Balancer questions

[AcampoDave]

I'm helping a friend fix up a worn out balancer on a 350. He has a timing cover with a welded on indicator tab. I've read that this makes it a 1969 and prior cover made for a 6.75 balncer which has the timing mark 2 degrees off of tdc. I also read 1970 and later timing covers have a bolted on indicator with the mark at 10 degrees off of TDC. We found a good balncer which is a 6.75 inch and a 2 degree off TDC mark so I belive it will match the indicator on the cover, but did a 6.75 inch diameter balancer come stock on some 350's or were they all 8 inches? Also is it true that weld on timing indiacators were 1969 and prior while bolted on ones were from 1970 on up?

[Rickysnickers]

I can't really answer any of your questions, per se. However, I had a relatively stock 350 in my truck when I got it. It had a 6 3/4" balancer on it. It was also a stock balancer too.

[kwmech]

What came off the engine? I'd replace same for same and call it good.

[AcampoDave]

Apparently the 350 base engine did have a 6.75 inch balancer. I remebered an old book of mine and looked it up in there. Here is the book and the info in the box pretty much summed it up.

[Dead Parrot]

The text above the box is informative as well. Especially starting with the bottom paragraph on the left side. Seems to answer OPs question.

[AcampoDave]

Yeah, that's a good book. These days with the internet I sometimes forget to go "old school" for my research. But I have used it plenty. It was published in 1989. Here's a shot of table of contents. As for the text....I'd still be leary of puting a little ol' 283 or 307 balancer on a 350. But like most small block parts, "Just because it fits doesn't always mean you should" and the author does mention that about several parts in the book.