Installing damper with hammer

[rebelrouser]

If you have the engine on a stand, simply drive a wooden wedge between the crank flange and engine stand plate, then you can tap it on, without damaging the thrust. BUT like someone said why not just drill and tap the crank then use a common balancer installer. My issues have been with aftermarket replacement balancers performance or stock replacement, the hole is usually too small making them a problem to install even with the proper installer. I usually wind up honing a couple thousands out of the balancer to get them to install right, without raising metal off the crank as I pull them on. Last engine I did with no bolt in the crank was for a restoration, so I just did the wooden wedge on the engine stand. It was the OEM balancer, took a heat gun warmed it up and it just tapped on no issues.

[falcongeorge]

If you have the engine on a stand, simply drive a wooden wedge between the crank flange and engine stand plate, then you can tap it on, without damaging the thrust.

good thinking.

[falcongeorge]

Way back in my high school days my buddy had a V8 Vega with an early crank. Beat it on, just as we all did. One day he was flying down the highway, heard a loud noise from under the hood then watched the balancer pass him up and rolled into the ditch on the side of the road. He babied it home and drilled and tapped the crank in the car.

back in the early eighties, a buddy of mine used to race a '65 chevelle with 355 with an erson solid, four speed,10x29 slicks and 5.38s. It didn't make a lot of power, but he would "compensate" for that by revving it to about 8000 and sidestepping the clutch. We were out at a local street racing spot one night, when he staged, I was standing about even with the drivers door. He did his usual thing, when he dropped the clutch, the outer ring on the balancer came apart. Scared the $#!t outta me, sounded like a bomb went off. Pieces went through the front frame rails and the hood. Exciting...

[gmrocket]

aftermarket dampers are slightly under for a reason ..

They want you to make sure it has the correct press or it won’t do it’s job. Old crank snouts can be beat up or worn from multiple installations..mic it and get your correct press. If they didn’t make it slightly tight, it would be loose on many snouts. Also, factory crank snouts are not held to the same tolerance as an aftermarket crank, so you could have a slightly small factory snout that may not need any resizing of the damper.

Those old no bolt factory dampers are an accident waiting to happen unless your not going RPM it much. How do you know how man times that piece of junk has been bashed on with a hammer? If it has a good tight fit according to the specs, then your good to go...still scary without a bolt.

I doubt you’ll find any old used damper like that that will have the correct minimum press fit on an old snout.

The smaller the snout, the less interference fit is needed.

[NewbVetteGuy]

I came across Gary from NY's method on here and used it and was SHOCKED at how easy it made things.

I DID have the luxury of having a crank with threads, though...
Definitely use the coffee can; all I had was a soup can and it would've been VERY easy to dump the can of boiling oil over...
Double boiler instead of a hot plate: Simples!

hot oil harmonic balancer.PNG

Adam

[Krooser]

I never heard of a damper installation tool until a few years ago. But I always knew what a 2x4 was....

[modok]

The long term durability of wood is very poor.
At least use aluminum

[Monzsta]

A lot of it is technique, too. Don't try driving it home in a few swings with a BFH. I use a normal size ball peen hammer and an old race driver and just tap it on. You'll find the lightest swing that moves the balancer. tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap. Not THWACK THWACK (miss) FLUB oops.. THUD THUD BANG (I think it's on.. one more...) WHANG!.

I've seen guys go after it like they're trying to chop a tree down.

[falcongeorge]

The long term durability of wood is very poor.
At least use aluminum

Actually, if you use hardwood and hammer on it end grain rather than flat grain, its very durable. I have some drifts made from maple that I have used for 45 years. They are so dark from absorbing 45 years worth of oil that most people don't even realize they are wood until they pick them up. I also have a hammer I use in conjunction with a shot bag for shaping aluminum that is made from a hickory baseball bat, I ground the crown I wanted on a grinding wheel, its tough as nails.

[Lizardracing]

There are too many dopes walking around with their brain in their back pockets. Instead of using there head for something besides keeping the rain out of their necks we wouldn't need blanket statements such as "don't never ever use a hammer". You know what happens next, the idiot, goes and gets a 5 pond sledge and get's a run at it like Happy Gilmore and manages to hit it right on the outer hub. When it doesn't go right on they choke up the BFH and beat the snot out of the hole in the damper, deforming the bore, making the issues twice and complicated. Eventually, it's on but it ain't running straight anymore. All because he thoguht it's okay to us a hammer. Common sense isn't very common. Sometimes you have to save people from themselves.

[engineman1642]

Had a friend back in the 70's making a pass with his old 283 and the balancer came off.We searched for it for quiet awhile and never found it.Next day he calls and said he found it.It had bounced up and cut it's way thru the bottom of the car and ended up under rear seat area.we made a drill guide fixture to drill the snout and tap in the car.did a few more after that,finally loaned the fixture out and it never came back.

[swampbuggy]

Lizardracing, you got me LMAO..Mark H.

[Kevin Johnson]

An old friend visited both Renault and Porsche factories in the 1950s.

He commented that BFHs were in use at the former and not the latter.

When a Porsche component did not fit correctly, work stopped and part numbers called out and engineers consulted.

[Alaskaracer]

I've hammered one on ONCE.....had no choice to get it on any other way. Never again. Any of the professional builders I know would fire you on the spot for hammering one on, and if you worked for me, I'd fire you too. Use the proper tool. Just because they "used to do it back in the day" doesn't mean it's acceptable now. You likely won't hurt the thrust, but you can damage the damper.

[MadBill]

"Plan ahead, put your timing cover/chain on and then take the crank to the press and push it on if there isn’t a threaded hole for your install tool."

Rocket,
You will need to make a video on your process.
I am particularly interested in installing the chain to the cam and "aligning the timing dots" on a SBC during assembly.

Yes Rocket, there's nowhere near enough room behind the installed damper to access chains, sprocket, cam bolts, cover and its fasteners, much less indexing the cam. On my 8" damper cast cover BBC, we're talking maybe 3/8" between the cover and the rear rim of the damper.