I was hearing a bad noise from the front of my 1957 235 (car). It's all stock. Turns out the harmonic balancer had worked itself loose and wallowed itself out. They key is a snug fit, but no longer tight. I THINK my crankshaft is still ok, or usable.
I want to try to put a new harmonic balancer on the end and see if it will press on and work. I hope this works, as it's much better than replacing the old crank. I just had the engine rebuilt and it has less than 2000 miles on it.

I remember previously a "friend" broke my old balancer. It was then I learned that the 55-57 235s had 2 versions of harmonic balancers. I know this because I bought the wrong one. Does anyone know the difference in these two balancers?

I have read several ideas on how to fix this, from drilling a hole in the end of the crank and putting a bolt in to finding a repair sleeve made for worn harmonic balancers.

Does anyone know if a company produces NEW harmonic balancers for these 235s. I think a new balancer would have a better chance of pressing on and staying on.

I'd also like suggestions on what to do about the key. It's so close to being snug, but i can push it in with my finger rather than gently tap it in. The key itself doesn't hold the balancer on, the press fit does that. They key only keeps it from sliding.

I'm hoping someone produces these balancers, or if not, that someone has one somewhere and can shed some light on the 2 versions.

Thanks,
Brandon