[josh89]

Im in the process of reinstalling my complete top end overhaul on my lt1. ported heads & intake, valve job, hot cam, ect ect... I had a few dampeners broken spring dampeners and I was told that its due to bad harmonics and the solution is a new crank balancer... after much debate he convinced me that this was the cause. now I am looking for a good replacement crankshaft balancer and was wondering which to get (I get near cost for gm and gmpp parts) and ideas? Thanks for your input

 

[Viper]

Depends on your $ budget and intended use.

For Street use the LT1 Fluidamper up to 6000 RPM is the best. For high RPM above 6000 RPM the ATI Super Damper is best. Fluidamper uses a metal ring suspended in a heavy silicone fluid creating a gyroscopic dampening effect. The ATI damper is a mechanical unit SFI rated required in some racing classes and for safety such as driveshaft loop and roll cage on Sanctioned dragstrips. A point to mention is the FLuidamper if you live in very cold environments like oil the silicone fluid doesn't flow as well causing dampaning problems so in this case caution on the Fluidamper.

The stock Lt1 damper is mfg to balance bad harmonics from the crank at 1 rpm range the LT4 damper is a dual mass damper and reduces vibrations at 2 separate rpm ranges. Fluidamper great dampaning and power increase to 6000RPM. ATI Super Damper Superior dampaning 6000 RPM and above. The power pulleys that reduce the alternator belt speed might add 2HP but this is due to reduced weight and dampaning of vibration capability. In other words power pulleys trade quick small horsepower gains for longevity.


Fluidampr LT1 OBD-I woodruff key & installation questions . - LS1TECH

ATI super damper LT1 install ?'s - LS1TECH

An alternative to the ATI is JEGS Brand LT1 SFI Damper Save some $ good to 12,500RPM

JEGS SFI LT1/LS Harmonic Balancers/Dampers - JEGS

Professional products makes a low cost factory replacement that is good

Professional Products 80030 90030 PowerForce Plus LT1 harmonic damper LT1 harmonic balancer

Pioneer Performance Street Balancers are good quality factory replacements as are the Race models.

1995 CHEVROLET CAMARO Pioneer Race Balancers 872043 - SummitRacing.com

 

[Racy Roadmaster]

Viper, Real good info,I have never ran one of these fancy balancers,but I
do believe they are worthwhile. I saw a very inexpensive "fancy style"
balancer on e-bay for the LT1 ,When I checked on it,the balancer was
manufactured offshore,so I put that idea to rest for awhile. ed

 

[josh89]

Wow! Thanks viper for the great info, I do attend on using the car mainly for street use and will rarely pass 5600rpm. I live in southern Ontario and attend to use the car from mid march to mid October. I have been running a under drive pulley for the crank & alternator but will be removing them. I'm more concerned about longevity rather than picking up 2hp

 

[donzilla69]

Sweet viper ! Thanks for posting the links . Was curious about this topic myself .
Don

 

[aboatguy]

I've been running the ATI Superdamper on my 95 for years now...

Engine seems to be doing fine even at high engine speeds. The reason I bought a super damper was I did not trust the stock unkeyed damper at high rpm.
According to my datalogs I regularly hit 7000+ rpm.



Mike

 

[DUDBIRD113]

Im running the jegs balancer and hub

 

[Racy Roadmaster]

Im running the jegs balancer and hub

Do you know where the Jegs balancer is manufactured? ed

 

[DUDBIRD113]

Not sure dont really care. All i know is it takes 6500rpm daily

 

[Viper]

Dyno test on the powers pulleys usually lighter weight so engine revs quicker but more bearing wear potential.

Drivetrain Modifications #2

Pretty sure the Jegs is mfg by Powerbond CNC mfg in Australia, could also be Pioneer products.

Powerbond make high quality affordable balancer dampers. Make sure to get the 7.5 inch LT1 specific balancers the older balancers do not work on our engines.

New Page 1

Powerbond Street damper is a good stock replacement Nodular iron with a rubber bonded hub.

Chevy LT1 Powerbond Street Balancer Damper PB1481ST


Their SFI race version also adds the 10% underdrive feature to a Race approved damper

Chevrolet LT1 1993 97 SFI Damper Power Bond 10 Und | eBay

 

[Racy Roadmaster]

Not sure dont really care. All i know is it takes 6500rpm daily

Hopefully its not made in Asia out of their cheap grade steel. I realize
some of these Asian parts are attractive because of the price,but
if something is going to spin in the 6000-7000 rpm range,I want it
to be made out of good quality steel,especially if I am anywhere near it!
ed

 

[josh89]

does anyone know if the Lt4 crankshaft blancer will fit the LT1 Lt1 crank hub? and would it be worth while to purchase

 

[Viper]

According to Gmparts direct the LT1 Hub part (12550097)in 96-97 is the same hub as the LT4 engine.

12551486 Torsional Damper, LT4
This damper is used an all LT4 engines
Technical Notes: This balancer bolts onto a balancer hub, P/N 12550097.


GM also lists Fluidampers with GM part numbers not sure if for LT1 though

Balancers and Pulleys

The LT4 engine was redline at 6300RPM vs 5700RPM for the LT1 would think it dampens better than the LT1 version. The Lt4 engine was also blueprinted from the factory so internal engine specifications and tolerances were better. The LT4 Crank had more machining (underrcut and rolled filet radius) than the LT1 for Higher RPM oil flow with less windage also the timing chain was the heavy duty performance single roller unit made for GM by Cloyes. The LT4 cam has slightly more lift than the LT1 other than closer tolerances the remainder of the short block was mostly the same as the LT1.

LT1 vs LT4

I realize your wanting to save money by using GM parts I do not know if the LT4 damper would help. One thing though the belt position on the LT4 might or might not be in the same location as the LT1. The Lt4 and corvette LT1 had different serpentine Belt and pulleys than the Fbody so I'd research this. As far as I know the Harmonic Dampers for the LT1 are all Neutral Balanced. The LT4 Damper and Flywheel were dual mass to handle harmonics at Mid range and Top end RPM Range. I think they are neutral balanced also.

LT4 dual-mass torsional damper....WHY???

 

[josh89]

well, after much research and mixed facts about many differant options, im going for the ati super dampener.

 

[DUDBIRD113]

I only put my 2 cents in. Mine was probally 1/2 the cost

 

[Viper]

Josh in Toronto you've made the best choice.

 

[josh89]

Thanks, it's only affordable because I'm getting a blemished one. But I'm not overly concerned about the appearance, it's not visible when the hood is open

 

[bowtiedad_z28]

What did you have to give for it Josh?

 

[josh89]

Ended up being roughly $300 shipped to Canada