I am putting the harmonic balancer on my engine. Is there any tool to install this thing. First time around I had to use a small sledgehammer and a block of wood. Took almost an hour. Is this the only way? Thanks for any suggestions.

Yes there is a install tool for this. I bought mine at Sears. It is a threaded rod
that screws in the end of the crank. It has
a large washer and nut which you tighten
with a wrench which slowly installs the
balancer on the crank. Do not use a hammer
or you will weaken the balancer and possibly
cause it to fail prematurely....you don't
want that.....

Bob is right on the mark, there is a tool for installing balancers on most v-8's, although if it were a six cylinder most of the cranks dont have threaded ends in which case you usually have to boil the balancer to get it to expand, very tricky. Good luck. Sean

That tool is not only the RIGHT/SAFEST way but also the EASY way. It's a piece of cake with the right tool. If you don't want to buy it I know they're available at Rental Centers, and here in Vegas some local AUTO ZONES actually will LOAN you the tool (with security) oy! such a deal! Maybe parts houses in your area have something like this too.

you definitely want the right tool. around here you can get them at pepboys,or checkers(also kragens or something else depending on where you are from) any way they will both lend the tool out for just the security deposit. good luck.

Most people don't want to spend the money for a good tool. I bought mine from Summit Racing for a little over $100. It is a great tool (pg. 62 of your newest catalog) http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif This baby is CNC machined, has a roller thrust bearing, is black oxide finish and has 4140 chromemoly installer studs,puller bolts,instructions and a storage box! <Grunt, Grunt, like tool time Tim Allen> LOL I enjoy having/using/not borrowing, good tools. It makes jobs nice to do & saves on skinned knuckles also. (well sometimes)
Rick
'66 Yenko
'68 SS 427

[This message has been edited by YenkoYS100 (edited 07-03-2000).]

The tool loaning/renting thing was just a friendly suggestion. I've already got way more tools than my wife or a lot of my friends can understand (they sure know where to find me when they need something though). Considering it's been 5 years since I last put a harmonic balancer on an engine, and hopefully it will be another couple before the next, THIS buildup is gonna use a borrowed/rented balancer installer and I'll spend my money on other car stuff.

Guy's I'm a little confused, why not just use the bolt which holds on the harmonic balancer and a big washer. This seems to work for me. Not against buying tools but what does this tool really do, that you can't do with a bolt and washer..

I second that question. Thats how mine was installed...please advise

In effect you're right. The advantage to the tool we're talking about is...the threads in the crank are fully engaged by those on the tool (less chance of stripping the crank threads) and the "thrust surface" of the tool applies even pressure to the balancer with little chance of deflection of the tool or damage to the balancer.

It's a matter of... there's a thousand ways to skin a cat, some are just bloodier than others. You can use a tool designed specifically for this purpose...or a bolt and washer, or a hammer, or a torch...hey get creative. There's just an easy way, which happens to involve an inexpensive or possibly even FREE tool.

I originally bought my tool when I had a job I was working on that I could use this tool and save me alot of headaches and extra hours of labor. I had a Ford 300 6 cylinder come in with about 2500 miles on a complete rebuild. Their son-in-law who rebuilt it for them just so happened to put a fiber cam gear back on the truck. These engines are gear driven cams. The fiber gear shed all of its teeth. I was able to remove all of the damaged gear. Normally you have to pull the cylinder head to remove the camshaft, and press the cam gear on or off. I was able to cut & weld metric bolts together, and made an adapter for this balancer tool which allowed me to install a new metal cam gear without pulling the head off. I then raised the engine, pulled off the oilpan and oil pump& pickup tube, cleaned all the fiber gear out of everything, and put everything back together and presto!!!! Sometimes you can use a proper tool for something else, be a little creative and amaze yourself. http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif
Rick
'66 Yenko
'68 SS 427

Pop, I guess that makes sense. I did have to tap mine on with a hammer far enough that I was able to get enough threads so I wouldn't strip them. Fortunatly this was fairly easy tapping because it was just starting. I would not recomend hammering all the way on.

As I understand it, the biggest threat with hammering the balancer on is messing up the thrust bearing and it's clearance. It just makes good sense to put it on in a non-violent way.

When I installed mine I bought a much longer bolt from True Value Hardware (good source for hardened hardware), some big, thick washers, and a nut. After setting the balancer on the end of the crank I threaded the longer bolt all the way into the crank, then ran the washers and nut down against the balancer. A few rotations with a wrench and it slipped right on.

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Scott
'69 400SB, Richmond 5-speed; '99 HD Road King Classic
www.geocities.com/sdenning1 (http://www.geocities.com/sdenning1)

Sounds like a workable option. As far as whacking on the balancer...remember that stock harmonic balancers use rubber as a vibration dampener between the hub and the outer ring. Excess heat (as in heavy handed use of a torch) destroys this rubber. So does hitting the outer ring with a hammer. ANYTHING that damages this connection can send a pretty heavy piece of metal spinning/flipping off at a very dangerous speed.

