Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
#2075094
05/17/16 01:23 PM
05/17/16 01:23 PM
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moparmedic
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This is clutch question #2... I have a 1973 340 cast crank and externally balanced. I have a Mcleod clutch out of another car that is virtually brand new and it has been balanced. I am unsure whether it was balanced on its own or as an assembly with a flywheel. I am thinking of having it balanced to the flywheel on my 340 so I can use it. Any issues doing this in general? Should I balance the flywheel and clutch on an externally balanced engine? Thanks
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: moparmedic]
#2075175
05/17/16 03:42 PM
05/17/16 03:42 PM
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John_Kunkel
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In every case I've seen, if the clutch was balanced with the engine there will be some sort of witness mark on the pressure plate flange so it can be reassembled in the same position.
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: John_Kunkel]
#2075194
05/17/16 04:21 PM
05/17/16 04:21 PM
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moparmedic
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Let me clarify a bit. I bought a slightly used complete clutch set up at a swap meet. It has never been on the engine I have. That said, if they come from the manufacturer balanced mine shouldn't have any weight welded to the pressure plate housing unless it was balanced with another flywheel, correct? maybe I can just cut the weight that was welded onto the pressure plate housing off and run it?
1968 Coronet 1968 Charger 1966 A100 Pickup 1967 Barracuda 1970 Challenger 1972 Challenger 1973 Barracuda 2021 Ram 2500
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: moparmedic]
#2075204
05/17/16 04:39 PM
05/17/16 04:39 PM
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GODSCOUNTRY340
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If there's a weight welded on it it's most likely been put there by the manufacturer to neutral balance it. Does it look like it was welded on by someone else? i.e. non painted welds or rust around the weld. The flywheel is balanced specific to your engine not the pressure plate.
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: GODSCOUNTRY340]
#2075224
05/17/16 05:01 PM
05/17/16 05:01 PM
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It is not a pretty weld but the paint is identical to the paint on the rest of the housing. The previous owner said he sent it back to Mcleod to be "refurbished" but he didn't mention balancing (and to be honest I didn't really notice the weld on the housing when I bought it anyway). There is also some writing in sharpie (2,700#@.300) which I confirmed with a Mcleod service tech that was something they would write on a refurbished or otherwise tested unit. He said it had something to do with the clamping force and so on. What he couldn't tell me is whether or not the pressure plate housing was balanced by itself or with a flywheel. He did say that they do weld weight to the housings and that some of them aren't the prettiest welds you have ever seen. I kind of want to run it but I may just hold onto it for a future project and deal with it then. It is a 10.9" set up and I am wondering if that is a little much for this car anyway...
1968 Coronet 1968 Charger 1966 A100 Pickup 1967 Barracuda 1970 Challenger 1972 Challenger 1973 Barracuda 2021 Ram 2500
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: dogdays]
#2075382
05/17/16 09:49 PM
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moparmedic
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I get what you're saying, and you're right, I am probably overthinking it(I tend to do that).
1968 Coronet 1968 Charger 1966 A100 Pickup 1967 Barracuda 1970 Challenger 1972 Challenger 1973 Barracuda 2021 Ram 2500
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: moparmedic]
#2075491
05/18/16 12:33 AM
05/18/16 12:33 AM
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rowin4
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Just to clarify , the disc never gets balanced except by the manufacture. It is balanced to neutral .I'm not a small block guy but I thought the 340 was a internally balanced engine. I know the 360 was externally balanced. Are you sure what engine you have?
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: moparmedic]
#2075512
05/18/16 01:01 AM
05/18/16 01:01 AM
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Supercuda
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73 340 was an externally balanced cast crank motor
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: Supercuda]
#2075571
05/18/16 01:50 AM
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moparmedic
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I keep going back to the fact that there is a weight that was welded to the pressure plate housing for some reason by someone else and I don't know why which is my bad for buying it that way without asking. I think I'll cut to the chase and take the flywheel and pressure plate to a machine shop and have them checked. I just don't wan't to put the thing in the car and have an issue I could have fixed now. I'll let you know if I wasted my money...
