Engine Balancing

Well done .................... keep up the good work.
I just had to ask the question.

PS. Corresponded with Bill, he is having some medical problems.

Cheers mate,
Terry

Terry, I have a healthy respect for the police, if I get a ticket I deserved it and will admit it. Besides if I am in a Cord I consider it a Fast Driving Award!

Jim do you bash police if they try to give you a ticket?

Mike - Of course I am! 
        - Over the years a lot of people have tried to keep me in line - So far no one has succeeded!!!
Jim

No problem Mike. I was just putting my $2 worth in. We don't have copper coins here anymore and our dollars aren't worth much either.
One design feature that should have been kept on the Cord V8 were removable panels on the lower sides of the block.
Not many people down here can speak or understand CORD. It's a bit of a vacuum.

Just a little levity for Jim, Terry. Got to keep him in line!
CORDially MIke

Gary the harmonic balancer is there to absorb and damp out vibrations which occur through the crankshaft. It is essential to have one on a straight six or straight eight engine as they have relatively long crankshafts.
One could have been fitted to the Cord V8 however with the overdrive gear the engine revs are kept down most of the time.
I wonder how many people balancing a Cord V8 take into account the weight of the oil inside the connecting rods?
The design of the gearbox considering the time restraints was not exactly perfect but it was revolutionary. Lack of understanding by most owner/drivers over many years caused a lot of damage and generated a bad reputation.
Mike, how come the survival rate of the Cord 810-812 is much higher than the "earlier model"?
Considering the time frame for design, testing and manufacturing .................... The Cord 810 was a Miracle ........................... and a good one.
The errors in the original gear change wiring diagram would not have helped to enhance the Cord's reputation in the old days.
It sure is nice to have one to just look at or go for a drive.
Thanks to all of the people involved with delivering the product to the market all those years ago.

Jim, Are you including the trans. in that statement?
CORDially MIke

Mike,
The 810/812 engines don't need the harmonic balancers - they are such finely designed and tuned pieces of machinery!

Gary - you only need to send the pressure plate - the disk should be balanced by itself and it changes position every time you engage the clutch. On the pressure plate ask how they install the pressure plate. There is enough slop in the bolt holes to throw off the balance slightly. My balancer marks two bolts on the pressure plate and the fly wheel and hangs the pressure plate from these bolts, then installs the other bolts and tightens everything up. This way it lines up the same every time it is assembled.

My experience has been that the engine rebuilder will put white paint marks on the parts so that are in alignment when reassembled and balanced correctly.

I did plan for the flywheel to be included but had overlooked the pressure plate and disc. A few years ago I had my disc relined and the pressure plate rebuilt along with the flywheel being ground. I do not believe a balancing was included but will call and ask or check my receipts....


Gary Parsons

When getting your engine balanced, don’t forget to include the flywheel and the pressure plate for balancing.

Yes.... Mike, The end of the crankshaft where a typical harmonic balancer would fit... On our engine would be the firewall end where the tach drive is has nothing hanging. Its a drive gear with a nut and washer. No way that can be anything like a balancer. I just have a curiosity about this.


Gary Parsons

Are you sure Cords do not have a harmonic balancers. Most engines do including Lycomings?
CORDially MIke

Jim this was always my plan. I just wanted to know what is done differently to our engines. I realize EVERY spinning part is included in the balance shot. During my employment in a huge machine shop for a southland [power company we trained balancing shafts about 5 ft long and maybe 6 inch diameter. Our trainers could add heavy metals to different areas that we could not see. It made for some interesting balance shots.


Gary Parsons

Send it out to an engine shop and have them balance the engine.

Our engines do not have a harmonic balancer hanging on the crankshaft. So how do we balance this?


Gary Parsons