Flywheel restoration/balance

[Steven B.]

I have an original '57 flywheel I want to restore and balance. It will go on a balanced '57 245 HP. It has no cracks. Anyone know besides balance and teeth what I need to do/look for? Any recommended really good shops in east Tx? I am 100 miles east of Dallas? 'Went to one shop and he told me he could "file her down within a few grams." I walked.

Thanks!
Steve

[Pierre J.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

Steve,
I'm looking for a '57 flywheel, would you have the part number by any chance?

Thanks
Pierre
34410

[Joe R.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

Steven,

Do yourself a favor and have the flywheel resurfaced, then balance the flywheel with the pressure plate and clutch disc. Much better results.

JR

I have an original '57 flywheel I want to restore and balance. It will go on a balanced '57 245 HP. It has no cracks. Anyone know besides balance and teeth what I need to do/look for? Any recommended really good shops in east Tx? I am 100 miles east of Dallas? 'Went to one shop and he told me he could "file her down within a few grams." I walked.

Thanks!
Steve

[Steven B.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

Steve,
I'm looking for a '57 flywheel, would you have the part number by any chance?

Thanks
Pierre
34410

Pierre, I do not have it here now but I will check and let you know.

Steve

[Timothy B.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

Tom, Didn't the factory balance these parts and stamp a 0 on each so they bolt together in the correct position. I had mine done and the flywheel is zero balanced then the plate is balanced to it and the clock position marked.

[Joe R.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

Tom,

You need to visit a machine shop that does balancing. The flywheel and pressure plate are marked for proper removal and installation if it ever needs to be done. True the clutch disc does not need to be balanced but it is usually with the assembly and delivered to the machine shop.

The marks on the pressure plate and flywheel are usually made by a number or chisel and painted.

Also, 454 are balanced as an assembly. Externally balanced utilizing the flywheel and balancer. By the way, we don't need no stinking 400's here.

Regards,

JR

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT BALANCE A FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Chevy V8 engines except the SB400 and the 454 BB use a NEUTRAL balance flywheel (prior to 86 on SBs).
Your flywheel should be neutral balanced ALL BY ITSELF. THEN, the pressure plate can be NEUTRAL balanced. There is little point in haveing a clutch disc balanced (although it is OK), because it changes position in relationship to the flywheel/pressure plate EVERY TIME the clutch is engaged.
If the flywheel and clutch are balanced together, and then if the clutch is removed for whatever reason, it will then be necessary to replace the pressure plate back onto the flywheel in exactly the same relationship as it was before. Also, if the clutch should ever need to be replaced, the replacement clutch will probably not be compatable with the balance that had been done previously.

EXCEPT FOR SB400 AND 454 FLYWHEELS, ALWAYS NEUTRAL BALANCE A FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH SEPERATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mark P.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

Isn't the Harmonic Balancer also always neutral balanced ?

[Joe R.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

The balancer on a small block 265-283-327-350-427 is neutral balanced along with the flywheel but for a 454 it's called external balancing so the big block 454 balancer and flywheel have weights added to begin with. The weights offset the crank/pistons etc. Then the entire assembly is balanced.

JR

[Timothy B.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

Mark, That's my understanding, the flywheel and damper are zero balanced on internally balanced engines.

[Joe L.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I HAVE been visiting machine shops that do balancing------------------for 40+yrs.
If the flywheel is neutral balanced--------------by itself, and then the clutch (pressure plate) neutral balanced, there is NO NEED to "match" them, nor any need to mark them for assembly in the same position.

There may be some machine shops that do balance the flywheel/clutch together, which would certainly be a much more expeditious manner to balance them. But that ain't the right way to do it, and I would NOT use a machine shop that does balance the flywheel/clutch together as an assembly. If you do balance the flywheel/clutch together as an assembly, and then sometime in the future they are seperated, it is HIGHLY PROBABLE that the flywheel will no longer be neutral balanced!!!!!!!!
They need to be independantly neutral balanced!

Tom----


The balance shop I've used for about 40 years does balance the flywheel and pressure plate separately. However, they then finish balance the unit as a bolted-together assembly. Usually, little or no weight needs to be added or removed in this last step. They always index mark the pressure plate and flywheel so that they can be re-assembled in the same relative position to each other.

[Rod K.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

Personally, I have serious reservations about using an original 3729004 flywheel as I believe they are prone to failure. The original owner of my '57 270 HP blew the flywheel at about six months. Took out a major portion of the floor over the flywheel/clutch area and put a nice V-notch in the right side X-frame. He was lucky he walked away from it and still had his feet.

I plan to use a racing type steel, not cast iron, wheel. It's never seen, can't be judged as incorrect, and won't fail in normal street use.

That said, should you choose to use the original (might be OK for a hydraulic cammed engine, but not solid lifter), definitely magnaflux it, then surface it assuming only a few thou is req'd to make it good. As Tom says, whatever you choose, balance the flywheel individually, then the pressure plate individually. Should come out near perfect as an assy if both components are right.

[Joe L.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

And that's fine----------------------------so long as you never have to replace the clutch someday.

Tom-----


I would NEVER, EVER replace a clutch without removing the flywheel and having it re-balanced. So, the whole process is repeated over again---the flywheel is balanced separately, the NEW pressure plate assembly is balanced separately and then the complete assembly is bolted together and finish-balanced.

[Mike E.]

Re: Flywheel restoration/balance

I've had several dozen 3729004 flywheels that have gone to the redline (and occasionally beyond) with no issues. My 62 Gulf Oil racer certainly logged many hard miles (Daytona, Sebring, etc.) with an 004 flywheel that stayed together. I couldn't condemn them all simply because one was defective!