crankshaft question

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Nope. after '71, the liklyhood drops, expecially with big blocks, 318s, and 360s.
 
I can tell you a long story about this subject and if you want PM and I'll send you my phone number. But NO, most cast cranks were not drilled for the imput shaft of the standard trans.
 
Most cranks that I have checked are drilled deep enough but you do have to check. The hole for the pilot bushing is most likely no sized though. I made a tool that locates on the flywheel flange that allows you to chuck the snout of the crank in a lathe and use a steady rest to support the rear of the crank so the hole for the pilot bushing can be machined to size. Most people use the late model truck pilot bearing that is a press fit in the torque converter locating recess in the back of the crank.
 
Most Steel Cranks I've seen are drilled. Most Cast Cranks that I've seen are not. This is both on BigBlocks and SmallBlocks.
 
Like was mentionned... Some are drilled, but not finish reamed. There are enough of those that NAPA even had/has a part number for a pilot bushing that is thinner to work in holes not finish reamed.
 
Back in 1973 Wheeler engines thought they would be smart and drill the back of their cranks so that the same engine would work in a auto or stick application. What a NIGHTMARE that created. The cast cranks were to porous and oil would leak thru the casting and leak out the drilled hole. After 2 main seals, two pan gaskets, three more time R & R'd to check cam plug, oil galley plugs, I found out the problem!
 
"The cast cranks were to porous and oil would leak thru the casting and leak out the drilled hole."

What!? I assume you mean there was a hole... not oil going THROUGH steel?
 
Aren't cast cranks and a manual kind of a nono in a HP application?
Perhaps they didnt put the pilot hole in cast cranks because of that?
 
From what I have read, with mopar small blocks you hit the HP limits of the block before you hit the HP limits of a cast crank.

As for the porosity comment;
Porosity in any kind of casting is something that needs to be managed and controlled but cast iron is one of the easier materials to cast. To have porosity that bridges the cross section of the crank that would allow oil to leak through to the pilot bushing hole had to have been as rare as hen's teeth. If it wasn't the mopar cast crank would have had a reputation of snapping off the fly wheel flange the first time you dropped the clutch not one of being as strong as brand x's forged cranks.
 
I just bought a '71 318 complete from carb to oil pan from a guy that had it sitting on the floor of his garage. As far as I can tell the thing has not been apart since it left the factory, and it has the crank drilled with a pilot bushing installed to boot. It had to have come out of an automatic car, since the bushing looks new with no wear on it, and the hole was packed with gunk. Weird.
 
DustingBlimps said:
"The cast cranks were to porous and oil would leak thru the casting and leak out the drilled hole."

What!? I assume you mean there was a hole... not oil going THROUGH steel?
Click to expand...

NO, Wheeler Remanufacturing had a rash of the blocks with cast cranks that they drilled so they would work in a auto or stick application. They recalled almost 125 BB Mopar engines after they had several problems with oil leaking THRU the crank and out of the center of the crank where they drilled them to accept the long imput shaft of the manual transmission. This is not a rumor or hearsay, I lived thru one such experience with a 400 BB I installed in a Hillsborough County Sheriffs car back in 1976. I was unlucky enough to have gotten one of their recalled motors that slipped thru and was shipped to me. After puliing the oil pan, rear main and trans several times to try and locate the leak We called wheeler Engine and talked to a line tech that informed us that "oh you must have got one of the recalled engines" he then proceeded to tell us about the cast cranks that they drilled blah blah blah. He informed me of a quick fix, I cleaned the back of the crank real good with carb cleaner, filled it with JB, then I installed a flat expansion plug in the back where the pilot bushing would go and WALLA, it worked, no leak!
 
Dont know anything about recalled motors,but I have used,rebuilt,replaced/6 all small blocks and all big blocks,some were drilled for pilots and some were not finished for pilots.The DORMAN # for the non finished cranks is 690-025 I have 11 in my stash now.I dont have the NAPA# but you should be able to cross it over.Hope this helps
 
I have a 318 out of a stick shift '83 van that I am assuming is a cast crank (no oil leak out the back) but have not pulled the pan yet. My 383 forged crank in my 400 was drilled deep enough and had a step but was not sized for a pilot bushing. Any way you look at it converting to manual trans can be a pain when it comes to the pilot bushing.
 
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