351w crankshaft spacer.

[Hopelessly-Devoted]

I have a t-shirt that says: “ There are three types of people in this world, those that are good at math and those that aren’t.”

For those of you who may remember, I’m the one that accidentally dropped a bolt into an injector port and blew up my stock 302. That’s the bad news, the good news is it has forced me to finish my 351 swap.

I have everything assembled and ready to go back in, but, I have run into a situation where I need a crank pulley spacer (expected) but finding the correct length has been troubling me.

The highlights:
351w best guess late 80’s casting (1987).
Bored 0.040” over
Stoker
AFR 185’s Renegade’s
Edelbrock Performer
Holley Sniper
5 speed manual
Summit Racing SFI 28oz balancer SUM-C4269
Summit under drive pulleys
302 timing cover and water pump
“Trying” to use the original accessory brackets (alternator, power steering, A/C & smog pump idler pulley delete).

The details:
Balancer mounting face to smooth idler pulley face is 1.75”. My first calculation based on measurements of the pulley told me I needed a 0.875” spacer, but I am still 0.375” shy of the pulleys lining up. No one makes a 3/8” spacer extension or any form of shim(s). I know I need to remeasure the pulley depth/offset and will get it in another day or two.

Based on what I know from installed measurements I need a 1” spacer. The closest I have seen is 0.909”. It gets me very close but still not the exact number.

Has anyone used this combination balancer and stock accessory brackets? Anyone know where I could get a 1” 4 bolt spacer? Do I use different accessory brackets? I would like to keep A/C but everything I have seen is for no A/C. Is there another/better SFI rated “factory” style balancer?

I’m open to ideas and suggestions.

Thanks in advance for reading & responding.

 

[white95]

A competent machinist should be able to fabricate anything you need. That being said, look at Innovators West balancers. I have one on my Coyote and had one on my 410w & 4.6 4V. @lwarrior1016 also uses them.

Excellent alternative.

 

[RAU03MACH]

i was just looking at the summit harmonic balancer yours dose need the spacer
spacers part number PFS91011 to use this harmonica balancer
this may be the one

 

[Hopelessly-Devoted]

Update: For all of you following this thread, I have been chasing this spacer issue for a few weeks now. I have measured and run numbers over and over and continually ended up at roughly the same result for the spacer thickness. I was searching for some bolts yesterday and happened to look inside the box that the Summit balancer came in. IDK how/what/why but something in the instructions caught my eye and what didn't make sense when I first read them became crystal clear. I will take 40% of the blame and I am placing the other 60% on Summit support.

I had reached out to Summit for help in finding a spacer and or shims to get the pulley aligned correctly. The kicker is the balancer and pulleys are both "Summit products". In the box is a sleeve with grooves, a circlip (snap ring) and spacers for fasteners. Upon a quick re-read of the instructions it clicked in my head. The sleeve IS the spacer and the circlip determines the "thickness". When I measured from the pilot shoulder to front face of the groove (where the pulley mounting rests) it measured exactly what I am looking for. The proof will be once I get it installed and check alignment of the pulley belt grooves and once I do I'll report back whether or not I am within the recommended +/- 0.02" the belt will tolerate. I'll also post some pic's from my phone soon.

The reason I put 60% of all this on Summit support? When I contacted them I specified the exact balancer, from them, I was using and the guesstimate size spacer I was looking for. Their first question to me should have been "Did you install the spacer that comes with the balancer?" not sorry no one makes one that size. That alone could have saved me about two weeks worth of math, searching and frustration.

 

[96blak54]

I hate that crap! I be lookin in the fridge for the sour cream and it be on the shelf, eye level, front facing in bold letters "Daisy Sour Cream" and I dont see it!! I be getting annoyed because someone ate it all, now I cant enjoy my food with sour cream, food all gonna dry and unflavorful. Wife will open the fridge, reach in and grab it......look at me dumb. I do the same crap with just about anything. What ever im looking for would literally bite me if it were a snake.

Its alright man! We have all been there

 

[Hopelessly-Devoted]

Thanks for the reassurance. My wife says I'm using my "man eyes". The good news though, a few weeks ago I had an accident in the garage and busted my head open. Some how, some where along the way I lost one of the manuals I keep in the garage. Though I still haven't found the bolts I am looking for, the manual made its presence known and was found. That's a plus in my book, no pun intended.