O.K. Guy's, I have a installation tool also, which wasn't worth crap on my car. 67 steel crank NOT drilled. So tie my hands behind my back and blindfold me because YES, I did it. I took that wooden block, and I struck that balancer, over & over again. Of course only hitting it in the CENTER, inside the rubber ring. So, before I meet my demise, please tell me how you would install that balancer without a hole in the crank. http://www.camaros.net/forum/tongue.gif
P.S. Answers involved in drilling & tapping crank to accept installation tool will not be accepted. http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif

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Steve
67 SS 396,4-sp
67 RS 327,4-sp
72 RS 350/350
69 4X4 suburban 350,4-sp
73 3/4 ton 454/400
http://www.geocities.com/stevocamaro

[This message has been edited by stevo camaro (edited 07-05-2000).]

Wow, this seems to have turned into a debate! Certainly not inended on my part, just some friendly advice/warnings.

I've never installed a balancer on a crank without a threaded hole in the crank. I've HEARD/READ about applying mild heat to expand the metal on the balancer. Hot water like mentioned in an earlier post, even low temperatures in an oven might do it. The thing is though not TOO hot or the rubber gets damaged. Then you would have to slide or gently tap the balancer in the center only (as you said) onto the crankshaft. But I understand you have to do it QUICK to take advantage of the increased clearance this heating process creates. Otherwise either the Damper cools or the crank heats up and expands itself. Like the guy before said "Tricky". I've never done it, but I'm sure it's been done. But then again there's a lot of cars out there running balancers that have been whacked on with a hammer. Probably even without incident. But ask any drag racer you know what happens when a balancer flies off when you're spinning 8 grand.

There's a thousand ways to skin a cat...some are just bloodier than others.

For what it's worth, I made two "tools", a 7/16" x 6" long fine thread grade 8 bolt that I threaded to the head for small blocks and a 1/2" x 6" long fine threaded grade 8 one for big blocks. These, a pair of nuts, grease and some big washers work great. I hammered one on years ago and vowed never to do it again.

I bet GM has a great big, handy-dandy, "C-Clamp" type press that they center off both the front and back of the engine at the same time to "press" a hamonic balancer on a crankshaft that doesn't have a threaded hole in it's snout. Probably to save the cost of the threaded hole and bolt and washer. pdq67

Is there some new advice regarding this oldie?
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>O.K. Guy's, I have a installation tool also, which wasn't worth crap on my car. 67 steel crank NOT drilled. So tie my hands behind my back and blindfold me because YES, I did it. I took that wooden block, and I struck that balancer, over & over again. Of course only hitting it in the CENTER, inside the rubber ring. So, before I meet my demise, please tell me how you would install that balancer without a hole in the crank.
P.S. Answers involved in drilling & tapping crank to accept installation tool will not be accepted. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The 327 I'm working on right now doesn't have threads either. I'm willing to heat it, but at which temp and for how long? http://216.40.249.192/mysmilies/contrib/Bizkit/ponder.gif

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Our affair with Camaros is a live sentence without the possibility of parole. www.geocities.com/c68ss (http://www.geocities.com/c68ss) http://home.coqui.net/borench

On a non drilled crank and the engine out of the car tilt the engine so it's resting on the crank and using a block of wood install the balancer. With the engine installed GM recomends the balancer be heated in hot oil them tapped onto the crank. If the engine is in the car and you have a four speed or automatic trans remove the ring gear cover from the trans. Using a larg screwdriver wedge the ring gear or torque converter so it will not move backwards and have it installed so it's thrusting the crank forward. Make sure the balancer and the crank are free of burs, put a little silicone on in the keyway (very little) to seal off oil and keep it from leaking past the keyway. If you choose the hot oil method heat up your balancer. Next use a block of wood and the biggest hammer you can find/use and install the balancer. No drilling no tapping of the crank required.

Steveo what do we win if this is the correct answer???

[This message has been edited by Joe Harrison (edited 06-22-2002).]

OK. Now, where is my sledge hammer? http://216.40.201.38/contrib/dvv/eplus2.gif

After reading all the pros/cons of this thread i must add my 2 cents or risk not being able to sleep tonight. I have built alot of old engines back in the day when balancer bolts were not installed on the end of the crank due to no holes or threads being there from the factory. You would not believe the damage that can result in not drilling and tapping the crank to hold the balancer on. I have seen cars that looked like they had been in head on collisions from the balancer coming off at high rpm. AND THEY WILL COME OFF!!! I would not even dream of running an engine without a bolt to hold the balancer on. Second, not only does hammering on a balancer destroy the the bearing clearance but you also can bend the crank snout not to mention destroying the balancer and moving the lower timing gear out of place. Putting on a balancer using the retaining bolt has, in more cases than one, ended up stripping the threads out of the end of the crank. It works ok as long as the balancer doesn't run into a burr or small obstruction. Drilling and tapping the snout of a crank is mighty cheap insurance and using an installation tool is THE only way to go!!! Leave the hammers in the tool box on this one. IMHO.

I would only add that if you are going to hammer it on that you use a block of wood and maybe even a nice plastic lead shot filled dead blow hammer. I love that saying about there being more than one way to skin a cat but some ways are bloodier than others.

-Mark.