Generation III Internal Engine 1997-2006 LS1 | LS6
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

cost of balancing a motor?

Old Mar 28, 2006 | 07:31 PM
  #1  
ty_ty13's Avatar
Thread Starter
7 Second Club
iTrader: (42)
 
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,558
Likes: 0
From: paducah, ky
Default cost of balancing a motor?

how much does it usually cost to have a motor balanced?
Reply
Old Mar 28, 2006 | 08:43 PM
  #2  
Beast96Z's Avatar
TECH Veteran
iTrader: (21)
 
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,049
Likes: 3
From: Shreveport, LA
Default

HPE charged me $150 on my invoice.
Reply
Old Mar 28, 2006 | 09:13 PM
  #3  
Flyer's Avatar
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,343
Likes: 0
From: Armpit of East TX
Default

TSP quoted me 225 flat.

Local guy that does a lot of pro stock engine building and blown alcohol stuff quoted me 200 + mallory if needed to balance to NASCAR specs.

Another local quoted 180 + mallory if needed, he's prolly more budget minded.

I'll prolly go with the pro stock dood.
Reply
Old Mar 28, 2006 | 09:32 PM
  #4  
98NBMZ's Avatar
On The Tree
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 181
Likes: 0
Default

cost me 150 locally.

whats the mallory anyways?
Reply
Old Mar 28, 2006 | 09:44 PM
  #5  
Flyer's Avatar
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,343
Likes: 0
From: Armpit of East TX
Default

Some kind of super hard metal they add to the crank if it needs more weight in it
Reply
Old Mar 28, 2006 | 09:46 PM
  #6  
SSwanner's Avatar
10 Second Club
iTrader: (128)
 
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 778
Likes: 0
From: Meridian, MS
Default

Originally Posted by Flyer
Some kind of super hard metal they add to the crank if it needs more weight in it
yea, mallory metal is pretty expensive.

i paid $210 for mine to be balanced and the crank polished, from Tony Barker in MS.
Reply
Old Mar 28, 2006 | 09:57 PM
  #7  
xaon's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (12)
 
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,737
Likes: 1
From: Tomball, TX
Default

Mallory metal, also referred to as heavy metal, is approximately 2.33 times heavier than steel. It is used to add mass to the counterweights of the crank to allow the crank to be properly internally balanced. It is used in the place of lead because it is much less labor intensive, however the cost of the material is exceedingly higher. Typically, no more than about $50-100 worth of mallory needs to be used.
Reply
Old Mar 28, 2006 | 10:20 PM
  #8  
Robinator's Avatar
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 335
Likes: 0
From: CAR LENGTHS AHEAD OF YOU
Default

does this allow you to spin the motor into higher rpms? Or does this just give you peace of mind at 6500 rpms it wont go out of whack?
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-3

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-7

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0

 Brett Foote
story-9

10 Reasons the LS7 Is GM's Most Extreme Naturally Aspirated V8 Engine Ever

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Mar 28, 2006 | 11:10 PM
  #9  
Beast96Z's Avatar
TECH Veteran
iTrader: (21)
 
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,049
Likes: 3
From: Shreveport, LA
Default

Originally Posted by Robinator
does this allow you to spin the motor into higher rpms? Or does this just give you peace of mind at 6500 rpms it wont go out of whack?
All rotating assemballies have to be balanced. If not there will be more weight in one place or another and cause vibration, which will ruin all your bearings and cause you motor to be worthless. In simplest terms, think of having your tires balanced. It's round and it spins. If it isn't balanced, you'll have vibrations. Now multiply the rpm that unbalanced tire sees to meet the revolutions a motor see's, and you'll probablly shread the tire from the rim.
Reply
Old Mar 28, 2006 | 11:20 PM
  #10  
98NBMZ's Avatar
On The Tree
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 181
Likes: 0
Default

Originally Posted by xaon
Mallory metal, also referred to as heavy metal, is approximately 2.33 times heavier than steel. It is used to add mass to the counterweights of the crank to allow the crank to be properly internally balanced. It is used in the place of lead because it is much less labor intensive, however the cost of the material is exceedingly higher. Typically, no more than about $50-100 worth of mallory needs to be used.
Thanks for the clarification. Being a machinist, I know it as heavy metal. We use it all the time and a lot of our tooling is made from it.
Reply
Old Mar 29, 2006 | 12:10 AM
  #11  
Robinator's Avatar
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 335
Likes: 0
From: CAR LENGTHS AHEAD OF YOU
Default

Originally Posted by Beast96Z
All rotating assemballies have to be balanced. If not there will be more weight in one place or another and cause vibration, which will ruin all your bearings and cause you motor to be worthless. In simplest terms, think of having your tires balanced. It's round and it spins. If it isn't balanced, you'll have vibrations. Now multiply the rpm that unbalanced tire sees to meet the revolutions a motor see's, and you'll probablly shread the tire from the rim.

No, I already know about all the balancing stuff. I thought you guys were getting them balanced more true than what the factory might have given you. For example, my spec stage 3 came balanced from the factory but it still wasnt zeroed out because the balancing machine told us otherwise.
Reply


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:15 AM.

story-0
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-3
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-4
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-5
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE
story-8
Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0

The world was a better place when it was still around.

By Brett Foote | 2026-01-23 09:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Reasons the LS7 Is GM's Most Extreme Naturally Aspirated V8 Engine Ever

Slideshow: The 7.0-liter LS7 was designed for absolute cutting-edge performance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-07 18:36:00


VIEW MORE