crankshaft damper

i have put my vette together again in a way that i can  take it to the painter for a nice new red paint.

but when testing my engine i noticed ( no idea if it already did before) the crankshaft vibration damper has a little "swing"  When checking out it looks like the outer ring is not completely in line with the inside of the damper. before installing i had checked the outer part was still in line with the timing setting so i had not moved that way.. no problem there.

is it something that has to be replaced... .. are new dampers (inside/outside) exactly in line or is there a little bit of tolerance .. guess it is out of line a few milimeter (0.1 inch)

thank you

art-corvette

The outer ring should not be wobbling, but a lot of them do. It means the rubber between the inner and outer pieces has deteriorated. It would depend on the severity of the wobble, but...it ain't gonna get no better.
I would recommend replacing it, if there is any question about the integrity of the damper. New ones are WAY cheaper than engines, cranks, and radiators, all of which could be damaged if the outer inertia ring comes off.

 My rubber ring was coming out of mine on my 73. they are easy to replace and Auto Zone had one in stock for $47. Like Joel said they are cheaper than buying other parts if it comes apart.

  Dave