Scott Foldenauer
Junior Member
I am trying to rebuild an engine and discovered that I am in need of a crankshaft. I don't want to go to the expense of a new balanced crank so I am looking for options.
crankshaft
- Thread starter Scott Foldenauer
- Start date
Chuck Kuntz
Well-known member
I have a crankshaft that has just been cleaned, magnafluxed and ground to .020 for $95
Chris in CT
Senior Member
Hi Scott, I hope you'll give this some more thought. What are you building? A show car? A driver? If it's something you'll be doing alot of touring with, you may want to seriously re-think whether a damped (balanced) crank is worth the expense. With your engine apart, now is the time to put it up to snuff so that you can "stay with the tour" in modern traffic. I hope you're considering valve seats and a 5.5 head as well if you're going to do daily driving. Good luck on your project!
Chris at Burlington Crankshaft.
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burlingtoncrankshaft.com
Chris at Burlington Crankshaft.
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burlingtoncrankshaft.com
Kevin in NJ
Well-known member
Well people do not always agree but the A was designed to run 55 MPH so one should ask what Ford did?
You will find the engine was built to a high level of precision. No just slapped together as many will tell you.
So you need to take some time to understand how Ford actually built the engine and learn from that.
The crank as well as all the moving parts were held to some very high standards. If you handed the prints and the parts to a rebuilder and asked them to make it like new they would tell you that you wanted something built to racing precision.
To your question what do you need to know about cranks?
See the link for some thoughts.
Some Crank Notes
You can spend a lot of money building a perfect engine. New head, new crank, insert rods, cut down flywheel and the list goes on and on and on.
You can also go a la cart and pick the important things as your budget allows. The minimum is getting the engine back close to Ford specs and very well balanced with all the parts.
Keep in mind you can spend a lot of money on various parts and just neglect one small detail like the correct valve clearances for the type of metal in the valves and it will not run right.
You will find the engine was built to a high level of precision. No just slapped together as many will tell you.
So you need to take some time to understand how Ford actually built the engine and learn from that.
The crank as well as all the moving parts were held to some very high standards. If you handed the prints and the parts to a rebuilder and asked them to make it like new they would tell you that you wanted something built to racing precision.
To your question what do you need to know about cranks?
See the link for some thoughts.
Some Crank Notes
You can spend a lot of money building a perfect engine. New head, new crank, insert rods, cut down flywheel and the list goes on and on and on.
You can also go a la cart and pick the important things as your budget allows. The minimum is getting the engine back close to Ford specs and very well balanced with all the parts.
Keep in mind you can spend a lot of money on various parts and just neglect one small detail like the correct valve clearances for the type of metal in the valves and it will not run right.
Scott Foldenauer
Junior Member
Thank you Kevin. This is my first attempt and am learning a lot. I hope I can get it right the first time.
Bill Stipe
Senior Member
One of the biggest reasons I see with todays rebuilds is the piston weight. Ford used very light pistons that are not available anymore and as you over bore the cylinder the weight increases.
Also the smaller the rod bearings the thicker the babbit materials the heavyer it is. The center bearing almost always pounds out. Also I do not think Ford used as thick of shims on the rods, if you torque a thick shim a little too much it squirts out and not enough it comes loose.
Just the tip of all the things that give us trouble. I myself tend to run the RPM's a little to high and we can because the higher CR heads and bigger carbs let us.
Also the smaller the rod bearings the thicker the babbit materials the heavyer it is. The center bearing almost always pounds out. Also I do not think Ford used as thick of shims on the rods, if you torque a thick shim a little too much it squirts out and not enough it comes loose.
Just the tip of all the things that give us trouble. I myself tend to run the RPM's a little to high and we can because the higher CR heads and bigger carbs let us.
hardtimes
Well-known member
Scott,
I have an early B crankshaft, no balance weights, that can be cleaned up and used cheap$60. plus ship