[gtobully]

JSPONT wrote
Now, when you have it balanced, the shop should have asked for your harmonic balancer, flywheel, clutch and pressure plate. If you run a heavy flywheel and it is not balanced it will hurt bearings.
Was everything neutral balanced? The shop did not receive the balancer, flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate. Not sure if the shop that did the R and R did a neutral balance. Will have engine pulled one week from today.

[nas t eh]

You mentioned you had issues with the thrust bearing once and that it's a 4speed car.
There are some best practices to note.

If you start it up in gear with your foot on the clutch. Pressure plate spring pressure is pushing the crank forward against the thrust bearing while it's cranking and there isn't even any oil pressure to float the thrust face, so this will cause premature wear of the thrust bearing.

If you have a rather heavy clutch and sit at stop lights with your the clutch depressed this would likely also wear the thrust bearing early, but at least there will be oil on the bearing in these circumstances.

[JSPONT]

Originally Posted by gtobully

JSPONT wrote
Now, when you have it balanced, the shop should have asked for your harmonic balancer, flywheel, clutch and pressure plate. If you run a heavy flywheel and it is not balanced it will hurt bearings.
Was everything neutral balanced? The shop did not receive the balancer, flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate. Not sure if the shop that did the R and R did a neutral balance. Will have engine pulled one week from today.

Check your flywheel 1st. Pontiac had many flywheels. Check to see if there is a weight on the back. Some had bolt on ballast. You have to check with the machine shop to see how he balanced the rotating assembly. Was there a vibration at all?