Dual to single mass flywheel conversion - balancing

[Rusty]

Just thinking to myself about this. I've been running a 3B FW on my ABY for about 10k and over 5 years and at the time of fitting it, I didn't think to get it all balanced. As I'm now looking at fitting a new engine and want to retain the SM FW, I was wondering if it was possible to have the SM FW balanced to match the DM FW which I'll be removing from the engine, thus retaining the factory balance. Anyone done this? Seems like a feasible solution to the balancing problem without the expense of opening up the engine and would enable me to get the SM FW lightened up, while retaining the stock balance.

Thoughts?...

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Original thread in case you've found this on a search

[s2driveruk]

for £160odd with BDB, i'd just get the lot balanced together, then you are in a known baseline position to move fwd from - my 2p

[Rusty]

But once I open the engine, it's an expensive and slippery slope...

[Sonic]

I've recently had everything balanced along with the full rebuild but will be going down the SM flywheel conversion at some point in the future, having looked at the conversion to keep the clutch from 034.

As such some kind of balancing to match the current flywheel would be of interest.

JP or a balancing company are the best people to ask I suppose.

[Rusty]

Did you get a zero balance, Andy?

[Sonic]

Yes i think so, along with a crank regrind.

[Rusty]

Spoken to BDB, very helpful as ever they can match a lightened SM FW to the original DM FW from an engine to a decent degree of accuracy and for a maximum of £100, depending on how difficult a job it turns out to be. Not cheap but a lot cheaper than a complete engine rebuild just to balance it up... Obviously, not quite as good as a complete balance but still they were clear that it would be a much better idea than just whacking on an SM FW

...got away with murder...

[LHD_Kid]

Be vefy careful of BDB

They are not the same company they used to be. The guy who did own it sold up a few months back.

I had my whole assembly balanced by them and the quality of the work was poor at best.

This compared to work done by them 2 yrs ago, chalk and cheese.

If you have the option of another reputable company, I would go there.

Personally I would not touch BDB ever again.

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[LHD_Kid]

BTW, you can see if the block (used by the crank locking tool) has been ground out of the vibration damper. If it is still there it is not zero balanced.


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[martinws]

I've got a zero balanced bottom end and it has holes drilled in the front damper I guess to offset the keyway for locking tool.

Talk with JP!

[Rusty]

Shame if BDB aren't what they one were I'll see what JP says.

[andy10v]

I've got a zero balanced bottom end and it has holes drilled in the front damper I guess to offset the keyway for locking tool.

Talk with JP!

I think stock dampers have that?

[LHD_Kid]

Mine too, mine is not zero balanced.

I do know that when BDB zero balanced in years gone by, the block was removed.

Shame is, now I can't trust what they say...

I agree, best approach see what JP says

[driftin jo]

Be vefy careful of BDB

They are not the same company they used to be. The guy who did own it sold up a few months back.

I had my whole assembly balanced by them and the quality of the work was poor at best.

This compared to work done by them 2 yrs ago, chalk and cheese.

If you have the option of another reputable company, I would go there.

Personally I would not touch BDB ever again.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Holy ****, that's not good to hear.

When you say the quality of work was poor what do you mean ?
Was it not balanced very well or was it just ruff arsed with loads
of burrs etc ?

I know they got a new premises a few years back and expanded there
business to include engine building etc.

Maybe they had to take on loads of new people with no experience in the
core business and one of then has ended up doing the work you had done.
I went there years ago and the guy I saw would never do anything less
than the best he could, never rushed anything, total perfectionist.

I have seen this kind of thing happen before when companies expand,
I used to use an engine centre that had two employees, father and son.
They now have 8 people working there and the father has retired, the son runs the business from a distance rather than doing any of the the work and I would not let them near an engine of mine now! I'm sure they make more more money now but there 30 year reputation is now mud to people in the know.

[SteveH]

The old guy that ran BDB was ill the last time I saw him and talking of selling the business. That was a few years back and I'm sure the business changed hands when they relocated. Pity as they were local to me and were perfectionists.