sfi approved race harmonic balancer for stock explorer accessories

[ebaydrifter]

I've Searched this forum and a few others and and can't find a solution to using the stock explorer accessories with a sfi approved balancer for the 5.0 302. I would like to use the stock explorer accessories on a few different applications that I plan on running turbo 302s in. I have a 68 mustang (high school car), 89 bronco (toy/hauler/restoration mod), and a 93 rps13 240sx (drift car/race car). I'd like to go turbo on most if not all of those with the basic H/C/I. For those of you who dont know explorer mout make the 302 a bolt in option for Nissan s chassis
1. Explorer accessories are the most compact
2. 31 tooth crank tone wheel
3. These are the easiest to find since all 5.0 mustangs have been picked over by now.

 

[CDW6212R]

There isn't a bolt on SFI balancer you can buy, there hasn't been enough demand for one.

I also have project plans for SBF swaps to older cars, and all of mine will be 28oz engines, 347 to 351's. I'm one of the first to have a 28oz balancer modified for the Explorer trigger wheel, but those two were both OEM balancers to begin with. The one Tim put in his blown 347 Sport did spin the outer ring, minor damage done. But he replaced that with a modified stock Explorer balancer, re-balanced to 28oz.

The SFI is fro higher rpm, which is very wise to make happen. I'm in that boat still, I have looked at the few pictures showing the rear of aftermarket balancers. But so far none look easy to fit a trigger wheel onto. The OEM unit has an even amount of steel on the rear, making attachment of a steel ring easy for a machine shop, plus the trigger wheel onto that. Almost all aftermarket balancers have the counter weight on the rear right where the trigger wheel has to go.

Machining any of that will alter the balance. If nothing ideal turns up(keep looking at SFI units(the rear hub portion)), then doing something with what is available, and having it balanced afterwords, that can work also. I'm leaning that way, find one you like a lot, make a steel ring and the trigger wheel attach, and then have it balanced to 28oz or zero if you need that.

Note also that the Explorer front dress is back farther than any other balancer pulley mounts. If those are used, the front hole mount surface also has to be cut back a little about 3/8", even versus the 94/95 Mustang FED/belt.

 

[ebaydrifter]

The explorer front dress sitting back so far is part of the reason I'd like to use it. At one point I was looking into using a 4.6 mustang balancer but the balancer would need to be bored and re-keyway-ed. I'm not sure of the 4.6 crank snout dimensions but I think it could work if there's enough material to work with.

 

[ebaydrifter]

Also the blown 347 was a sn95 with a m112 right? I think I remember the thread but haven't been able to find it again. It was some neat stuff; making a manifold for the blower from a cast single plane carb intake.

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes, Tim's truck is the 98 Sport with the blue flames on black, here's a link; supercharged 5.0 true fire 98 explorer sport

The SBF balancers will be the easiest way to make one, but anything will have to be modified. I think the path I pointed at will be the simplest for a machine shop. They have to alter the back to mount the trigger wheel, and the front for the crank pulley to align with an Explorer belt. Finding a balancer that doesn't have a bolt on weight back there, or something else that cannot be cut into, that's the first step.

I'd expect the project to be those steps, plus having it re-balanced to restore the 28oz or zero balance. Then it should be a useful as that balancer for any application, some of those are lifetime parts. The stock balancers are not good for high rpm's, and the rubber lets go after some time eventually.

 

[ebaydrifter]

Eaton M112 on '90 Mustang LX 5.0 Windsor

www.corral.net

This Is actually the car I was talking about. Not an explorer and the pics no longer work in the thread but trust me it was a heck of a setup.

 

[CDW6212R]

I don't recall that project car, but the idea was good and that's where Tim started about the same time. Now he's reworked a different intake, he gutted the whole valley of it to leave space for an intercooler. He just started it last week and is fixing a coolant leak. The ideas are great, but the details are what make them work right. Go slow on yours and work out the bugs that pop up.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