1968 Coronet 1968 Charger 1966 A100 Pickup 1967 Barracuda 1970 Challenger 1972 Challenger 1973 Barracuda 2021 Ram 2500
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: moparmedic]
#2075714
05/18/16 11:16 AM
05/18/16 11:16 AM
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JohnRR
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Let me clarify a bit. I bought a slightly used complete clutch set up at a swap meet. It has never been on the engine I have. That said, if they come from the manufacturer balanced mine shouldn't have any weight welded to the pressure plate housing unless it was balanced with another flywheel, correct? maybe I can just cut the weight that was welded onto the pressure plate housing off and run it? NO, it would have been balanced by the clutch maker, I have seen weights welded to pressure plate covers in the past. it would be very hard to balance the clutch disc as it wears and is rarely in the same place twice ... clutch disc is moot, the only thing you need to worry about is the pressure plate. I'm not sure how you would go about confirming neutral balance on the pressure plate, you could attempt to have it balanced with your flywheel but I'm not sure how that is done with a flywheel that is not neutral balance?
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: moparmedic]
#2075762
05/18/16 12:24 PM
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moparmedic
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I am not sure either...At this point I just want to be sure that the pressure plate housing is actually neutral balanced.
1968 Coronet 1968 Charger 1966 A100 Pickup 1967 Barracuda 1970 Challenger 1972 Challenger 1973 Barracuda 2021 Ram 2500
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: moparmedic]
#2075827
05/18/16 02:16 PM
05/18/16 02:16 PM
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JohnRR
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I am not sure either...At this point I just want to be sure that the pressure plate housing is actually neutral balanced. I haven't looked at it in sometime but I am 99.9999999% sure my McLeod PP has extra weights welded on it for neutral balance , as is a Centerforce I have. Since PP patterns are pretty much standard, unless it's a Ford LONG type PP you shouldn't have any problem just bolting that PP to a neutral balance flywheel and have it checked. Talk to your guy that is doing the balancing , they should be able to check it out pretty easily. Now that I think about it they should be able to spin your flywheel , which would be a good idea to do and confirm the amount of imbalance and correct it if the flywheel has been resurfaced at all, then put on the PP and make sure that the imbalance hasn't changed ? Is the PP cover , including the weights/welds, all painted over or does it look like some scraped the paint off to add the weights ?
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: rowin4]
#2076108
05/18/16 09:11 PM
05/18/16 09:11 PM
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madscientist
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Just to clarify , the disc never gets balanced except by the manufacture. It is balanced to neutral .I'm not a small block guy but I thought the 340 was a internally balanced engine. I know the 360 was externally balanced. Are you sure what engine you have? This is wrong. I have an arbor and I balance EVERY disc. Most discs are off 8-10 grams. Most shops don't do the disc and it really can be picking the pepper out of the fly poop. To the OP...is this a Borg & Beck or Borg & Beck/Long cover? If so. I have a hard time believing McLeod didn't replace the cover. Those covers are heat treated and if you weld on them it will FAIL, and you can bank on that. Welding a washer on the PP is a piss poor way to balance it. You can drill the spring stands or use press in weights and get it close and then take the rest out of the FW. It is a balanced ASSEMBLY.
Just because you think it won't make it true. Horsepower is KING. To dispute this is stupid. C. Alston
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: moparmedic]
#2076110
05/18/16 09:13 PM
05/18/16 09:13 PM
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madscientist
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I am not sure either...At this point I just want to be sure that the pressure plate housing is actually neutral balanced. If they welded on th cover it is most likely NOT neutral balance, and it probably shouldn't be. See my other post. BTW, McLeod doesn't own that color of red.
Just because you think it won't make it true. Horsepower is KING. To dispute this is stupid. C. Alston
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Re: Balancing the clutch and flywheel on a cast crank 340
[Re: madscientist]
#2076203
05/18/16 11:45 PM
05/18/16 11:45 PM
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rowin4
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I am not sure either...At this point I just want to be sure that the pressure plate housing is actually neutral balanced. If they welded on th cover it is most likely NOT neutral balance, and it probably shouldn't be. See my other post. BTW, McLeod doesn't own that color of red. I've been running stick shift cars for 50 years and have seen many pressure plate covers with welded on weights from different manufactures. Over those years I have also had a number of engine rotating assemblies balanced. Some wanted the pressure plate to be included , most not. Never, not one asked for a disc.
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