BBC Crankshaft Myth

High Dollar parts

Wildman, While I respect your opinion I disagree with your logic. Not wanting to race anyone because of cheap parts is not logical. Even the best parts blow up time and time again. You do not need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to have fun and go fast. The reason I wanted to try a "low buck" cast crank was because my buddy runs a Comp Elim. Chevy 6 cyl. with a stock cast crank he spins that thing 10500 and has never had any issues. Bottom line is that they all blow up sooner or later.

 

whoa! I know we all take chances when we pull to the line, but don't wreck my 200K race car because you want to prove a point with a crank.....With all due respect, the reason your buddies hasn't broke is because it isn't making any power! You are playing russian roulette, but in this case, the gun is pointing at 2 people...


just my 2 cents

 

I'm all for low buck. But, there comes a point when low buck also leads to dangerous potential. I could save some bucks by using 28 spline axles and 1/2 inch wheels studs. They will work for a while but eventually they are going to break and when they do, the consequences can be catastrophic. You can play with fire if you want. Just don't drag the unsuspecting in with you. BTW, here's the scenario that I envsion:

Good hard launch. About 300 feet out, you shift into high gear. At this point you are hitting about a 100 mph. What you don't know is that the cast crank has finally developed a crack a the rear main journal. Upon the gear change, the crank lets go causing a severe unbalance of the convertor. This unbalance rips the rear main from the block an subsequently exits the car. Does it go through the tunnel or exit under the car. Who knows. Tunnel it gets you. Under the car? You now have a 50pound projectile spinning at 8000 rpm and traveling forward at 100 mph. Who's it gonna hit? Maybe no one. Maybe the driver in the other lane. Maybe someone hanging over the fence watching the action. Racing is dangerous (as NHRA tells us). It seems to me that we should be as responsible as we can be to make sure we make it as safe as possible.

 

Dangerous Sport

My friends, I agree with you all that bad things can happen with cheap parts. Bad things also happen with the best parts money can buy. We have lost some great drivers due to catastrophic failures of the best parts money can buy. I have been on the receiving end of just such a scenerio where a valve dropped causing a nightmare that wrecked us both. It wasnt my valve that dropped either. It was a Reher Morrison 565 that cost more than my whole car.

One thing to keep in mind. I do not make 3000+HP like most of you guys do. Im sure if I was to step up to that level of racing I too would want some insurance between me and guardrail.

My point has been proven though. It is possible to make 1800hp live with a cast crank and used parts. My bottom end has cost less than $2000 and ran a 4.60@ 160mph.

One more thought....Where were all these high dollar parts back in the 60's when Jungle Jim and others were running over 200mph? They did it back then too.

 

You are correct, those early guys did use the cheap stuff. That's because there was nothing else. What you don't realize as well is that those early guys only made it down the track about 50% of the time and there were a large number of them badly hurt and killed in those days. I (we) are crticizing, not condemning you. I'm quite impressed what you have accomplished. I only feel that you need to weigh the potential consequences when something does go wrong. Cast iron has serious shrapnel issues. That's why cast iron flywheels and harmonic balancers have been banned in NHRA competition. (with a few exceptions)

 

This is the result last month of a broken rod at 1000FT. 1900HP, just about like you have. The damage is nothing compared to a broken crank coming out of the block.

Notice all the oil and parts that would have been under my tires or my opponents tires, it all ended up in the diaper. See the chunks missing out of the block? Some ended up in the diaper while luckily the rest stayed attached to what was left of the oil pan (which was inside the diaper). You may also notice that the diaper contained the fire.

All the crowd saw was a little puff of smoke. The track didn't even know it happened and they kept running cars right after me. No crash, no oil and no parts on the track.

While I lost the diaper and the short block, I'm still here to race again (although I'm a little poorer).

I have a Stroud diaper that I bought from the late John Shoemaker that I will gladly give you if you would use it. While it’s not brand new and it's not too pretty, it saved me when I lost a wrist pin last year with the same amount damage as this DJ contained. It’s yours if you will use it, let me know. It still may not protect you from the scenario that “Wildman” portrayed though.
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Over/Under

Well considering that this combo has over 30 runs on it as it is, Ill take the over for $500. BTW. I do have a diaper on the way. That was in the plans anyway. Thanks for the offer Blown Alky. I appreciate it.

