Flywheel balancing

Dick Steinkamp

Dick Steinkamp

Well-known member
Is a Model A flywheel balanced "neutral'? In other words, can it be balanced by itself without the rest of the rotating assembly (except the pressure plate, of course)?
 
Dick, I'm thinking you may be cojitating on putting some other flywheel/transmission in this vehicle. I'm wondering if this could be the reason for this question. Are you building something for the Mexican road race, or ??? I know you are into some wierd stuff...
 
To answer your question, yes it can! Price is about $60 depending where you are. Indicate it well ( 0-0 ) in the lathe and you won't need much drilled out. My advice is to take the old starter ring gear off and replace it with a new un worn one after balancing. For my reasoning, Remember, an engine usually stops in the same place. That means that the starter engages, also in the same place, which translates to the wear all in the same place! Look at the teeth and probably half the teeth are ground off in that area. Imagine that much weight missing on the circumference of the flywheel it's self and what it would do to the balance. New ring gears are not that expensive.
Terry
 
Thanks, Guys!

Terry...good advice. Will do.

Corley...plenty of weird stuff going on here :eek: but not with this car. Too original and I'm having too much fun with it stock. I'm going to put the numbers matching motor back in it this fall and wanted to balance the flywheel/pressure plate while I was at it.

BTW, current "weird stuff" in progress is a small block Chevy into a 914 Porsche. No Mexican Road Race in its future, but the tires do go up in smoke pretty easily. :cool:
 
Terry said:
To answer your question, yes it can! Price is about $60 depending where you are. Indicate it well ( 0-0 ) in the lathe and you won't need much drilled out. My advice is to take the old starter ring gear off and replace it with a new un worn one after balancing. For my reasoning, Remember, an engine usually stops in the same place. That means that the starter engages, also in the same place, which translates to the wear all in the same place! Look at the teeth and probably half the teeth are ground off in that area. Imagine that much weight missing on the circumference of the flywheel it's self and what it would do to the balance. New ring gears are not that expensive.
Terry
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great idea, but wouldn't you want to balance it AFTER the new ring gear is installed. The original worn gear would balance differently than with a new gear. Just asking, trying to learn
 
Install new ring gear FIRST, balance flywheel, attach clutch cover and re-balance whole assembly making any correction by drilling spring towers.
 
With this balancing thing, there seem to be two schools of thought. 1) Is that all parts should balanced together. 2) Parts should be balanced individually. I am of the second school of thought. Sometime I may, for whatever reason, decide to change the part and this may disrupt the balance. Therefore, I would balance to the bare flywheel and install the ring gear afterwards. Balancing as an assembly is all right, But I prefer doing them individually.
Terry
 
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