Finned Balancer Id?
What is the difference between these two finned balancers-3817173 and 3883961? Was the later ever used on Corvette engines? or Nova HP engines?
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Re: Finned Balancer Id?
Louie-----
The GM #3883961 balancer was used for 1966 Corvettes with L-79, although it may not have been used for late engines. It is identical to the GM #3817173 except for ONE feature. The 3883961 has a very shallow, 1/16" deep keyway in the hub. The 3817173 has a 5/32" deep keyway. The 3883961 must be used with a special woodruff key, GM #3883206, which is of lower height.
The GM #3883961 balancer lead a very short life. It was released in August, 1965 and was discontinued from SERVICE in March, 1966 when it was replaced by the GM #3817173, the balancer used for 62-65 SHP small blocks as well as later 67-68 SHP small blocks.In Appreciation of John Hinckley -
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Re: Finned Balancer Id?
Not really related but why on earth would GM make a damper like this??
I never knew there are two finned balancers..
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Re: Finned Balancer Id?
Jeff-----
I would say it would be impossible to tell the difference once the balancer and crank pullies were installed on the engine.
Woe be the individual that tries to install a 3883961 balancer using the woodruff key that "works with all small block balancers", though.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: Finned Balancer Id?
Timothy-----
GM released several balancers in late 1965 that had the shallower keyways. None of them "stuck around very long", though, as they were rather quickly replaced by balancers with the "standard" keyways. Obviously, someone recognized that the shallow keyway was not a good idea. I expect that why it was done in the first place will remain a mystery.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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