Stroker
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,369
Likes: 103
From: Centerville Louisiana
Stroker
Just wondering if someone has a Stroker motor without a flex plate how would you know what to replace it with? Say it had a standard trams flywheel and you wanted to swap to automatic
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 21,953
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From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
If it has a flywheel and if the flywheel is weighted on one side because it is externally balanced. You would have to get a shop to equally balance a new flex plate.
Cheap 383's are externally balanced
Cheap 383's are externally balanced
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
They are usually in 2 main categories
1 piece or 2 piece rear main seals
1 piece is usually 1986+ Sbc engines
Next would be the number of teeth for the starter
Usually 168 or 153 teeth
But you need to know how was the engine built for balance.
The other area you can look at the harmonic balancer on the front of the crank
For external balanced motor this will also have external counter weights vs being neutral balanced
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,116
Likes: 598
My 1 peace seal flex plate measure 2"
My 2 peace seal flex plate measure 2.5"
Also my 1 peace is for a GM ZZ383 external balance so it looks similar to your picture.
My 2 peace seal flex plate is for a L48 350 internal balanced. No weights added to the flex plate.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 2,317
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From: St Louis MO
Is YOUR engine a 383 or a 350?
Is it manual trans or automatic?
Does your starter have inline bolts or staggered bolts?
To answer your last question, I would not cut a balance weight off a flexplate because it may result in imbalance - it could be close, but get a new flex plate instead because it will be balanced - now we just need to know whether you require a non-neutral balance flex plate or a neutral balance one; and the diameter of the flexplate (starter bolts influence this); and 1-piece or 2-piece rear main seal.
Now that you apparently have the flywheel off your engine, post a picture of the engine side of YOUR flywheel and we can tell you if it is neutral balanced or weighted for a non-neutral 383 engine assembly.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,369
Likes: 103
From: Centerville Louisiana
Ok this is a supposed Stroker motor I've picked up starts good ,sounds good, comp. good engine is on a makeshift stand. Was. I'm considering swapping a tired L48 out of a 75 which I'm still able to run just tired. The engine pictured is the one in question it is a older block. I've been out of the game for a long time. Just trying to learn and figure out what I have most folks I know deal with crates.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,524
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From: Medina Ohio
No, as stated before you need to KNOW what you currently have and not wing it.
Based on the picture, you do have a 2 pc RMS. Now if it is a 350, it IS internally balanced. If it's a stroker motor, in can be either internal balance or external balance.
You said you removed a flywheel? Where are those pictures? The flywheel will be the tell if it is internal or external. As Gkull pointed out earlier, you will have to have a machine shop balance the flexplate to match the flywheel if it's external. If its internal, buy a internal balanced felxplate, bolt it on and go.
Based on the picture, you do have a 2 pc RMS. Now if it is a 350, it IS internally balanced. If it's a stroker motor, in can be either internal balance or external balance.
You said you removed a flywheel? Where are those pictures? The flywheel will be the tell if it is internal or external. As Gkull pointed out earlier, you will have to have a machine shop balance the flexplate to match the flywheel if it's external. If its internal, buy a internal balanced felxplate, bolt it on and go.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2015
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From: NSW, Australia
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We know that. You need to know if the flywheel that came off the engine is neutrally balanced (no weights/drilling, means engine is internally balanced) or not (has weights or is drilled, flexplate will need to be balanced to suit as engine requires external balance). Either way, the balance of the flexplate you wish to install has to match the specs of the engine, and the only way to know that without pulling the engine down is to look at the flywheel that came off the engine. Make sense?