Aftermarket Harmonic Balancer / Damper

[Charlie Brown]

Going through my stuff and found a new ATI Damper. It fits an internal balance RB Mopar.
I have a 426 wedge (413 industrial punched) with original balancer. The OEM unit seems to be in good condition. So my questions are 1) is there any benefit to installing the ATI unit and 2) will this swap affect any previous engine balancing. The 426 I have in the car has had a full rebuild and has about 4k on the rebuild.

 

[gkent]

They both should be zero balanced so you should be fine if you swap them.

 

[HawkRod]

If the ATI is lighter it will allow your engine to rev faster - less weight and inertia to move.

 

[R413]

Was the engine Re-balanced By a machine shop with the stock balancer? If so leave it alone. Are they the same thickness where the pulley mounts, could cause belt alignment problems.

 

[zyzzyx]

The ATI Damper absorbs and reduces harmonics in the engine, making the crank and camshaft
"Happier" while they do their job. The skinny rubber piece on the stock damper does next to
nothing. Consequently, if you put a solid damper on your engine, you'll snap the crank! Use it!

 

[pnora]

If your current set up is working OK leave it alone. While the ATI could have benefits which in your case will be non relevant, you could have pulley alignment issues. Plus these dampers do not always pull on easier. Better have a damper installer handy.

 

[toolmanmike]

And I find it hard to believe that the weight difference between a stock and performance balancer would make much difference on how fast the engine will rev. Just sayin'

 

[Charlie Brown]

Was the engine Re-balanced By a machine shop with the stock balancer? If so leave it alone. Are they the same thickness where the pulley mounts, could cause belt alignment problems.

I'm sure the previous owner did have the engine balanced with the current balancer. Good advice about belt alignment - hadn't thought about this.

 

[HawkRod]

I'm sure the previous owner did have the engine balanced with the current balancer. Good advice about belt alignment - hadn't thought about this.

When you balance an internally balanced engine (in other words, one that would use a neutrally balanced harmonic balancer), you balance the engine without ANY harmonic balancer. There is no need for it. So switching between the two harmonic balancers will mean ZERO from an engine balance perspective.

I agree the OP could have belt alignment issues. Also, on a street engine, the ATI will not likely provide a great deal of 'seat of the pants' benefit.