Cut the balancer. I did so about 9 years and 200,000 miles ago. It is not a big deal. In fact, I notice almost no difference other than I replace the center support bearing more often (Ive had 4 of them).

The timing chain can just be rolled in if it appears that the guides are not in bad shape. If they look bad, then it is time to replace them. This is not too bad for the upper one but the lower one is hard to do with the engine fully assembled.

Hope this helps.

__________________
Jovan

'84 (11/83) 190D 2.2 5-Speed; Silver/Blue; Motor No. 00354, 402k mi (340+kmi mine)

'89 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe; Black/Black; 53kmi
'05 BMW 530i 6-Speed; 302kmi
'19 Range Rover; 30kmi