How are you setup as far as equipment and work area? If you have a hard surface and access to a engine hoist, I find pulling the engine easier. If you have a floor jack and are a big guy or have helpers, you can man-handle the transmission out.

We were talking a few weeks ago about changing the flywheel or flexplate, and there was talk that possibly you could get some very long bolts, 2 would probably do, take two of the bellhousing bolts out, screw the long bolts in, and then take all the other bolts out and slide the transmission back to give you enough room to reach up and take the flexplate out. You most like will have to take the exhaust apart, and take the rear crossmember lose, and still use a floor jack to support the transmission. I usually find the transmission will hit the firewall before it comes back very far, so I have to take the exhaust off and the crossmember, and lower the trans and the engine at a angle downward to the rear.

It's going to be fun whatever you decide to do (not).

 

I have the setup to pull the engine out. I think that would be the easiest. While it’s out I can do all gaskets, maybe the freeze plugs, verify the crank serial number, check the bearings. Just very short on work area and patience of mrs. for my projects, have too many bullnose trucks occupying our premises

As far as the easiest in and out, I am already imagining difficulties working as 1 person mating the engine/transmission, should I plan on disconnecting the transmission from the transfer case and pulling engine/transmission as a unit ? After the flexplate swap, mate them again and bring them back in ?

 

Just thinking out loud. The problem seems to be a 28oz flexplate installed when it should be 50. Forgive my ignorance (no small task), but do the numbers refer to a deliberate imbalance to compensate for the inherent imbalance of a particular crankshaft design?

If so, is it possible to add extra weight to the existing flexplate? Not sure if this is even feasible, but could you weld 22oz to the existing weight for a total of 50? Or if welding is out of the question, maybe drill and tap a couple of bolts to secure a weight? Might be worth a try before tearing everything apart.

 

That is a really great idea, I will need to see how to do an experiment to test out that theory. A non-destructive (no irreversible changes to the flexplate) means to secure the weight and later removing it would be ideal.

Edit -- I weighted my smartphone it weighs about 12oz and is quite bulky. So adding 22oz doesn't seem possible. I would imagine the actual weights seen in the picture cannot be representative of the 22oz or 50oz required. I think the 50oz flexplate is overall more bulky I would imagine.

 

Maybe the numbers don’t mean a particular mass welded to the disc. Could be it’s a moment-arm calculation, and the difference in mass is much smaller.

Can you compare pictures of the two versions to get a rough idea?

 

Found this brief article on the subject, with a couple of pictures showing the differences:


https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/16...-dampener/amp/


Your flexplate looks similar to the 50oz version in that article. Did I just muddy the waters?

 

No you did not muddy the waters, the size of the weights is something i've seen people use to decribe the flexplate/weight which I think is not the entire picture. I've been giving this some thought as well.
I think it is absolutely a dynamic angular momentum/weight as you mentioned above (moment-arm).

I hope I can use the pictures from Rockauto to describe.... If not, I can repost with another image. I would think this is a good advertisement for Rockauto (but I digress).

If you see the differences between the flexplates the weights are relatively the same size, however the 50oz plate has a large cut-out diagonally opposite to the weight. I think this creates the effect of 50oz under angular load. I had my wife jump the starter slowly and I took a slow-motion footage. There is no cutout whatso-ever in the flexplate so I am almost certain now that it is a 28oz. I have another 1984 302 bronco with the stock flexplate where this cutout is present.

Flexplate comparison

 

On the flexplate weight, I actually have and used a either/or flexplate I got years ago from Summit Racing. I do not think they sell them anymore. It had 4 studs welded on it spaced apart in one area. Two curved slotted pieces of flat metal went on these studs with locking nuts, each pair of studs got one plate. Slide the plates all the way apart and you get a 28 oz flywheel. Slide the plates together so they almost touch, and you have a 50 oz flywheel. I needed the 50 oz so I slid them together, tightened the nuts, and I ran it for years like that, no problem. I still have it on the back of the 302 I was using.

On taking the engine out by yourself, I have done many by myself. The part I need help on is taking the hood off. Some people do not take the hood off, but I feel it's too cramped and I like all the access I get at the rear and the light on the bellhousing area. I usually get a old blanket and stuff it behind the hood in the wiper area. I then lift the hood, take something sharp and scratch around the hood hinges, take the front most bolts out, and then get my wife to help support the hood while I take the last two bolts out. She lets it slide down on the blanket, I do the same and then I work my way around to the front corner and she helps me lift the hood off.

You can do the rest by yourself. Take all the bolts out of the bellhousing after you get all the small stuff off the engine. Lift the engine and trans up with your hoist. Get a floor jack and a piece of plywood and put it under the transmission/transfer case, and lightly push on it to hold it up against the firewall, your hoist should already have it up against the firewall.

Then let the engine down a little bit, and wiggle it around, it should break free of the trans (make sure you have also taken the nuts or bolts out of the torque convertor). Once it breaks free, pick it up again enough to clear the motor mounts. Taking the radiator out is a good idea, accidents happen sometimes, no use buying a new one if you crash into it.

You won't think you can clear the front of the truck with the bottom of the engine, but it will barely clear over the top. Be careful, the engine being that high up makes the hoist tipsy.

 

If you want a smooth runner, use the correct OEM parts.

If you are building a performance engine, have a qualified machine shop balance the entire rotating assembly.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. With the transmission jacked up and at an angle, I can see a good shot at getting the engine/transmission back together.
I will likely pull the radiator and front grille/bracket as well, it should open up a lot of room to remove the engine without having to lift it much.

 

@85e150 Yes agreed, especially with the effort it takes to install one and because they are not very expensive.
The only 50oz ones I've found are ATP Z157 and PIONEER FRA214, corresponding to Ford part E2AZ6375A

 

Interesting product, but it kinda seems like the worst of both worlds for the consumer. Maybe auto part stores loved them, as they only had to stock one part for either application. But if you've already got the engine and transmission separated to install this universal part, it seems simply getting the correct non-adjustable flexplate would be the better option.

I had only mentioned the possibility of tweaking the balance of the existing flexplate as something of a Hail Mary. On the slim chance it would work, you've saved yourself a lot of work. If not, you've lost nothing but a couple of hours of tinkering.

 

I think the power of that product is tweaking the imbalance on the flexplate realtime, just in case it was installed incorrectly to begin with. In fact Ford should have designed a universal flexplate that was adjustable in the field.

Looks like all I'm missing on my 28oz flexplate is the large cut-out hole. If I can figure out a way to make that hole in the flexplate without affecting its structural integrity I've now removed opposing mass and effectively made my 28oz weight work like a 50oz.

 

A false economy. Get the right part.

 

I'm kinda regretting bringing up the whole modification idea. I was wondering if it would make sense to somehow add a known amount of weight to the existing weight, and only if it could be done with minimal effort such as welding or bolts. But most likely the numbers don't translate to a simple formula to just add weight as I had been thinking.

I also doubt simply removing some metal opposite the existing weight will give the total desired effect. For us mere mortals, it's all a guessing game. And more importantly, I think cutting the opening would be very difficult to do on the vehicle. The edges of the new cutout need to be smooth and free of burrs to prevent stress cracking down the road. It would be tough enough to do on the workbench, with a drill press and other tools like that. Can't see that being accomplished with the limited access available.