Due to all the issues I have had with my timing I have decided to put a high performance after market balancer on. Mine is a original so it probably is a good idea anyway. Is there any special concerns when putting it on. It should have be notched on the crank to go on only one way right? So put it on and hook all the belts backup and I'm in business right. Let me know if there is anything Im missing here. My timing went from 16-18 to 35 base so I have come to the conclusion the balancer is slipping.

Your balancer as far as lining up will only go on one way because of the keyway (with a key in it of course).
The one I have on my 400 is an aftermarket unit and located on the backside of the balancer is the 'counterweight' (external balancer) and this faces the engine block. All 400 balancers that I have ever seen that are externally balanced are this way. Yours may be different if your engine is internally balanced.
Another way to make sure is if your standing on the driver side of the car the numbers on the balancer should read with the numbers to the left and the timing lines nothed next to them on the right toward the engine. If you put it on backwards your numbers will be upside down looking from the drivers side of the car.

BTW, I believe the timing mark on the outter ring of the balancer lines up with the key way in the balancer hub.

It's an easy check then. Position the timing mark at 12:00 and then see if the key way is also at 12:00. If it is, the outter ring has not slipped. If it isn't, it has.

Dan

The keyway doesn't ever line up with the mark :( but it does line up with the #1 rod throw, which makes it fairly easy to verify the timing mark without a great deal of effort.

Thanks RB, I wasn't too certain my memory was correct about it.

Dan

excuse my ignorance but what is the first rod row? There is one nub on the back the stand up and out is that what you mean. It is on the thicker part where the counter weight is.

It just means that if you put the #1 cylinder @ TDC on the compression stroke that the timing mark "should" point to 0* on the timing tab. You need one of those tools that goes in the spark plug hole to verify that the motor is right at TDC.

If you look at the crank out of the motor, the keyway in the crank and the rod throw with the #1 & #2 rods on it, are at exactly the same rotational point.... and therefore, when the motor is assembled, the keyway points exactly at the center of the #1 cylinder bore when #1 is at TDC.

Within production tolerances, of course.... that would be part of index-grinding a crank, to get it perfect.