FE350 / FE400 eliminate dynamic balancer weight from crankcase??

[bwiencek]

Has anyone thought about eliminating the big weight in the bottom of the FE350/400 engines? Tearing down the engine I bought I found the dynamic balance connecting rod seized itself to the crankshaft journal - going to have the crank cut to get rid of the aluminum transfer and replace the rod, but thought why would I want that big weight in the bottom of the engine - I know it dampens vibrations, but can't see it serving much purpose beyond making it seem a little smoother.

I've built performance car engines where the balance shafts were eliminated and I doubt this does as much to dampen vibrations as those did. Of course other than a little drag from the journal on the crank I can't see it taking any power at all just being in the engine so there's really no performance improvement to be had - maybe just a little additional oil volume.

[Seafarer12]

You can try it. All it can do is trash your engine worse case. These engines were designed to be smooth and quiet.