The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 454 balancer question ?

i am installing a 76 454 in a 66 chevy p/u and am installing the short {68-72} style water pump and pulleys but last minute realized the 76 harmonic balancer is too wide ! and dont think it will go on any further to line up pulley grooves ? can a 69-72 balancer be installed or what ? i dont have one to compare or wondered if it might throw something off on engine balance ? i dont think the long pump and pulleys will fit in this truck especially w/ p/s ? any ideas ? thanks mike

I *think* (fairly sure) the 454 is externally balanced, unlike the earlier 396/402/427 engines, if so you will have to use a 454 balancer.

You might want to check with Jeg's or Summit to see if there is an aftermarket 454 damper in short version.

I have to think there is some way to make the long versions work, maybe you could move the radiator forward? Where is the p/s pump giving you clearance problems?

thanks for the reply ,i was working on the engine and finally got the balancer to move further on the crankshaft !! just enough to give the water pump pulley enough clearance from hitting on the edge of the 1976 454 thicker balancer !i was going crazy trying to find the right pulleys {68-72} and brackets for this swap w/o having any more problems !! now i just need to install front sheet metal and radiator and fab some motor mounts! this is sunday at noon and its going to minnesota thursday at"back to the 50s show " thanks guys see ya there !