i have a 302 in my 40 coupe , noticed a slight wobble with fan belts , removed pullies to check for possible damage , i thought as long i have it this far i would pull damper , went to put puller onto damper and than found i could just pull it off by hand ... i,m sure i have a problem now with damper ....... i would order a damper but being a ford ,i don,t know what will fit being ford has so many damper for a 302 . should damper have a tight fit as gm sbc ? any help appreciated ....
Yes it should be a tight fit. You need to check the condition of the crank snout to make sure it is not damage, scored, or out of round. If the crank snout is fine, then worry about replacing the dampener. You'll need to reset the front timing cover too. The front crank seal is set by the crank snout. If not you may wear out the crank seal.
you need to know if your 302 damper is a 28 or 50 oz external balance and if the lower pulley has 3 or 4 bolts.
Ford dampers aren't a press-fit like Chevys are. But they do usually need a bit of light tapping to install. My take would be if you can't feel any play in the fit on the crankshaft before torquing the retaining bolt properly it's probably OK. There's basically three dampers; the '62-69 three bolt pulley type which is 28 OZ imbalance, and two four bolt dampers; '70-82 28 OZ, and '83-up 50 OZ. The 351W uses the 28 OZ type only. There is a few odd-ball versions out there, but they're marine use.
Was the bolt that holds it on missing? I've never been able to remove one without a puller and substantial effort. Shine a light on the snout and see if there is visible damage.