Ain't that purdy! My 428 crank :(

[AlanCasida]

I took the crank out of my 427/452 today to take some pics to send to my machine shop. I am hoping they can weld it up and re-machine it. This whole deal still bums me out. Not so much about the damage but from missing DragWeek after spending so much time getting everything ready.

[drdano]

About as wasted as mine was and it was repaired.  I think I was more bummed about needing to align hone the block again since I was having fits getting gearsets that weren't sloppy.  I can get the name of the shop in Denver that welded mine if you need it, just send me a PM.

[cjshaker]

Alan, I was really bummed to see the problem you had, and so close to Drag Week. I was really looking forward to following your new car through the week. It really did a number on your thrust face. I know it can be welded, but always figured everything would have to be trued back up and that it would be cost prohibitive on anything but an expensive steel crank. Never had one done though, so I hope I'm wrong about that. Hopefully you'll be back and ready next year, as I hope to be, provided they pick a better area 

[AlanCasida]

Alan, I was really bummed to see the problem you had, and so close to Drag Week. I was really looking forward to following your new car through the week. It really did a number on your thrust face. I know it can be welded, but always figured everything would have to be trued back up and that it would be cost prohibitive on anything but an expensive steel crank. Never had one done though, so I hope I'm wrong about that. Hopefully you'll be back and ready next year, as I hope to be, provided they pick a better area 

Thanks, Doug. I got ahold of my machine shop and he said they were not equipped to weld up a cast crank. There is another place fairly close to me I am going to check with. Depending on what it costs I may be in the market for another OEM 428 crank or maybe a new Scat crank.

[BattlestarGalactic]

Ugh, that sucks.

I would spend the money on a new Scat over what you would have in welding/fixing that old one.

[blykins]

Yep, I'd go Scat.  By the time you pay to have it welded, magged, ground, etc., I'd rather have a new crank.

[AlanCasida]

Yep, I'd go Scat.  By the time you pay to have it welded, magged, ground, etc., I'd rather have a new crank.

I talked with my machine shop about this and he said to make sure the crank has the knurling in the rear main seal area. I read on the 'net where guys were having some seal leak problems due to there not being any knurling but the posts were from 5-6 years ago. Do the current cranks have the knurling?

[machoneman]

Sorry to hear (and see) of your crank issue. 

Seems that whenever a thrust bearing failure occurs, it's always an auto tranny issue. Can't remember the last time a similar bearing failed on a stick car.

[blykins]

Yep, I'd go Scat.  By the time you pay to have it welded, magged, ground, etc., I'd rather have a new crank.

I talked with my machine shop about this and he said to make sure the crank has the knurling in the rear main seal area. I read on the 'net where guys were having some seal leak problems due to there not being any knurling but the posts were from 5-6 years ago. Do the current cranks have the knurling?

No knurling.  The leaks are not due to the lack of knurling, it's just a rear main seal leak because of poor assembly or a seal issue. 

[GerryP]

You're referring to siping grooves.  Not knurling.  They are part of the seal engineering.  They move oil off the seal and into the pan.  This is one of those curious things about engines that a lot of folks don't think about.  You can find some interesting stories out there about someone chasing an incurable rear main seal leak and finally discovering that they are making a counter-rotating marine engine run in the clockwise direction.  The problem here is the siping runs the in wrong direction.  In this case, the oil is being moved into the seal, rather than away from the seal.

[C6AE]

Sorry to see that damage. I have had that same damage repaired on a steel crank and eventually that crank broke diagonally right through the arm. A lot of stress can be set up right there by welding.

(Those "grooves" are a simple variation of Archimedes' pump. Designed to work with the old "rope" seal, a modern seal shouldn't need them. On the reverse rotation 427 cranks it was standard procedure to just polish them off.)

[Falcon67]

I have a neutral balance 351C crank with a .100 x about .250 groove in the thrust surface - looks like you put it on a lathe and cut the groove.  I suppose it could be welded but I'm not too keen on doing that to a cast crank.  That was for a motor that could spin to 7K in a blink.