The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 balancer install?

I finally got back to my 235 engine rebuild project and I cannot figure out how to press the balancer back onto the crankshaft? There is no threaded hole in the end of the crank to screw an install tool into? Just a short tapered hole....? How do I get this balancer back on without a large rubber mallet...don't want to go that route. Thanks. Brian
P.S. It' out of a 2nd series 55' 3600.

Plenty of info on this. Try a search. What I did was to heat up the balancer in the oven (200 degrees for 30 minutes) and cool the crank. It was winter when I did mine, so didn't have to cool it much. Then line it up and push it on. You will most likely still have to use a hammer. I used a block of wood and hammer on mine. Worked fine. Also, make sure you have a new seal installed in the cover. One more tip, is to make sure the balancer shaft is in good shape. If it is worn, you will have a leak. You can always add a speedy sleeve...

enjoy..

PS, nice to see another 3600 owner.

thanks,,, headed out to the shop to give her another try. also... since it's been some time since I tore the engine apart.... were there washers under the heads bolts or no?

No washers under the cylinder head bolts.

I just put my balancer back on.. I was sweating it as like motor oil, everyone seems to have their own, cast in stone ideas.

I used a socket that fit around the steel inner hub and hit it with a 3lb sledge. No boiling in oil or baking in an oven. Cleaned the shaft and hub with acetone, smeared some sealant on the shaft, installed the key. Took about 10 hits till it bottomed. Easy Peasy.

My main concern is that the crank shaft is only about 1/2 way into the hub... but since the pully's line up I guess its good to go. I may drill/tap for a retaining bolt.... not sure.

Plenty of folks swear by the method of heating the balancer. I've always just used the BFH & block of wood method. A number of folks here have drilled & tapped the crank snout then used a bolt to draw it on.

The standard method is a big hammer on a block of wood or something. Bear in mind you are basically pounding on the thrust bearing, so use some discretion. Some of the balancers are so loose I don't know how they stay on except the belts might kind of keep it in place. others are so tight you would think it held the entire earth together. (These are the ones you need to heat up.) The last two I did were of the so loose style. Also realize if you tap the very end of the shaft to serve as a retaining bolt, and tighten up the bolt very tight, it will be wanting to pull the end off of the crankshaft. I learned this from the crankshaft guru at crower that drilled my crank for full pressure. He said they have seen the snouts broken off of cranks drilled only at the end. They went deep, past the shoulder where the balancer seats, so now it is trying to pull the crankshaft together. It makes perfect sense if you think about it, but I don't know if it makes that much difference on one of these engines, that will never see much over 4500 on its best day. But its something to think about. Also if you drill the end strictly for the purpose of pulling the damper on, make sure you thread the stud fully into the tapped hole in the crank and use the force of the nut to pull the damper on, don't try and use a bolt just barely started into your freshly tapped crankshaft to pull the damper on, all the while slowly and methodically pulling the threads out of your freshly tapped crankshaft.