The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop installing balancer

My weekend job of changing the balancer on my 250 went very good. My old one had a wobble in the pulleys and the rubber was looking pretty bad, so it was time for a change. I bought a rebuilt unit and started in. I have very little room in the '37 to work, so it was a slow process getting the old one off. I had to cut and modify my puller to do it. This weekend was also very cold, 9 degrees in the mornings so I set the truck out for two hours while the new balancer was in the oven cooking. The rebuilld shop said 240 was a save temperature to heat it to. I had to work fast, so I had everything ready and made run from the oven to the truck. I got super lucky and it slide right on more than 75% of the way. The last little bit I was able to knock it on with a hammer and brass rod. It hadn't cooled all the way so it drove on pretty easy. I believe with engine out of the truck I could have installed it all the way the first time with very little hammering. I just didn't have any room!

It was a good day , I was expecting a real problem! Joe

Good Job!
I ruined a new balancer by pounding it in all the way last time.

I'm getting ready to install a new balancer on my 250. It's a 70 deg day here in SoCal so I'm going to try and drill the crank for a bolt.

I have already taken out the radiator, I hope there's enuff room for the drill, If not I'll remove the grill and rad support. I bought the grade 8 bolt and washer already. I have the tap and drill bit, wish me luck.
Dano

Dano - Just don't use that bolt to install the balancer, it will break. Best if you buy a balancer installer. If you don't, then take a 6" bolt and thread the long end with 7/16 NC. Use lots of antisieze and pull the balancer down with a nut.

Got the balancer on! It was soo easy! Thanx Fred T for the advice, don't want to break off a bolt in the crank.

In case anyone is interested, here's how I did it for a 69 c-10 and the materials I used;

Step 1) I had to remove the bumper, grill, disconnected wiring from rad support and removed the rad support.

Step 2) Used a 25/64" drill bit and drilled the end of the crank. I eye-balled it. Using the woodruff key on the side as a guide (up-down) to drill at the right angle. I eye-balled the left-to-right by looking at the crank snout. Actually the hole at the end of the crank kinda guided me in staight also. Let her rip!
Drilled a hole 1 1/4" deep.

Step 3) Took my trusty 7/16-20 tap and threaded inside as far as it would go, again making sure I went in as straight as possible.

Step 4) I couldn't find an installer, so I bought a 4" Grade 8, 7/16-20 bolt. (After going to four hardware stores, the 4" was the longest bolt I could find),The bolt was only threaded 1" at the bottom, so I took it home and added
1 1/2" of thread.

Step 5) Used the 4" bolt with a grade 8 nut and washer (I did not bottom out the 4" bolt in the crank snout.), held the bolt with a box end wrench and used another long box end wrench on the nut and in about 3 minutes had the balancer installed, never had to introduce a hammer.
What amazed me the most is that I never had to apply a lot of force, it slid on easily.

Step 6) Installed a 1" Grade 8, 7/16-20 bolt with a washer and lock washer. The washer laid nice and flat on the balancer and the crank snout. Good to go!

Step 8) Reinstalled rad support, grille and bumper.

I don't want to vender or nation bash, but;

I remember in my youth that I used to use a hammer and a pipe on the balancer to install it and never had problems, but nowadays D*rm*n balancers are made in K*r*a and even using a hammer carefully to tap one in just ruins the balancer.
Dano

Dano, it's good to hear a success story every once in a while. I, too, have used the hammer in years past. When I built my 235 five years ago I tapped the crank and pulled the balancer on with a bolt, but was very careful so as not to break the bolt in the crank.

There has been a lot of discussion about this on the 67-72 board, and a few have broken bolts. I'd hate to try to drill out a grade 8 bolt. On my 350, I borrowed an installer from a friend. Worked like a champ, except for when I didn't hold the wrench tight and broke off the stud. Fortunately there was enough stud left to get a pair of vise-grips on it.

We need to make this a " Tech Tip ". Drill and tap the crank on any 230/250/292 for balancer installation. I sure wish I had thought about when I had the engne out! Joe

What I have done in the past is get the balancer all lined up on the crank, start the bolt in the crank and just tighten things up snugly. Then take a hammer, wrench or what ever and just tap the balancer and the torque of the bolt and the shock of the tap on the balancer will pull the balancer on the crank. Continue this until the balancer is seated. No stain on you trying to pull the balancer on and no risk of a broken bolt. The bolt and the tap on the balancer do all of the work.