[mike82]

Just started to swap an engine from a camaro into a 79 vette,
the problem is the harmonic balancer on the camaro engine
is a lot thinner than the one on the original vette engine.
Do i keep the camaro balancer which is on the new engine or
do i put the old balancer onto it from the original engine.
If i keep the thin balancer on,
it looks like I'm going to have to alter the pulleys and belts for them to line up.
Any ideas
thanks
Mike
:cheers:

 

[MYBAD79]

If the engine is internally balanced it shouldn't make a difference what size or thickness balancer you install as long as it's a neutral (int balance) balancer.

I've not seen thinner/thicker balancers, only different diameters.

Anyways, if both of your balancers are neutral balance then I'd use the one that fits better.

 

[mike82]

I've not seen thinner/thicker balancers, only different diameters

I know this is the bit that threw me to.
I think i will keep the original one,on the new engine and rework the belts and pulleys.
thanks :cheers:

 

[TwinTurbo]

if it's a weird and real thin one (w/ the intertia ring thinner than the hub) then someone must have installed a 348 balancer.

 

[mike82]

Thanks TT,but the one on the camaro engine (which is going in)is the normal sized one,or at least the size i'm used to 6.75 inches diameter,the one on the old engine which went south has the odd size one(half an inch deeper than any others i have seen )
As the camaro engine has double hump heads on it,i need to alter the alternator bracket layout anyway,going to use header mount brackets,so may as well set up a new pulley system anyway.
thanks
:cheers:

 

[Gunn]

A 350 is a 350... I'm not sure it knows if it's in a Camaro or Corvette. What ever the factory size for the year/hp of the car will be just fine. The balancer is setup specific to the engine design. Please note the Camaro will always have less hp rating for the same engine... call it a fudge factor + longer drive shaft.

If you've seen the engine run in the other car and it ran fine... why not leave well enough alone. Like you said, if it's had engine work, that may be what works best for it now... or not, hard to say.

 

[TimAT]

The bigger/thicker balancer just smooths out the harmonic twist in the crank better. They both work fine and do the same thing. I like the bigger one better- but that's just me.