Topic: C3OE C5OE hi-po balancer

[Ogresko]

I am looking for a balancer that I need for the 289 hi-po I am building. I have the heads, mechanical cam lifters, s2ms manifold, lemans carb, hatchet and the proper flywheel. I just need the balancer and as I am not building a concours car I am not overly concerned with build dates for my 65 fastback. I just want to replicate the engine of the hipo. The car was originally a c code You can pm me at ogreskoj@gmail.com

[Bob Gaines]

I am looking for a balancer that I need for the 289 hi-po I am building. I have the heads, mechanical cam lifters, s2ms manifold, lemans carb, hatchet and the proper flywheel. I just need the balancer and as I am not building a concours car I am not overly concerned with build dates for my 65 fastback. I just want to replicate the engine of the hipo. The car was originally a c code You can pm me at ogreskoj@gmail.com

If that is the case cobra automotive (  http://www.cobraautomotive.com/catalog/engines.html page 55) sells a exact reproduction of the hipo balancer with the exception of not having casting number which is covered when the crank pulley is installed and it doesn't have the date stamp which can ether be left off or easily metal stamped. The repros are new and sell for a lot less (295.00) then the typical used hipo balancer .

[Ogresko]

Except I need a 24.5 oz imbalance to go with the hatchet vs the 28 oz without. I would need to get the repop rebalanced which would be expensive and not sure whether or not this been successful in the past

[Bob Gaines]

Except I need a 24.5 oz imbalance to go with the hatchet vs the 28 oz without. I would need to get the repop rebalanced which would be expensive and not sure whether or not this been successful in the past

You misinterpret the Cobra Automotive information.The original hipo balancer was designed to work with the hatchet and hipo rods  or with a non hipo regular 289 assembly without rebalance. The reproes are built exactly the same way by cobra automotive . The vintage hipo balancers were sold through the Ford and Shelby performance catalog as a non hipo upgrade (without rebalancing) to a regular Mustang for higher RPM running as it was advertised . FYI since you are unaware most racers and restorers alike balance the hipo engine without the hatchet. It is one more thing to go wrong. It's original purpose was to compensate for the hipo rods in a mass produced assemblyline environment . A precision balancing of the reciprocating assembly easily compensates for the missing hatchet. Are you going to use original rod bolts or ARP rod bolts ? Are you using cast or forged pistons another non original comparison. If you feel compelled to be faithful to the old engineered design I would think you would be using everything original ford and nothing aftermarket . You can take some things to a silly extreme especially on a non original application like you describe you are doing .  You will not have to rebalance anything that you were not going to balance anyway with a vintage hipo balancer using the repro balancer . The incentive is a lower price and a precision part that doesn't have to be rebuilt like many vintage balancers have to be after 50 years which also can add cost to a vintage balancer purchase.Do what you want you will anyway, this is just a alternative to try and save you money from being unnecessarily spent given the application IMO. 

[Ogresko]

Will the cobra automotive repro balancer work with the hi-po flywheel? From what I understand it's balance is different than the regular 289. Mine has the yellow daub of paint and the brinell test mark. And further to your questions my pistons are cast .030  and the rods and crank are stock 289. Is the consensus to not install the hatchet.

[Bob Gaines]

Will the cobra automotive repro balancer work with the hi-po flywheel? From what I understand it's balance is different than the regular 289. Mine has the yellow daub of paint and the brinell test mark. And further to your questions my pistons are cast .030  and the rods and crank are stock 289. Is the consensus to not install the hatchet.

Since the repro balancer is made exactly like the vintage unit it will work with anything the vintage unit will work with. The point on the pistons it that most people buy their pistons from a after market company and not Ford which is not considered a sacrilege . It should follow that if a repro balancer is made well and looks and performs the part that it too should be seen in the same way.The repro balancer is a great addition to our mutual field of interest IMO . Most hipo balancers I come across are ether hammer marked or pitted and you can't see the machining lines on the surface. Again the suggestion was to try and help you not spend money un necessarily and  not to advocate a blanket usage of the repro part instead of a vintage unit for everyone.  It is the consensus to not use the hatchet head counter balance  for many who build a engine to run hard . The hatchet head still has it's place for nostalgia reasons and nothing wrong in using one on a show car engine or even a street car for nostalgia reasons . They saw their share of high RPM's.  You probably have more timing chain choices without one too. It is on the inside and no one will appreciate it as a original part except if you let someone drop your oil pan or the owner who knows he had it put there. It is a non issue IMO. The best of luck with your project which ever way you choose to go.

[CharlesTurner]

To add to Bob's comments, be sure to spin balance your engine before running it.  Doesn't hurt to be safe.