mine was damaged from a aftermarket stock replacement waterpump that was not machined properly. i had sent it to damper dudes and they repaired it for me. but because of that, it did knock the motor out of balance. i bought a new crank and had it all rebalanced then put the motor back together and into the truck.
correct me if i am wrong, but arent 94-95 mustang gt's have the similar spaced front dress? the reason why is that the balancer that i have was intended for a mustang that cdw6212r got made for the previous owner that had my motor. it uses a 94-95 pulley for it to work on my explorer front dress.
as well as, yes, i did make a mount for a eaton m112 from a 03-04 cobra with no innercooler on it. i ran that supercharger for around 5 years with no major problems. in the past couple of months i have been mounting a eaton m122 that has a innercooler on it. im sure there is a easier way then the way i have done it, but it is what it is. its very tight in the back where the hose comes out of the innercooler as well as where i have the pump mounted. time will tell how it works. i had to pull it apart to fix a coolant leak that i am sure was from a mistake i made using the hardware i used to bolt the mount and lower intake (or valley pan now) down with. it was apart and now its back together, but raining outside and i dont have a garage. once it stops raining i will start it to see if i found the problem.
going back to your balancer as well, i have winged the motor up to 6200 rpms several times with no balacer problems that i know with the supercharger on it.

 

[ebaydrifter]

Guys this is some excellent info. I don't think I could've gotten feed back like this from the other ford forums (too many people that say no instead of how).As far as the 9495 gt vs explorer goes I've seen people use 95 electric water pumps on stock explorers (although they say the belt is on the edge of the pully), but I wasnt sure if a ribbed pulley could be moved out like that without moving the other accessories. Also I've heard that superchargers can create their own dampening effect or maybe that's just cogged rubber belts.

 

[CDW6212R]

I forgot Tim that that issue was from the water pump, I remembered that the balancer was hurt in some way.

The 94/95 Mustang front dress is slightly out farther than the Explorer, I was told right about 3/8" was cut from the front of each balancer I had done. That lets you use any SN95 302 crank pulley, which is really the stock size of close to 6.5", or some under drive kind that are much smaller, or the 94/95 Cobra pulley that is close to the same 6" Explorer size.

I plan to use the Explorer front dress(FED) on a 347 in my 92 Lincoln. I could hunt the Mustang stuff but I'd only want that if the AC compressor or PS would be in a better location. I have the Explorer parts, and they are much easier to come by.

The water pumps use a smooth pulley that is typically always wider than the belt, so it's not surprising that people can make the electric WP's work for the Explorer.

I think the OEM balancers can survive okay for a lot of years if the rpm's are not too high often, say avoid over 6000rpm. Manual cars will of course have more issues, shifting is variable on every shift, and depends on the mood of the driver, outside factors etc. So age and rpm are the limits of the OEM units, and aftermarket balancers should last a lot longer and with more rpm.

 

[ebaydrifter]

This is excellent information I wasnt sure if you could run the sn95 balancer and pulley since it sits farther out . I knew you could use sn95 water pumps and the belt would sit on the edge of the pully but those are smooth. I dont think I would've gotten info like this from the other ford forums.

 

[mrjody]

Damper Dudes out in California made me a "performace" balancer for a 331(28oz).. he has two versions..a stock type and then the upgraded one that they say will take 6500 all day long. It is not sfi approved though. He did tell me that could be arranged for a pretty penny

 

[CDW6212R]

That business did step up and have the one 28oz choice first, but it's a drilled OEM part. That's better than nothing, and about the same quality as the one I had made(both are stock Ford balancers).

I might guess their "better" one is another modified balancer. The best aftermarket but not expensive, or SFI approved, is Power Bond's and runs about $150. I put that on my stock 302 in early 2019, it's a very nice part that shouldn't come apart nearly as easily as the OEM units. Having that re-balanced might be the next best step up, but short of being SFI approved.

 

[mrjody]

Damn..wished I would have known that before I ordered mine.

 

[Mesozoic]

I ended up with a Power Bond SFI damper (28oz) and using an Explorer serpentine pulley from Wild Horses 4x4. For the 36-1 trigger wheel, I looked at several options, but have settled on press fit. I have a design that will simply be press fit and pinned onto the damper itself to solve this problem. Application is on my '66 Mustang with a 289.

 

[CDW6212R]

I ended up with a Power Bond SFI damper (28oz) and using an Explorer serpentine pulley from Wild Horses 4x4. For the 36-1 trigger wheel, I looked at several options, but have settled on press fit. I have a design that will simply be press fit and pinned onto the damper itself to solve this problem. Application is on my '66 Mustang with a 289.

Very good, that sounds great. I haven't pushed hard to find an SFI balancer to use with a trigger wheel. Please post some pictures when you can. I need the normal old type SBF balancer that will accept old pulleys. I have a crank pulley from a 94/95 Cobra which is the same diameter as the stock one, about 6" big. I also had a 7" pulley made for final boost, and 8-ribs. The SFI balancer is what I've been missing to finish the 28oz stroker.