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Cast crank damage repair

4K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  Zimmo 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey Guys,

A few weeks ago I won an ebay 455 Olds nodular iron MT crank, magnafluxed, & .010" on the mains & rods.

Well, it was damaged during the shipment, & now the 1/2 rod throw has a pretty big nick on it. Just looking at it, I would say it goes at least .020" deep.

The guy that sold me this is pretty upset about it too. He's gonna put in a claim with UPS.

It it possible to weld up a cast iron crank, or is turning it down the only option?

If they machine it, should they do all of them to keep it balanced / uniform?


Thx
 

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#3 ·
Yes, that is a shame but I've seen cranks damaged a lot worse than that used with no problem. Of course it depends on what the intended use is....very high compression, high performance use or just a good 9.5:1 street engine.

A good crank shop would just "kiss" that spot with a very fine stone to get rid of the rough edges and then polish it out. I wouldn't worry too much about it.
 
#8 · (Edited)
How badly was the container the the crank arrived in, damaged, to cause the journal to be nicked like that? The shipper (seller) is responsible for making the shipping container bullet proof.

Myself and all the manufactures I buy cranks from recommend that anytime a crank arrives with the box damaged, to refuse the delivery, and contact them immediately. I/They then deal with their delivery service, to get reimbursement and ship a replacement. Same applies to your situation.

The crank can be repaired/used but, even repaired, it is not what you purchased.

The seller owes you the cost of the repair AND some sort of compensation, IF YOU decide to keep it. If not, just have them pick it back up from you and refund ALL your money.
 
#13 ·
Thx guys. I found a shop in my area that can look at it. The guy I bought it from already told me that he will pay for the repairs & file the claim with UPS. BTW, this crank is part of a 500hp/600tq Olds 455 buildup.
 
#16 ·
damaged crank.

500HP/600T; you need it to be 100%, and it is'nt. Have it turned, replaced, or refunded. Unless you want to try JB Weld (ha ha). I bought a passenger side 51' Chevrolet coupe window, used; I wanted it to be "weathered" like the other windows. It was packed well, shipped, and delivered by Fed Ex, BROKEN. The seller stood behind it, and dealt with Fed Ex. Still don't have a replacement glass however. You, and I, deserve what we pay for.
 
#17 ·
I'm gonna try to get it fixed. It is in great condition other then the nick on it, + it's a "N" crank (nodular). This is also a real Olds 455 manual trans crank & they don't grow on trees. 90% of Olds cranks are for automatics & won't work for manual trans applications. You can have auto cranks machined to accept a pilot bearing though...
 
#18 · (Edited)
"thats pretty pricey for polishing a crank" :confused: :confused:

About 1 hr of a highly skilled machinist's time, use of the highly specialized tools (grinder, sander, belts, mics, etc), and the housing and utilities to power that tooling, at that price the finished work is a bargain.

Then again, I use professionals that are perfectionists, do excellent work, and guarantee the measurements, to work on my components. They get paid a fair price. I even tip them for doing it the same day. :thumbup: This is, somewhat of an important part, in an engine... :mwink:

I guess a guy in the home depot parking lot, working with strips of sheet flatfile sandpaper, rolling the crank around on his pickup truck tailgate, measuring it with a brand new ruler, would do it for less for the budget crowd. :rolleyes: :pain: :eek:

(PS I could get it done for 0, :thumbup: try commenting on that price.... :spank: )
 
#20 ·
been polishing cranks for 35 years, with a polishing machine and stand, no grinder or sander involved :nono: . what kind of perfectionist uses a sander and grinder :confused: polishing removes the high spots and improves the surface finnish. in my shop floor to floor 15-20 minutes, $40.00.

sam-missle
 
#22 ·
Sam when I get a crank polished I get it measured, checked for runout, checked for stroke, and index after having it wet magnafluxed. To assure me that the crank is good. I do not want to waste time or money on bad parts.

Can't do that on a "stand" in 15-20 mins f t f or for 35-40.
 
#23 ·
OHD said:
Sam when I get a crank polished I get it measured, checked for runout, checked for stroke, and index after having it wet magnafluxed. To assure me that the crank is good. I do not want to waste time or money on bad parts.

Can't do that on a "stand" in 15-20 mins f t f or for 35-40.
polishing is polishing, we check runout and size. checking the index and stroke eqaulized are seperate operations usually not performed during normal polishing. the engine builder should be the one checking and verifying index and equalized strokes.

sam-missle
 
#24 ·
polishing bad parts, is a waste of money....

I would rather eat 25 bucks for magging a crank before doing any work than to argue with a guy when his crank brakes and destroys his engine.

If someone does not want to fully check out ALL the dimensions and CONDITION of his crank, THEN PAY FOR IT, I will send them to you or the guy at home depot. I do not want anything to do with his crap shoot. :thumbup:
 
#25 ·
Zimmo said:
BTW, this crank is part of a 500hp/600tq Olds 455 buildup.
Yeah...ummm....if those are real numbers, then you should not include this crank in the buildup. Unless you want all of your parts to have nicks in them...and cracks...and chunks missing...and to be visible from the hole in the side of the block.


But as long as we are talking dremels and junkyard buildups, make sure it doesn't have any runout and if it does you can straighten it with a torch and a hammer :nono:
 
#26 ·
Thanks guys. I'll get this crank checked & fixed right, & I'm not going to pay for it either.

I'll be pretty close to 500 hp as some people are getting around 470 with a 230* cam, alum heads, & 10:1
 
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