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Original Message
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| It depends on how you intend to run the engine. |
| By Dave Shoe - 09/21/2001 12:45:40 AM; IP 216.243.158.117 |
Do not use FE dampers from 1967-earlier years unless you select the 427 racing type. These earlier dampers have an inertia ring which is 0.75" wide with a belt groove cast into it. These are not substantial enough for sustained 5000RPM speeds. They are fine for occasional squirts past 6000RPM, but nothing sustained.
Ford redesigned the FE damper at the start of 1968. This 1.10" wide damper is much more massive than the earlier damper, and it was used on all 360, 390, and 428 engines except the 428SCJ. The 428SCJ got a larger diameter 1.50" wide inertia ringed damper, much like the 427 race engine did.
Note also that all 1967-earlier FE car dampers use a different set of damper pulleys than the later ones. These earlier pulleys use a different 3-bolt circle diameter than the later crank pulleys, so they do not interchange.
If you do not intend to sustain RPMs above 6500 or so, and if you do not intend to supercharge your FE,, and if you run a nodular cast crankshaft instead of forged steel, then the 1.10" damper is a good choice. The 427 racing type damper is more effective as the RPMs climb, with the stiffer steel crankshaft, and with the large distortions which can be created with supercharging.
For competitive road course or circle track racing, an aftermarket damper should be seriously considered. Since I don't competitively race, I prefer the understated appearance of stock dampers, myself. My 427 racing damper sits on a shelf, and my 1968-later FE dampers get the workouts in my stroker 427s.
The timing cover for the 1.10" wide damper can be most any 1968-later timing cover and pointer. If you accidentally get a 428 SCJ timing cover with the oddball timing pointer, you are just plain lucky. Don't worry, it won't happen to you. If you happen to get a 1968-later industrial timing cover which still uses the early 0.75" damper, you're cheating. Cheating is good, but you either gotta keep looking for a later style timing cover and damper, or you've gotta bend the early timing pointer to match your later damper (and then you've gotta paint the degrees in the correct place on the damper -easy to do, actually).
The damper and timing cover is very common stuff. Ebay often sells the cover/pointer for $10.00-$20.00, and the same for the damper. Note the 360 damper works exactly as well as the 428CJ damper, but the later dampers (early70s-to-76) seem to have fewer degree marks (30 degrees total) scribed onto them than the earlier (68-to-early70s) dampers (40 degrees total - just guessing at this).
If you run your engine hard, you want to recheck the damper bolt torque every year or two. You also want to be sure the crank key which locks the damper to the crankshaft offers a nice snug fit, or else the damper can actually loosen the bolt in less than a year.
Shoe.
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This thread, so far...
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