kenicb
Well-Known Member
Ok I have pictures to help de-confuse anyone looking to put in a 360 which is externally balanced or an externally balanced 340. You decide if you should go with a balanced torque converter or a B&M balanced flex plate?
The 340 I pulled is a 73 with the cast crank. So it was an externally balanced engine. When choosing a flex plate and torque converter, the set-up combo would be the same, in principle, for both the 340 and the 360 engines. Each of the small blocks have their own unique harmonic balancer. One wont work with the other. You could use a stock Flex plate on either engine but you would then need a balanced torque converter specific to each engine. The easiest route would be to buy a specially balanced flex plate specific to the 340 or the 360. Both are different ( see pictures). Once you have the back end of the engine balanced with your B&M flex palte, you can use a neutral zero balanced torque converter which is much more affordable and available
the engine is a 340 externally balanced. Notice the balanced flex plate
is slightly different than the 360 balanced flex plate.
the harmonic balancer for the 360 has a funky shape to it. It is "weighted" to balance the engine as it goes round and round.
This is slightly different from the one on the externally balanced 340 shown below.
since both the 340 and 360 have their own harmonic balancers and their own balanced flex plates, I can use the neutral or Zero balanced Torque converter for either engine. Its always a good idea to mark a line where the torque converter sits when fully engaged to the rear. That way youll know for sure its completely in when you reinstall.
remember when attaching your flex plate to the torque converter that the bolt hole pattern must match up. It looks like it could match up any which way. But it doesnt. I like to mark the first hole on the flex plate w its corresponding hole on the converter.
Hope this helps you decide what you want to do. Use a stock flex plate and a balanced torque converter. Or a balanced flex plate and a stock converter. Which ever way you go the harmonic balancers are specific to the engine you are working on and cannot be interchanged.
thanks God Bless
keni
www.kenithomas.com
The 340 I pulled is a 73 with the cast crank. So it was an externally balanced engine. When choosing a flex plate and torque converter, the set-up combo would be the same, in principle, for both the 340 and the 360 engines. Each of the small blocks have their own unique harmonic balancer. One wont work with the other. You could use a stock Flex plate on either engine but you would then need a balanced torque converter specific to each engine. The easiest route would be to buy a specially balanced flex plate specific to the 340 or the 360. Both are different ( see pictures). Once you have the back end of the engine balanced with your B&M flex palte, you can use a neutral zero balanced torque converter which is much more affordable and available
the engine is a 340 externally balanced. Notice the balanced flex plate
is slightly different than the 360 balanced flex plate.
This is slightly different from the one on the externally balanced 340 shown below.
since both the 340 and 360 have their own harmonic balancers and their own balanced flex plates, I can use the neutral or Zero balanced Torque converter for either engine. Its always a good idea to mark a line where the torque converter sits when fully engaged to the rear. That way youll know for sure its completely in when you reinstall.
remember when attaching your flex plate to the torque converter that the bolt hole pattern must match up. It looks like it could match up any which way. But it doesnt. I like to mark the first hole on the flex plate w its corresponding hole on the converter.
Hope this helps you decide what you want to do. Use a stock flex plate and a balanced torque converter. Or a balanced flex plate and a stock converter. Which ever way you go the harmonic balancers are specific to the engine you are working on and cannot be interchanged.
thanks God Bless
keni
www.kenithomas.com
