I found an 66 F100 with a non-original FE motor. I think it's a 360, but I need to check the casting numbers. (Says 352 on the front, but all of the FEs do) I don't see any harmonic balancer behind the bottom pulley. It does vibrate at certain RPMs like I figure it would without a damper on the front end. Someone went to the trouble of putting on a Holley 4160, aluminum 4bbl riser intake, headers, later electronic ignition, other goodies. So the question is, do people usually remove the harmonic damper for giggles? I'd like to keep the crank in one piece, so if there's a balancer that will smooth it out, I'd put it on. This is the first FE I've had, so I'm a bit light on info. At first I thought I was just spoiled and had gotten used to the smooth as glass Mercedes motors I've been working on, but when I went to check the balancer and didn't find one, it made me go "Hmmm." thanks, -Brian M.
After more searching I found some pics of other FEs http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd31/65cobrajet428/390_pi_engine007c.jpg mine looks like this, except without the two extra lower pulleys bolted on. I'm guessing mine's not a truck engine originally, as it has only the one pulley. who knows? It's got around 40k miles on it now. Wasting time, money, or would a damper smooth out some of the vibration? Less vibration is better as far as I'm concerned.
I don't see how you could have a pulley bolted to the crank if it didn't have balancer on it. I think perhaps you are just not seeing it. Take the bottom pulley off and take a look at whats holding it on.
The balancer is behind the pulley. The '65 & '66 lower crank pulleys are stamped steel and bolt on over the balancer. Atleast in all the FE '65 & '66's I have ever owned.
Up until 68, the pulley was an integral part of the balancer, and some had additonal pullies that bolted on or over the balancer for multiple belt setups. The vibration could be many things: poor state of tune (timing/jetting), worn balancer that slipped or rotated, clutch/flywheel/flexplate/converter issue. Also, running casting numbers on an FE will just confuse you more, there is pretty much no rhyme or reason to what they used on what. Pull a plug and use a wood dowel to check the stroke, that will tell you what length the throw on the crank is. Much more reliable. Or pull a head.
This is supposed to be a 66 truck 352. The balancer is the crank pulley on mine.... all one piece cast iron. I'm no FE expert just going by what I was told by the original owner.
The FE balancer has either one or two pulley grooves, they are cast as one piece. Bolt on pullies come in a varity of configurations and have three bolts to hold them on. All street FEs have the hole bored and tapped to take the bolt on pullies.
I think the hub and outer ring with the belt groove are actually separate pieces with rubber between.
Yep, that's how the earlier FE's are. The pulley is part of the "harmonic balancer" and it wasn't near as thick as later balancers. In 1968 they went to a thicker balancer that had the pulley bolted to it.
i have a 60 352 and a66 352 both dont appear to have balancers either as was said the pulley is the balancer ive also got a 67 390, and a71 and72 360s all 3 of them have the "traditional" style of balncer on them
Only the 428 and 410 are externally balanced, so the other FE's just need a harmonic damper. They kept it simple on the early ones.
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