GT500 Balancer/Dampener Removal Write-Up, Installation of IW 10% OD Balancer

[Jared@Lethal]

Big thanks to our good friend Justin@VMP Tuning for taking the time to write up the install and for his continued support of the Shelby community.

10% Overdrive Balancer
http://www.lethalperformance.com/pages-pro...e-balancer.html

10% Overdrive Balancer with Belt
http://www.lethalperformance.com/pages-pro...cer-w-belt.html



This article will cover installation and removal of the GT500 crank dampener
(balancer). On the GT500, the balancer is all one piece and serves as the
drive pulley for the 10rib SC belt and 6rib accessory belt. I will go over
pictures and differences between the stock 2007, stock 2008, and aftermarket
Innovators West balancers.

The stock 2007 GT500 balancer is extremely heavy, about 27lbs. The design
is borrowed from the Ford GT. Due to its weight, it is possible for this
heavy balancer to strip out the keyway and/or crack the crank snout. Ford
re-designed the 2008 GT500 balancer and made it over 10lbs lighter. Ford
Racing requires the use of the 08 balancer on 07s, if you want to have the
TVS blower upgrade installed by a dealer under warranty. Anyone that is
racing their 07 a lot or has an upgraded blower should consider installing
the 2008 part or one of the aftermarket dampners out there, especially if
you have nitrous. When you spray N2O it results in a sudden power increase
and sudden acceleration of the engine, which will put a lot of stress on the
crank keyway, a lighter balancer will help reduce that stress.

This picture compares the 07 and 08 units, you can see all the extra
material on the front of the 07 part.



This picture shows how the 07 balancer is solid all the way through the
middle. You can also see how to mount the balancer removal tool with three
M10 X 1.5 X 80MM long bolts .



You can see how the 08 balancer is open in the middle (much less material).
A special ford tool is specified in the shop manual to remove it, but I
heard a regular 3 jaw puller will work too if you grab it by the little
"wings".



For VMP Tuning's 2007 Red/White GT500 I decided to go with the new
Innovators West 10% OD crank pulley. I am running the Ford Racing TVS
Supercharger upgrade, so the 10% OD pulley will get me several more pounds
of boost. I have already put the smallest upper possible on my blower
(without machine work) which is a VMP 2.65" stock look pulley. The IW
balancer is even lighter than the 2008 oem part. The 10% OD balancer comes
in at around 12lbs and the stock size balancer is around 10lbs. The IW
balancers are SFI certified, which you'll need to be legal if running 10.99
or faster at the track.

Currently there is only one aftermarket GT500 balancer on the market (as of
1/08) and it's made by www.InnovatorsWest.com Several vendors carry it.
Some are claiming that it's a "4lb lower", but in my experience the amount
of boost increase you see varies depending on your combination. On my TVS
blower which already had a 2.65" upper pulley, I only saw about 3psi peak
increase. When you work out the pulley speed math the 10% OD balancer is
roughly equivalent to a 2.7" upper pulley, which we know yields about
2.5-3psi. Maybe if you had a KB or whipple that was right in the sweet spot
you could see a 4-5psi change in boost, but those blowers need a lot less
RPM due to their large displacement.

The stock GT500 setup with a 3" upper pulley and 7.1" balancer results in
blower RPM of roughly 15,300. A 2.60" upper will get you 17,750 RPM. The
10% OD balancer alone will get you 16,900 blower RPM. Both combined add up
to about 19,500 blower RPM. All of these numbers I'm quoting are based on
6,500 engine RPM.

On my TVS blower I saw about 18.5psi in the midrange and 19.5psi peak with a
VMP 2.65" upper and IW 10% OD lower. (more on that in another article).

The IW stock size (7.8") balancer is shown here:


Here is the IW 10% OD, you can see the larger 10rib SC pulley in the back:


Onto the installation...

Disclaimer: always follow Ford and Innovators West instructions for
installation and torque specs.

While somewhat involved, don't let the install intimidate you. With some
normal shop tools and an afternoon anyone that is mechanically inclined can
knock this project out.

First thing you'll need to do is unbolt the intercooler reservoir and
coolant overflow tanks, use an 8mm socket with an extension on it. On my
car, able to do this without letting ANY fluids out. I disconnected the
small "Tee" line from the overflow tank and stopped it off on both ends, and
then tied it up under the fuel rail crossover. I was able to lift up both
tanks and use a bungy to hold them on top of the motor and out of the way.

While you've got that 8mm socket out there is a bolt on either side of the
radiator fan that you'll need to remove. Those two bolts and clips are what
hold the fan to the rad. Disconnect the electrical power to the fan. Once
you lift the fan up out of the clips you can twist it sideways and get it
out past the rad hoses and ac lines. It's a little tight, but its possible
to remove it without disconnecting any lines.

Now we've got room to work.



