pulled the harmonic balancer on my '68 L-6 292 today because I thought it might have shifted or spun out of phase. The phase angle looked OK, but I noticed a deep penetrating grind into the timing gear cover that must be causing a big oil leak at speed.
My spares crate had '67 gear cover with a similar gear tooth/dampener wheel rip in it too. Is there a way to avoid this endemic problem? The new Clifford catalog lists a finned cast-aluminum gear cover plate ($$$) but it's deleted from their new price list. [So they must have dropped it.] I guess I'll try the local junkyards.


Every 25 years I like to rebuild that 292 just for GP