454 balancing question.

[jk3078]

Ok, so I am getting a fully balanced eagle rotating assy. and and I was wondering how big of a risk I would be taking mounting a new flywheel on this and running it? I know balancing everything with the flywheel and front pully is the right way but the only machine shop that does balancing in this area wants $250 to rebalance and they won't cut me a break for whats already been done. I dont want to cut any corners and sacrifice relibility and I will spend it if I need to. Thanks for any advice, J

 

[b454rat]

$250 for balancing??? Wholy sh!t that expensive. It would be nice if you did, but if your not running it to7k all the time, it should be fine. I would look for a new engine shop...

 

[4X4HIGH]

If you bought a balanced assembly then it will include a flywheel. A 454 cannot get balanced without it. If anyone tells you differently they better stop balancing for a living. FWIW $250.00 for a complete balance job is not out of line.

 

[tarussell]

If you bought a balanced assembly then it will include a flywheel. A 454 cannot get balanced without it. If anyone tells you differently they better stop balancing for a living. FWIW $250.00 for a complete balance job is not out of line.

Fully agreed with 4x4high ! The whole rotating assy. must be balanced or it just ain't balanced . $ 250.00 is a fair deal and money well spent in my opinion.

Tom

 

[jk3078]

If you bought a balanced assembly then it will include a flywheel. A 454 cannot get balanced without it. If anyone tells you differently they better stop balancing for a living. FWIW $250.00 for a complete balance job is not out of line.

The kit comes with a auto flexplate but I am running a 465/205. It comes balanced from eagle so I think it should be ok. I dont plan on spinning high rpms (peanut ports) at this piont in time but it would be nice to know I have the bottom end for it down the road if I upgrade the topend.J

 

[big83chevy4x4]

all the flywheels/flexplates should be built equal to each other, but they do vary. from my experience, the price is all labor. they have to weigh each piston, each rod both the big end and small end separately along with the rings and bearings and estimated oil to get the bob weight so they can clamp that on the crank. they probably won't have to add or remove weight from the crank, but its all the labor before hand.

i paid $200 to balance my 454, on top of the 2 1/2 pieces of mallory metal it needed. all ill tell you is that stuff is expensive.

 

[4X4HIGH]

The kit comes with a auto flexplate but I am running a 465/205. It comes balanced from eagle so I think it should be ok. I dont plan on spinning high rpms (peanut ports) at this piont in time but it would be nice to know I have the bottom end for it down the road if I upgrade the topend.J

I don't care how many RPM's you're gonna run, an externally balanced engine cannot be balanced without the "flywheel" (since you're running a stick) and harmonic balancer. Also when running a stick it is best to have the flywheel AND clutch cover balanced.

I hope you don't think i'm harassing you but i do this for a living and anyone telling you differently is going to end up with broken engine parts in their hands.

 

[76zimmer]

I don't care how many RPM's you're gonna run, an externally balanced engine cannot be balanced without the "flywheel" (since you're running a stick) and harmonic balancer. Also when running a stick it is best to have the flywheel AND clutch cover balanced.

I hope you don't think i'm harassing you but i do this for a living and anyone telling you differently is going to end up with broken engine parts in their hands.

Thats about all you need to hear. It NEEDS to be done this way because of the external balance.

 

[BadBob]

if you're starting from scratch, definitely do it the whole 9 yards like everyone says, you've got too much money in the bottom end not to. On the other hand, the factory didn't exactly do a great balancing job, and there's plenty of engines out there with a lot of milage on replaced harmonic dampers.

 

[jk3078]

I don't care how many RPM's you're gonna run, an externally balanced engine cannot be balanced without the "flywheel" (since you're running a stick) and harmonic balancer. Also when running a stick it is best to have the flywheel AND clutch cover balanced.

I hope you don't think i'm harassing you but i do this for a living and anyone telling you differently is going to end up with broken engine parts in their hands.

Not at all, I appreciate and value a direct answer from someone who knows more than myself . So hopefully I can sell some more parts this weekend and round up the money to get this done right. Thanks again, J

 

[dyeager535]

Have you called any place else farther away just to see cost?

I paid something like $125 locally when I had my SBC balanced, but prices are different all over the country.

Also, I remember that I got a sheet that had all the weights of the various components when I got my stuff back. As I recall, they said something about keeping the sheet, because if I needed to swap parts that were part of the balanced assembly, with those numbers they could balance a single replacement part.

If what I was told IS possible, is it possible that can happen in this case if Eagle can supply the info? (more a question for 4x4high)

 

[4X4HIGH]

That would hold true for just about any rotating piece other than the flywheel or harmonic balancer as those must be bolted to the crank when balanced. It is different when an engine is externally balanced versus internally balanced.

 

[big83chevy4x4]

Scott, not questioning you or anything but i was thinking today at work.

lets say someone got a rotating assembly balanced for a 454. they run it for a while, then the flexplate cracks and needs to be replaced. they go out and buy a pioneer flexplate for the 454, but its not the same manufacturer as the one being removed. would the entire assembly need to be rebalanced because they replaced the flexplate?

 

[4X4HIGH]

No, but you would have to take the old flexplate and the new one to have the weight matched. This can be done only because the original was balanced on the crank and the weight is a known fact at this point.