Finally got access to a timing light, but the timing mark on the balancer was WAYYYY off. (Showed up on the bottom passenger side of the engine, not up on the drivers side by the timing tab).... Confused, my friend made a few phone calls and came to the conclusion that the balancer was junk. At 3,000 RPM's, the whole engine starts to shake, which I guess would be at which the point the balancer becomes inneffective. Is this most likely the case? I'm on a tight budget and probably wont be using this engine for much longer, so spending hundreds of dollars on a balancer is out of the question. What kind of balancer do I need? Its a 350 bored .030 over
Any recomendations? What should I use on a budget? Thanks,
-Chris

 

Just to be sure, did you have the timing light connected to the #1 spark plug?

If you did, then a Pioneer damper is a good replacement choice at a good price.

 

A pic of my engine with the Pioneer damper. Note the advance marks.

 

Where did you buy the damper from five7kid?

 

eBay.

They are becoming more and more popular with retailers and wholesalers as well.