I am confused. I spoke with the local shop regarding an Eagle Rotating kit, they stated that I would need to bring in my balancer and flywheel in order for them to balance the whole thing. Now I am speaking with a guy at Gofastparts.com, and he is offering a much better price, but he says that they can balance the whole kit there, and that I do not need my balancer or flywheel for that. can someone enlighten me on this, as to which is true, and which is better and safer for high rpm's

 

Makes no difference whether external, neutral or internal balance.

They’re both “right” ... but assuming your local balancer does class A work ... local guy is more correct. Balancing with damper & flywheel is better & safer.

Think of tires ... they need balancing ... but the weights seldom if ever go in the same places ... tires are a VERY EXAGGERATED EXAMPLE.

Dampers/flywheels/flexplates balance points are more or less standardized. But there are variances between manufacturers, sizes, models, even from lot-to-lot within a specific mfg’s pn. The mail order guy is using HIS “standard” to do the balance job ... it’ll probably be close ... but probably not a perfect match to the balance point of YOUR damper & flywheel. Your local guy will use YOUR damper & flywheel to more closely attain that perfect balance. For best result, a class A job using YOUR parts is best.

BTW, I’d pre-assemble entire rotating assembly into block (LESS rings, wristpin locks, damper & flywheel) along with DEGREED cam-timing set BEFORE any balance is done. Also check valve-to-piston clearance. You’ll wanna know if there’s any part of that assembly that might need grinding/machining BEFORE you have it balanced ... in strokers there are often cam-to-rod clearance issues. Make certain the damper & flywheel you choose are correct & in good condition ... BEFORE you have it all balanced. Also, having a set of old "sacrificial" rod & main bearings are nice to have during the pre-assembly as they can get damaged ... save the good ones for the balance and final assembly. Also, have your local guy check that the bearings you use are appropriate for the radii of new crank's journals. Hope this helps.



[Modified by jackson, 1:57 AM 11/12/2002]

 

WOW!!!! thanks for the information!.. That answers my question. I will order the kit from the mail order guy, then take it all in to the local shop to have it done. I called them today making sure I would recieve a spec sheet specifying each of the rotating parts and their weights. They do that, so I will be happy. I do feel bad however since I never actually buy something from the shop. I really like their information, but their prices can always be beat. Only times I have really used them is when I need some machine work done. oh well.

Anyways once again, thanks for all the tips. I I should start putting this all into action shortly.