Technical 1955 Dodge Super Red Ram engine balance.

I need to figure out some things concerning my 55 Dodge 270 Hemi.
I think I made a mistake when having the machine work done.
I had the crank internally balanced after cutting .010/.010 under, rod and mains.
Looking back maybe I should not have.
It doesn’t have a harmonic balancer so I thought it was originally internally balanced. When I looked it over I didn’t see weights on the torque converter but after looking again, I do see some small sheetmetal weights welded to the torque converter shell.
Now I’m wondering if it was an externally balanced engine?
This engine doesn’t use a flex plate, the converter is directly bolted to the crank flange.
Any good ideas or input?

 

I believe you'll find that the weights on the converter are only to balance the converter itself and are not an external balance factor for the engine. You should be fine.

 

These are not externally balanced, but you should always have the flywheel or flex plate and any balancer you use balanced with the rotating ***embly. Most people building the early hemi's are running a 318-340 balancer that has the keyway recut or remarked for proper timing marks.

 

Thats what I’m thinking also.
Those little tabs on the converter are very thin.
Thanks for the confirmation!

 

I guess I could have the converter sent out and spun just to confirm it is neutral balanced.
It did however run smooth prior to removing the engine to refresh it.

 

As 1935Ply said, most upgrade with an LA balancer, though they seem to have done well w/o one.

 

I also would recommend a dampener from a later engine. That recommendation is due to a rare failure I ran into way back in the sixties

Guy brought a 55 Dodge to Dad's shop with a really deep knock. Sounded like missing main bearings! Really deep sound at idle that lessened under load a bit.

Pulled the pan and found the crank broken completely in two behind #3 main. Broken at an angle so both halves still turned.

That sort of failure is what the torsional vibration dampeners where designed to prevent, as well as adding to overall smoothness of operation. Mother Chrysler used them off and on in the 50s. Some sixes had them, others did not, and they continued that into the new v8 lines.

 

Question did you use a LA damper some are for external balance not neutral