Technical Insert for Weber aluminum flywheel?

Does anyone know where I can get an insert for this Weber aluminum flywheel? All the currently available inserts I have seen use a 18 hole staggered pattern thats different from this 20 hole straight pattern. I will try Wilcap, they can probably custom make one, but before I go that route, I thought I would see if anyone knows of an off the shelf source. That's not a crack, its just grubby and needs a good cleaning.

Any local Lower Mainland guys know of a shop that could make one locally?

 

George as a 50 year machinist, I can tell you it can be done, but you ain't gonna get it done without paying more for the job than it would cost to get a new flywheel, unless it's for an unusual engine, or some other valid reason to use that particular flywheel.
Will take a well equipped shop to do the job right.

 

An aluminum insert wont work, the clutch disc will eat it, the combination of heat and abrasion would destroy an aluminum engagement face very quickly. That's why aluminum flywheels are built with an insert.
The inserts are usually either 1045 steel or sintered bronze. They are relatively easy to make, typically blanchard ground, then drilled and countersunk for the fasteners.

 

You may be right, its hard to get used to the new order of things. Thirty years ago around here, I could have opened the yellow pages and picked a shop, probably picked it up the next day. Now I will probably have to ship it halfway across the country, and a major hassle.

 

Theres another solution, I could buy a replacement insert with the wrong bolt pattern for about $80 from Summit, and re-drill and countersink the pattern myself. It would probably work. I will maybe email Wilcap in the morning and see what they say, I know they can do it, the question is how much.
Its for a chevy, I paid $30 so I can afford to eat it, but I'd like to use it with my 270hp/283 clone, its a vintage piece out of a friends old race car, and I like using old stuff where possible/practical.

 

Wilcap is trhe first place I would contact, George. What engine does that flywheel fit?

 

Sorry, I thought the pic showed a steel flywheel that needed an Aluminum insert. I will delete my post so I won't look so stupid!

 

Hays insert

Look at this Zoom insert, this might work with a new set of holes inline with the outer ones.

 

I bet that zoom insert would work. And its like $78 from Summit. I will try measuring both bolt circles on mine and emailing zoom, if either the inner or outer holes line up, I would be a-ok re-drilling and countersinking 10 more holes.

 

I have a Studebaker flywheel that could use a new one......so I will follow....

 

George, back in the 60s I had a '53 Stude with SBC and an aluminum flywheel from Wilcap, don't know what alloy it was, but no insert. Just seemed to "smear" a bit not wear. When I later used it on a dirt oval car, I did face it in a lathe, but never had any real problems with it.Later on I was talking on phone to a guy @ Wilcap after it I belive went thru ownership changes about a trans adapter and mentioned that flywheel.
He said it was a special alloy casting and that now all his flywheels were macined from billet and the alloy used on my cast flywheel wasn't available to him anymore.

 

That makes sense, I don't know anyone making an all aluminum flywheel anymore, they are all composite with a steel clutch face. You used to see sintered bronze inserts as well, but they don't seem to be available anymore. I am pretty sure I can sort out an insert for this, it will just take some thinking. I don't seem to be able to find any current contact info for Zoom.

 

Geo,I don't know if it is still the same as years ago,but then "zoom" was a product of Perfection American gear in Darlington,S.Car.

 

If I didn't have access to a machine shop I would rough it and then pay to have it tailed in. Otherwise given my normal options I would do everything but the Blanchard grinding then have it ground. I think that is your best option.

 

Thanks wbrw32, I'll check it out.

 

Yep .. Was thinking the same thing , have the I.d. Cut a little small and the o.d. A little big on a laser , true the round on a lathe quick then on to the Blanchard .. Wouldn't be price of a flywheel but probably be more than 75.00

 

Personally I would not use a cast aluminum flywheel of this age. They are illegal in many sanctioned racing organizations for a good reason.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you aren't gonna like my scattershield either...

 

Cast Alum is junk use a billet only flywheel since the ARSE you save just might be your own

Why even take the chance at all of hurting anything

DND

 

I had an old Weber aluminum flywheel in my '56 Ford ragtop. High revvin' 'Y' disintegrated the 'wheel, pressure plate; pieces came up thru the floor, tore a chunk (golf ball size!) out of the seat back outboard of my right shoulder, just missed me...Piece went out the unzipped gypsy (back window) never even touched the top!

That said, DND is right...But on the other hand, with the Ansen armored bell,
"It all goes out the bottom..."

 

I was figuring its not a race car, just a street rod, but it IS a chevy. If a crappy ol' y-block can make one explode, a solid lifter 283 is a non-starter...OK, Mikes story has me re-thinking this, maybe I'll just polish it up and use it as a wall-hanger...
Hey, Maybe I can make it into a clock!

 

Really boils down to how the right foot is going to treat it.

 

Yea, shop clock...

 

Crapper for your new shop

 

Lid? no way man, what if it fell while you were taking a leak?

 

Falcon, no I liked the old cast "steel" bell housings like the Ansen and Wedge. I'm just sayin, and others seem to agree, that cast aluminum flywheels can be dangerous. I have a Shieffer for a GMC I use for a pattern. Funny but I will no longer use a Hydroformed one like a Lakewood because we have cracked them at the welded nuts. We only use the Quartermaster style with the complete welded trans flange..Good Luck.

 

The car is a 283 powered street rod with skinny bias plies, I realize the old cast aluminum flywheels are not as tough as a modern billet one, but I was thinking I would skate by with it because of the application, and I like using era speed equipment.
Mikes post especially has me re-thinking that, if he blew one up with a street driven y-block, its probably a bad idea. It wont be doing balls-to-wall high rpm launches, but it will easily run to 7000 in the gears, and its getting 4.11's, so it will be easy to twist it up there. Its probably a bad idea to run it.
I picked up the Ansen because its a '57 block so I needed a bellhousing with the mid-mounts, I stumbled across it at a swap and the price was right, so I grabbed it.

 

If you wanna sell the Bell let me know, I have a nice steel can and some cash!

 

Sorry, no interest whatsoever in selling the bell, that's a keeper.
I am serious about making the flywheel into a clock, think I will do that.

 

George,
Is it a casting?
DOM mentioned a Wilcap casting and all of a sudden your Weber was cast. I'm not doubting Atwater Mike, but my memory (which isn't all that great) tells me that Weber's were forged. If it's cast I would make a wall hanger out of it. Forged, I would run it. I made a complete steel surface for an all aluminum wheel and it worked very nicely. I'll dig it out for pictures if you like.

Bruce