It would not be a bad idea to lay a piece of cardboard up against the rad
for protection.

That AC line looks like it will be in the way, but I found it pretty easy to
work around.

Both belts will need to have the tension taken off of them.

The supercharger belt comes off by inserting a 3/8" ratchet into the
tensioner on the passenger side and pressing down. I usually slip the belt
off the supercharger with one hand while pressing down on the tensioner with
the other.

The accessory belt tensioner is on the other side of the motor, you'll need
a 15mm socket and low profile ratchet, or a long box wrench. The tensioner
bolt is behind a hard water line, you may need to pull the line back a
little. If I am remembering correctly, you need to put the wrench roughly
parallel to the ground, and pull up, effectively turning the bolt
righty-tighty and moving the tensioner arm. You can then lift the belt off
of the top of the power steering pulley.

If you are installing a 10% OD balancer you will need a longer belt, the 6
rib belt will need to come off too. If you are just swapping in a stock
sized balancer you can leave the belts loosely in place.

You'll need to remove the crank bolt with an 18MM socket. A good impact gun
will work hear, or you can put the car in gear with the e-brake up and use a
breaker bar. Often the cheap impact guns rated for 250ft/lbs will not cut
it. Put the bolt and washer off to the side.

You'll need a balancer puller tool, this is a pretty common piece available
from just about any autoparts store. Get the puller bolted up with three
M10 X 1.5 X 80MM bolts. I supply these when you purchase the 08 or IW
balancer from me.



Just crank clockwise on the fine thread bolt and let the puller do its work.
When it comes all the way off be prepared to grab it and pull it up, it's
heavy. You can't actually drop it because the sway bar and rad support are
in the way.

If you are installing the Innovators West 10% OD crank pulley you will need
to do some grinding. On the left side there is a tab with a bolt through
it. About 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch needs to come off.

IW supplies these instructions with the 10% OD balancer:


Try to put something over the crank snout to keep junk from getting in it.

Here is the before shot:



After grinding:





My friend joked about a grinder sitting next to a $50k car, but its not too
bad when you get in there and do it. I used a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a
thin cutting disc to take the meat out, then put a flap disc on the grinder
to smooth things out.

Putting the new balancer on...

These instructions basically apply to the IW balancer or 2008 Ford Balancer.

The technically correct way to put a balancer on is to use a special
balancer installation tool. Such a tool would consist of a long threaded
rod, a large washer, a flat bearing, and a nut. The nut is turned to press
the balancer on.

In a pinch you can use a longer bolt, which is what I ended up having to do.
Though not recommended by IW, I feel it is safe if you are very careful.
Everything should be lubed up good beforehand to prevent any binding and to
keep the balancer from turning with the bolt. A little silicone should be
put on the keyway. Look at where the crank key is and then put the balancer
up to it, push and turn until you feel them lock together. You can then
start pressing the new balancer on. The stock M12 x 1.5 crank bolt is only
85MM long, so it CAN NOT be used to get the IW balancer started. A longer
100MM bolt can be used to press the balancer on, once the balancer is
started on the crank snout, the stock length 85MM bolt can be used. Use a
little lock-tite on the crank bolt. I have not had a chance to look up the
actual Ford specs for installing a new balancer. They most likely recommend
the use of a new balancer bolt. The torque spec is probably in the
neighborhood of 100-150ft/lbs for a bolt this size, possibly as high as 175
ft/lbs. Consult a shop manual before finishing this part of the install.

I include a longer M12 x 1.5 x 100MM bolt with all balancers, if you choose
to press it on using this method.

This is a copy of the IW instructions. I recommend following the IW and
Ford instructions when installing a new balancer.




Now that we've got the balancer on, we have to remember how to put the belts
back on! Put the 10rib SC belt on first, as it's in the back.

If you are installing a 10% OD crank pulley you will need a longer belt. I
have sourced an ~2" longer belt and have them available. The supercharger
belt is pretty easy to put on. You can vaguely see the routing in this pic:




It starts by going on top of the blower pulley, follow it clockwise where it
passes to the left of an idler pulley, then goes around the crank pulley,
then up over the smooth tensioner pulley, now go back down and to the left
around the AC compressor, then up and around a ribbed idler, then under a
75MM idler and over the blower pulley.

The 6rib accessory belt is a little more involved. It starts by going over
top of the power steering pump, down and to the left of a smooth idler,
around the alternator, around the crank pulley, under the smooth tensioner
pulley, over top of the water pump, around a ribber idler, and back to the
top of the power steering pump. Having the above picture will help, due to
all the water lines its much harder to view on the car.

Here are what things look like with the new IW balancer and both belts
installed:




Now you can re-install the fan (remember the electrical connector), bolt on
the tanks, and start it up.

[Douglas]

What do you do to slow down the other things runing off the same belt, or is it a problem ?