3.2 internal balancing??

[92ShoOff]

Hey guys, I'm getting ready to have my 3.2 block prepped at a machine shop but before I do I want to see if someone can chime in on this issue. I'm putting new piston rings (gapless rings) in my 3.2 but I'll still be using the factory pistons, rods, and crank. The pistons will be going back in the same cylinders that they came out but I was told by someone that the 3.2's are already internally balanced and mine won't need to be balanced after putting it back together. Is anyone sure on this? This would surely save a bit of cost on the whole job if I don't in fact need to get the assembly balanced, but I do NOT what to skip this step if the internal rotating assembly needs it after rebuilding it. Thanks!

-Andrew

 

[SHOWYA]

I had confirmed this with Doug from Ford Specialists. He said that they are balanced to a grain.

I had the machine shop balance my crank and they had to remove some weight of the crank. I have the gapless ring on there too. Im having them assemble the block and they had to make a "scraper" for the piston ring grooves because the rings fit too tight (u can use a piston ring groove cleaner but 1 size is not available and that is the 1.2mm groove the other one is and that one measures 1.5mm). Im not sure if you will have this problem with the gapless rings. I get my block tonight!

Anyway its not necessary to balance the crank unless you have forged pistons. I did it anyway just to be sure everything is within spec!

 

[AREA 91]

As long as the rotating assembly is the same, you won't have to get it balanced.

 

[ManySHOs]

It should have a factory balance but a good balance job will get all the parts to tighter tolerances (within 1 gram of eachother). I had mine done with a 50% overblance which is good for high revving engines. I needed to get mine done because I used mismatched rods and a crank from a 3.0. I'm glad that I did because its silky smooth now.

Bottom line; if you kept everything together, you don't have to get it balanced. However, I would still recommend it when building a new motor. If cost is an issue, skip it. Your call.

Do some google searches on engine balancing to read about some of the benefits.

Ian

 

[Mac]

Anyway its not necessary to balance the crank unless you have forged pistons. I did it anyway just to be sure everything is within spec!

Why do you have to balance the crank with forged pistons?

 

[ManySHOs]

Why do you have to balance the crank with forged pistons?

You aren't balancing just the crank on a V6 when you get it done. You are balancing the entire rotating assembly (minus flywheel and crank pulley on internally balanced motors like the SHO). That includes, crank, rods, pistons, rod bearings, piston rings. Any time a change is made in the weight of one of the major components (rods, pistons, crank) the entire assembly should be re-balanced.

Ian

 

[Mac]

Gotcha. Good to know.

 

[92ShoOff]

Hey thanks for the great replies, guys! I decided since I don't have a whole lot of money left for this project (still have have a front end alignment, buy a Tweecer RT, a laptop and some other misc stuff for the car) I'm gonna skip getting the assembly re-balanced as stupid as that may sound to some. The guys at the shops I talked to today pretty much said that if there wasn't any bearing wear or anything then I should be fine with the factory balance. So thanks again for your info everyone.

-Andrew

 

[egroce11]

Here is a site to look at: http://www.maintenanceresources.com/referencelibrary/ezine/enginebalance.htm or http://www.rpmmachine.com/engine-balancing.shtml

 

[ManySHOs]

Hey thanks for the great replies, guys! I decided since I don't have a whole lot of money left for this project (still have have a front end alignment, buy a Tweecer RT, a laptop and some other misc stuff for the car) I'm gonna skip getting the assembly re-balanced as stupid as that may sound to some. The guys at the shops I talked to today pretty much said that if there wasn't any bearing wear or anything then I should be fine with the factory balance. So thanks again for your info everyone.

-Andrew

Nope, it's not stupid. You should be more than pleased. I realize that these things cost money and something like re-balancing the factory setup may not make the most financial sense. Good luck! I'm looking forward to finding out how she runs.

Ian