Does a crankshaft actually sag if stored on it's side...

[philminotti]

Or is that an old wives tale?  If so, is it months, years, or decades?

Phil

[GerryP]

Theoretically true.  If you consider that molecules not at absolute zero are free to move around and that seemingly solid objects are always fluid, then a crank can sag.  But you have entropy too, so it's possible that you could lay it down one day and come back the next day and it's a dust pile of Fe.

I always store things as safely as possible.  I've never seen a crank fall off the floor or fall over while laying on its side.

[philminotti]

I hear you on the safety issue... It's currently laying on my bench...but my wife and children have been known to repurpose my tools from time to time, and I would absolutely lose my shit if I walked into my shop to see it fallen over if I had it standing up!

[blykins]

You can put back in its box, it will be safe there.   It's ok to store them on their side.   Think of how many crankshafts are stored in their boxes with only the nose and hindend supported.

[ch3no2]

I hang'em.

[wowens]

Could machine shops standing cranks on end due to lack of storage space and not because cranks bend be the daddy of this idea ?

[GerryP]

Yes.  You can go to outer space vertical.  Horzontal, just to the end of your garage.

[Stangman]

If you live on Long Island and get your crank cut at any shop it goes to one guy. He says he does about 80 percent of the cranks from the engine shops. We were talking about this subject and he said that laying a crank on its side will never bend or warp a crank.

[cjshaker]

I hang'em.

Careful, they might stretch doing that! 

[475fetoploader]

After I install an engine in a car, I always store the car vertically, if I don’t intend to drive it for an extended period.

[chilly460]

This one always seemed silly to me.  If you stand it on end, are the bending forces also still not at work, trying to pinch the counterweights together?  The crank is more supported on it's side than standing, the way I see it. 

[My427stang]

This one always seemed silly to me.  If you stand it on end, are the bending forces also still not at work, trying to pinch the counterweights together?  The crank is more supported on it's side than standing, the way I see it.

If you live on Long Island and get your crank cut at any shop it goes to one guy. He says he does about 80 percent of the cranks from the engine shops. We were talking about this subject and he said that laying a crank on its side will never bend or warp a crank.

I agree completely, silly to think it cannot support it's own weight, especially cast iron

After I install an engine in a car, I always store the car vertically, if I don’t intend to drive it for an extended period.

Yes.  You can go to outer space vertical.  Horzontal, just to the end of your garage.

  Got a kick out of both of these

[Rory428]

Considering all new cranks that I have seen, come in boxes, with the crank horizontal, I would doubt it is a real issue. I CAN say, that if you have a bunch of FE cranks standing on the floor, upright, and one tips over, causing a Domino effect, chances are very good  that some damage will occur!

[My427stang]

Considering all new cranks that I have seen, come in boxes, with the crank horizontal, I would doubt it is a real issue. I CAN say, that if you have a bunch of FE cranks standing on the floor, upright, and one tips over, causing a Domino effect, chances are very good  that some damage will occur!

It usually happens when you are trying to get the 3rd one back and in a hurry

[Barry_R]

Yes.  You can go to outer space vertical.  Horizontal, just to the end of your garage.

You actually go to outer space horizontally - the vertical part of the trip is comparatively short

As for the crankshafts - Doug's "stretch" comment is pretty awesome...