3.4 Swap Problems----Help

[pacman99]

HELP.....Advise needed!

I swapped a 3.4 into a 2.8 Jeep Cherokee put on a 390 Holley with edelbrock intake for offroad use.

Problem: Starter will not mesh with flywheel - I bought an internally ballanced 2.8 flywheel out of a Izuzu Trooper and used the original starter. We have tried every starter for every year 2.8 and 3.4 that is carried by the local parts stores. The Izuzu won't work on mounts different. I'm about to change out the flywheel for the original and have the weight ground off.

Any help would be appreciated, I've removed the trans and transfer case one too many times and don't want to take the drive train out any more.

Don

[geoffinbc]

Are you installing the starter mounting shims???

[sharkey]

was the starter on the drivers side of the 2.8l in the trooper??? if so, the flywheel is too small. id just take your old flywheel and knock the weight off it.

[pacman99]

Sharky/Betterthanyou,

Thanks for the input,

There were no shims on either engine when we took the starters off.

Yes the starter on the Isuzu was a drivers side starter and a different design. I have the old flywheel, is it as simple as taking the weight off or do I have to worry about getting it rebalanced? It'll mainly be a trailer queen, very little on road driving except for some local trails but may see alot of high RPM's on the trails. What damage can I expect if it's not ballanced, hate to kill a good running motor with 80K on it?

What's the best way to remove the weight with as little damage as possible to the flywheel? I know the proper way would be to have a machine shop do it, not budeted for that, which is better/easier a Torch or grinder?

[sharkey]

ive heard of people taking a cold chissel to it. idealy you should have the flywheel zero balanced afterwords, or you could end up taking out main bearings. another option would be to find a flywheel from an 88+ f-body or s10/blazer with 2.8 or 3.1l.

[geoffinbc]

The weight cannot be chiseled off. It is cast into the balancer. You could grind the bulk of it of it off. But in the end it MUST be balanced. Or goto a wrecker and get an S-10 flywheel.