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Rod Balancing

One aspect of building a performance engine is balancing the internal parts.  The following pictures show the fixture I made to balance both ends of connecting rods.  The design is a common one, and uses adapters to fit the large end of rods.  I used nylon for my adapters rather than aluminum.  This makes the small platform lighter which effectively expands the scale's range.  One criteria I had was to store it in a drawer (~4" high), so the vertical member is screwed on.

Finished stand.

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Mounting knobs for vertical member.
 

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Nylon adapters and top of small platform.
 
 

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Typical setup. The rod is for a Dodge 440.

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Adjustable horizontal bar on vertical member.

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Small platform head, showing 2 bearings and spacer.  The vertical member has the same arrangement.

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