Crank Counterweight

1st Official Post

    I won what i thought was a counterweight for a 289 at least thats how it was described and looked in the Ebay listing..this thing is way TOO small to fit on the hipo crank!!??? $80 for this stupid hunk of crap!

    I had the engine in my 66 balanced with out one. That way I could use a regular timimg chain. If you are dead set on having one I will let you have mine for $50. If I can find it.


    Larry

    This guy must have made this to look like a counterweight and tried to scam people..I filed a compliant on Ebay..but I doubt they will doi anything,,they only care about making money...

    If it's the same one I think it is I emailed the guy about it. He said it didn't have the logo imprint on it (not Ford, but the manufacturer - kind of a triangle shaped deal). Didn't seem like a very good photo as I recall.


    Your machine shop can balance your motor to work without one then you can run a true roller timing set, as someone mentioned earleir.

    The HiPo requires a special crank gear to be used with the counter weight.


    No one currently offers a dual roller that will work on a HiPo with the counter weight in place - Cloyes did back in the 70's but not anymore.


    You can use a regular 289 dual roller if you have your engine balanced without the counter weight - otherwise you must use the single chain set up and HiPo crank gear.


    You could also get creative and try to modify a dual roller crank gear to work with the counterweight - BUT you better know what you are doing because you are risking an expensive set up.

    All Cloyes did with their double roller chain set up was to index the crank sprocket off the original hole and take cutter and drill a hole for the pin to locate the counter weight.Not that tough to do if your know what your doing.

    That depends - the chain needs clearance too - according the an old tech at Cloyes who I spoke to about their original set said they built a unique set for the HiPo and none of the parts were the same as the regular 289. At least as he remembered - otherwise they would still be building them with only a unique crank gear. I think they offset everything forward and used a smaller diameter chain to clear the counterweight, give the chain clearance. and still clear the timing cover and fuel pump arm.


    You could shave down the back of the regular 289 roller crank gear to take off just the thickness of the counterweight, add the roll pin hole for the counterweight, and call it good - BUT....BIG BUT the chain can't hit the counterweight since they move 2-1 relative to each other - this would damage both and put metal in the oil. PLUS you must make sure the cam and crank sprokets run true to each other - otherwise you put thrust on the cam and crank - which can be bad.


    If this was 1970 and HiPo parts were still available and inexpensive I might try this - but not today - especially with my original engine.


    I'd rather balance the assembly with modern techniques to handle the weight compensation and harmonic vibration the counterweight was originally installed for. Otherwise I'd stick with the original set up "as is" single chain and all. Anything else is too risky IMHO.

    • Official Post

    The upper and lower sprockets in a Hipo 289 are in the same position relative to the block as other 221, 260, 289, 302 and 351W engines. The timing chain on 221, 260 and early 65 289 non Hipo engines is the earlier wider version. All Hipo 289 engines used the narrower chain that also came into use on all later 289, 302 and 351W engines. The narrower chain was used on all 63-67 Hipo 289's to allow for the counterweight. The upper sprocket on the late 65 Hipo 289 and all later 289, 302 and 351W engines are the same. If you measure a counterweight and lower Hipo sprocket together, they come out to the same thickness as a standard non Hipo lower sprocket. This of course changed with the introduction of double roller chains and sprockets by Ford in the 80's. All this said, it would be feasable to use a double roller chain setup if the chain is the same width as the original narrower silent chain. The lower sprocket would need to be narrowed to accomodate the counterweight and the locater pin hole drilled. I have a counterweight that was in a 64 1/2 Hipo 289 where some unknowledgeable mechanic had installed a wide chain. It had a really decorative wear pattern on the face of the counterweight from the wider chain where they contacted one another as the chain moved fore and aft on the sprockets. I would guess that they or the parts place that sold the parts did not know about the differences in the Hipo 289 chain. This engine also had 2 standard 289 rods probably for the same reason.

    -Fred-

    65 Koupe early San Jose Phoenician Yellow 4 speed
    66 GT Koupe Dearborn Blue 4 speed
    66 KGT San Jose fastback pony interior Silver Frost 4 speed
    64 Falcon sedan delivery 289 4 speed
    65 Ranchero 289 4 speed
    66 Corvette roadster 427/425 4 speed

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