Internally or Externally balanced ???
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 11,268
Likes: 14
From: Honolulu, HI
Internally or Externally balanced ???
My friend posed this question to me because I told him I was replacing the clutch and flywheel with a singlemass aftermarket. He asked if my motor needed to be re-balanced if I replace the flywheel.
do I ?
I'm guessing i don't have to pull the motor and balance the thing just to replace the flywheel :crazy:
do I ?
I'm guessing i don't have to pull the motor and balance the thing just to replace the flywheel :crazy:
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 11,268
Likes: 14
From: Honolulu, HI
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (JonM)
Keep your friend away from your tools and car. :yesnod: :lol: :yesnod:
3rd Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: North Aurora IL
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (JonM)
VVV90 had indicated that he was going to go with an aluminum flywheel. I am a FORD guy, so if you change the flywheel on a sml blk Ford, you have to know if it has the 50 or 28 oz. off-set since these motors are balanced EXTERNALLY! I did not know if the Chevy was an internally or externally balanced engine. By going with an aluminum flywheel, you are making a dramatic change to the rotating mass, and on an externally balanced engine, this would be disastrous if not compensated for! There, my 2 cents! Just looking out for my friend.....even if he drives a Chevy. :yesnod:
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 1,994
Likes: 0
From: Charleston, WV
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (rms8)
Wellllllll When you change stuff around like that ......... yeah you gotta pretty much take it apart and balance it. I was under the impression that it was just a general replacement. ............... :seeya
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,388
Likes: 1
From: X
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (rms8)
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 9,713
Likes: 3
From: Sachse Texas
Cruise-In I Veteran
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (JonM)
The new flywheel has to be balanced to the same specs as your old flywheel. They should be able to make the adjustment to the new flywheel by using the old one. On the LT1, the flywheel does have a weight on it for balancing the engine. You must compensate for this on the new flywheel.
3rd Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: North Aurora IL
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (Vette92)
Vette92:
so your post is to imply that the LT1 is an internally balanced engine? If it was an externally balanced engine, AND he wanted an aluminum flywheel, then he would defeat the weight savings if he had to load the flywheel back up to meet the originals specs. I think his original intentions were to avoid balancing the motor. So I just wanted to make sure that he would not run into any problems buy going with the lighter flywheel.
so your post is to imply that the LT1 is an internally balanced engine? If it was an externally balanced engine, AND he wanted an aluminum flywheel, then he would defeat the weight savings if he had to load the flywheel back up to meet the originals specs. I think his original intentions were to avoid balancing the motor. So I just wanted to make sure that he would not run into any problems buy going with the lighter flywheel.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 9,713
Likes: 3
From: Sachse Texas
Cruise-In I Veteran
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (rms8)
No the LT1 in externally balanced.
The weight savings is still there. The flywheel will usually simply have a weight on it. You either leave the weight for externally balanced engines or you take it off if it is internally balanced. The weight does need to be in the same area as the stock weight is. The flywheel assembly does not have to "weigh" the same.
The weight savings is still there. The flywheel will usually simply have a weight on it. You either leave the weight for externally balanced engines or you take it off if it is internally balanced. The weight does need to be in the same area as the stock weight is. The flywheel assembly does not have to "weigh" the same.
3rd Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: North Aurora IL
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (Vette92)
"The weight does need to be in the same area as the stock weight is"
And that is what I meant. The cost of switching to the aluminum flywheel just to weight it back down again would not be worth it.
And that is what I meant. The cost of switching to the aluminum flywheel just to weight it back down again would not be worth it.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 11,268
Likes: 14
From: Honolulu, HI
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (JonM)
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 9,713
Likes: 3
From: Sachse Texas
Cruise-In I Veteran
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (rms8)
Put the crack pipe down. You are still saving lbs on the rotating mass. You either put a weight on the flywheel (only a couple onces anyway) or you add heavy metal to your crank to internally balance it. I personally don't find the aluminum flywheel a benfit in street driven cars anyway and run a single mass steel Camaro flywheel which is lighter than the stock dual mass by quite a few pounds and my engine is internally balanced.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 11,268
Likes: 14
From: Honolulu, HI
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (Vette92)
Well then that's something you and rms8 agree on. THAT's why I posted this thread saying "singlemass aftermarket" flywheel and not aluminum, because rms8 talked me out of it for the same reason. But I still had concerns about balancing the Fbody flywheel. I apologize for giving RMS a bad name about balancing because I did not disclaim that he was talking about aluminum flywheels. THEREFORE.....
....Do I need to conern myself about balancing it? Maybe, but I just wanted to make sure I didn't need to to anything to the motor and I guess I don't, so thanks for everyone's input. When it comes time to buy it, I'll post another thread asking which part number.
[Modified by vvv90, 4:25 PM 9/5/2002]
....Do I need to conern myself about balancing it? Maybe, but I just wanted to make sure I didn't need to to anything to the motor and I guess I don't, so thanks for everyone's input. When it comes time to buy it, I'll post another thread asking which part number.
[Modified by vvv90, 4:25 PM 9/5/2002]
Pro
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 681
Likes: 2
From: Newton (Wichita Area) Kansas
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (rms8)
"The weight does need to be in the same area as the stock weight is"
And that is what I meant. The cost of switching to the aluminum flywheel just to weight it back down again would not be worth it.
And that is what I meant. The cost of switching to the aluminum flywheel just to weight it back down again would not be worth it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 9,713
Likes: 3
From: Sachse Texas
Cruise-In I Veteran
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (vvv90)
vvv90,
If you buy a new stock Camaro flywheel, they come already balanced for LT1 motors and can bolt right on without having to take it to a machine shop with your old flywheel to have them match balanced.
If you buy a new stock Camaro flywheel, they come already balanced for LT1 motors and can bolt right on without having to take it to a machine shop with your old flywheel to have them match balanced.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,134
Likes: 1
From: Arlington Texas
Re: Internally or Externally balanced ??? (Vette92)
Vette92 is exactly right. The LT1 is externally balanced. I have done this exact conversion on a 96 LT4 with a Fidanza aluminum flywheel. The flywheel was actually too heavy and 15 oz had to be removed. We took the original flywheel and had the new flywheel balanced to match the stock one. I would HIGHLY recommend that you verify the balance of the new flywheel against the stock one.
