Harmonic balancer installation tool for '74 250

[62Ranchero200]

Greetings Ford Six Fans,

Have read that tapping the harmonic balancer on with a hammer may be bad for the thrust bearing. Have searched this site to find a reference to a harmonic balancer installation tool that will work for a 250, but could not find one.

Measured the balancer bolt and it seems like a 9/16"-18 NF. Can anyone confirm this? Does anyone know of a harmonic balancer installation tool that will work with the 250? I've looked at Summit, JEGS etc. and the tools there seems too big, meant for larger diameter balancer bolt holes.

Thanks
Bob the Builder

 

[CNC-Dude]

I got mine from Snap-on a long time ago, but I think its a Blue Point Brand kit. It has interchangeable threaded ends that fit different cranks and the main body of it is threaded externally to allow turning a big nut to push the balancer onto the crank snout. It works real good. It takes both hands to use it though, but it works good. Using a hammer to install one is not acceptable, it directly transfers that pounding force to the thrust bearing face. Imagine setting the crankshaft on your foot vertically and then trying to hammer the balancer on with it still sitting on your foot, same results.

 

[rbohm]

8) cncdude is right. but you dont need to buy a specific tool, you can make your own with some threaded rod and a large nut and washers. either way its a tool that you should be using.

 

[62Ranchero200]

Through taking the balancer bolt to a hardware store and trying on different nuts, I found that the balancer bolt was a 9/16"-18 NF. I ordered a Comp Cams harmonic balancer installation tool from Summit Racing and it worked extremely well. It fits crankshaft snout internal threads from 7/16" up to 3/4" and also metric if I remember correctly.

Thanks
Bob the Builder