crank pulley for $220?! screw that, i'm making one

[cdlong]

i want to lighten things up a little so my engine revs faster, i thought about getting a crank pulley but $220!? even the asp pulley is $120 or something for a hunk of aluminum. i have access to a lathe, i want to make my own. i also want to make a new waterpump pulley when i take my fan off. i might as well make new alternator and PS pump pulleys while i'm at it.

the problem is i'm a bit of a newbie to this car so i'm not sure how each pulley is set up. are any of them splined or just bolted on? being splined would make it much harder (actually impossible) for me to do. are there any other problems i might run into? thanks

[cdlong]

yeah, i have VTEC, anyway... thanks for your helpful reply.

yes i have thought about a flywheel, but that would require pulling the tranny or engine and they cost at least $300. i might get when when i need a new clutch. making a crank pulley would cost me maybe $50 and i could do it without tearing the car apart.

[Jeff240sx]

Suggestions:
Make sure it's a CNC lathe, because it must be PERFECTLY made.
Research ALL brands, both for our cars and others. Just because isn't not for a 240sx doesn't mean it's a POS. Check out the sb chevy pullies. They've had 40 years to perfect a pully on that block.
Make ratios from other car's OEM pully to the aftermarket. Find the ratio that appear most (the mode) and use that ratio on your new pully.
Figure out how you're gonna make the ribs in it to hold the belt.
Figure out how you're gonna make the Aluminum strong enough to hold by only the bolts going into it. Aluminum is fairly weak, and you'll need very high quality Aluminum for strength - which is expensive. You maybe could strengthen it with steel.
Ehhh.. I'll just sum it up in 2 words. Research and research.
-Jeff

[Anubis]

The stock crank pulley has a harmonic dampener that keeps the crankshaft's vibrations from shaking the engine apart. I would not advise making one. I thinkt hats what you were talking about, but you may have meant an underdrive crank pulley.

[cdlong]

ASP and UR both make crank pulleys (asp's is an underdrive, UR's is not), neither have a harmonic balancer. all it does is smooth out the idle. the engine won't fall apart if it doesn't have one. the balance shafts counteract the forces in the engine. even those aren't entirely necessary. i was planning on just copying the stock pulley, i'd rather not underdrive anything.

jeff, are you saying that pulleys made for other cars will fit? i never thought the others were a pos, just very over priced. i don't have a CNC lathe, but it's really not that hard. btw, that $50 i mentioned was all for materials, i know aluminum is weak, but it's stiffness to weight ratio is higher so it will end up being lighter.

so the pulleys are all bolted on so i can do it all with a lathe and a drill press? how hard is it to get them off? my car is a daily driver so i'll probably pull them off, measure them up and put them back on until i get the aluminum ones made. i'd rather not pull the radiator two or three times.

[misnomer]

Crank pulley is easy enough to get to.

Remove upper fan shroud
Remove fan.
Remove belts.
Remove crank pulley.

240s are awesome to work on :-)