3.4 iron head timing cover on a 3500....

[merlot566jka]

will it work? what about the harmonic balancer from the 3.4 iron head, will it fit the crank? will the water pump work with the 3500?

im trying to retain the ac, alt and fiero brackets and i think using the old timing cover would help greatly. thanks for any help

[merlot566jka]

no one tried it yet? i figured id hear someone from tce or the mg crowd

[CNCguy]

Well...
I assumed someone would jump in here but I guess not. The RWD cover will bolt right onto the 3500 but you will have to plug the small coolant bypass hole just below the left water inlet to the block. It is about 5/16" diameter and you may get by with tapping it to 1/8" NTP or else welding it closed. The dampener will fit on with no problem. The only real issue will be any brackets that bolt to the heads since the FWD heads have different bolt pattern than the RWD heads.

[merlot566jka]

ok, with that said, ill use the 3500's mumbo jumbo

[ForcedFirebird]

You don't need a dampener on the 3500 crank, they didn't come with one . But yes, the cover fits fine, I just tried it two days ago, but was unaware of the coolant hole needed to be pluged.

The crank snout length and diameter were the same as well.

[merlot566jka]

too late now, i orderd the a/c compressor and the alt today, 86 shipped for both...i love ebay.

[CNCguy]

You don't need a dampener on the 3500 crank, they didn't come with one .

All three of the 3500s I have seen had a dampener. Instead of it being a cast unit, the outer pulley section is roll formed while the inner section is fabricated from a stamping and a machined hub. There is a rubber ring between the inner section and the outer ring. They did reduce the weight of the dampener but increased it's diameter.

[ForcedFirebird]

All three of the 3500s I have seen had a dampener. Instead of it being a cast unit, the outer pulley section is roll formed while the inner section is fabricated from a stamping and a machined hub. There is a rubber ring between the inner section and the outer ring. They did reduce the weight of the dampener but increased it's diameter.

So the pulley is the dampener now. I didn't notice a rubber ring when I was breaking down my 3500...

You mean the rubber is under the rolled edge, and can only be seen from the back? It's at the shop, so I can only look at pics right now. Now you have me curios.

[bszopi]

On the FWD engines, the damper and pulley have always (well, at least since the serpentine belt) been integrated.

[ForcedFirebird]

On the FWD engines, the damper and pulley have always (well, at least since the serpentine belt) been integrated.

So I can use the 3500 pulley/dampner on the 3.4 crank? This would clean the bay up a little more

[IsaacHayes]

Yes or a 3100/3400/3.1/2.8 since those pulley/dampeners are smaller in diameter than the 3500 one.

[ForcedFirebird]

Yes or a 3100/3400/3.1/2.8 since those pulley/dampeners are smaller in diameter than the 3500 one.

Yeah, but I have a 3500 pulley sitting on the shelf next to all the 3500 parts

[CNCguy]

So I can use the 3500 pulley/dampner on the 3.4 crank? This would clean the bay up a little more

The problem would be with the belt location. The belt would be closer to the engine and won't match the RWD WP, ALT etc. Also the 3500 dampener will hit the RWD cover.

[merlot566jka]

what about oil pan and timing cover relation?

[ForcedFirebird]

what about oil pan and timing cover relation?

The bottom of both are the same. That was the first concern when I test fit it.