As far as the seatbelt rule goes. Maybe I am the exception to every rule. When I was 19 I was the passenger in a car that rolled 9 times end over end and you guessed it, I did not have my seat belt on. Yes, It broke my back in 2 spots (L4 and L5). It broke the seat I was in, through me out the back glass and crushed the L4 and L5. The Highway Patrolman told my brother that if I had been wearing my seatbelt it would have killed me for sure. My friend was wearing his and he is no longer with us. Seatbelts do save lives in certain instances and in others they kill.

 

Scarrry

An inline 6 compared to a V8? You can't compare apples to oranges. An inline 6 (or 4 for that matter) has 1 rod per throw and a main cap on either side of it which makes it pretty stout to begin with. A V8 is trying to rip itself to pieces just sitting there. The problem with those cast steel cranks is some are soft, some are hard as hell, some balance real easy while others wont balance worth a shit. I suspect yours is hard as hell, that's why it hasn't broken, YET. Your day is coming. And hopefully the person next to you doesn't get it as well. It's ok to experiment, but like Will said, you crossed the line. If it's me, your getting a bye run.

 

I will run ya.... That cast crank dosnt bother me any...

I would probably put a diaper on it though, I had a diaper save my ass last year when I threw a couple rods out of my 540.

Nothing wrong with doing it as cheap as possible...

 

I'm just calling bullsh*t on this whole 1800hp thing. What heads, overdrive %, fuel pump and ignition? What trans and rear ratio? Hell I'll buy you a new crank for your tuning secrets. btw my 565 bbc with 34lbs of boost went 6.70's at 200mph with soft tune up in an altered. 20lbs of boost?? hum

 

I believe the 1800 hp is probably true......scary as hell..... but true.

I'm making 1500hp with a std 8-71 @ 28% over on a 572" makes about 15psi.

 

You posted,

"As far as the seatbelt rule goes. Maybe I am the exception to every rule. When I was 19 I was the passenger in a car that rolled 9 times end over end and you guessed it, I did not have my seat belt on. Yes, It broke my back in 2 spots (L4 and L5). It broke the seat I was in, through me out the back glass and crushed the L4 and L5. The Highway Patrolman told my brother that if I had been wearing my seatbelt it would have killed me for sure. My friend was wearing his and he is no longer with us. Seatbelts do save lives in certain instances and in others they kill."

I heard a guy tried to commit suicide, put a pistol in his mouth, pulled the trigger, aim was off knocked a tooth out the side of his mouth, doctor discovered gum cancer, said if he had not tried to blow his head off he would have died of cancer. Anything is possible but I will keep my gun out of my mouth and use my seatbelt.

It also does not make much sense running with the same safety level as people did 50 years ago. If you want to endanger your life thats one thing, but people with kids etc. come to race and accept a certain danger level and trust that people will follow the rules since we all share in the consequences. I just hope that you will take the time to consider that sooner or later the grim reaper may catch up with you but he may miss again and get the guy in the other lane.

Just my 2 cents,

Richard Gavle

 

No bs

I have no reason to get on here and lie about junk parts or horsepower ratings. I have a 565(4.600 bore 4.25 stroke) MGP Rods 6.385, JE 12.5-1 Comp Ratio. Big Chief 18 degree heads heavily ported by Kevin Self. Flowed 560 on the intake @.900. Sheet metal intake also by Kevin Self. 14/71 SSI Hi Helix @ 20% OD. MSD 10 ignition set at 28 degrees. Enderle B&U Injector and a 110 fuel pump. Tranny is a home built glide with a supercase and very good used parts inside. Converter is a Edge built by Andre. Rearend is a 9 inch with 35spline axles and pro gear 4.57. I have a total of $13K in the entire engine(Injector to oil pan). $25K in the entire car. My car weighs 2505 with me in it and runs 4.60's @ 160mph footbraking it. I used to run nitrous on this same longblock and decided to try a blower. Ive never been happier. Call it what you want. Its for real. Oh yeah. It makes 18lbs of boost.

 

Glad to see you are going to run a diaper as that mitigates a lot of the concern other people have about your setup here.

Ignoring the safety angle for a minute here it'd be interesting to see if over, say, 10 years using low buck parts still remains a money saver or if the perceived increased replacement frequency cancel our the low cost of the parts - you'll only have to have a few failures to make it more expensive then a higher spec car that stayed together.

I realise there are a lot of variables in there and it will be exceedingly hard to conduct a controlled test but sometimes it is worth spending more up front to save money in the long run.