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I have owned 3 steel crank big blocks well past the magical '73 cut off date.

All were 3/4 ton trucks.

Two were stick, one auto.

Auto truck had a 400,727 and a D60 front axle.
This was a 1978 vintage
Stick trucks, one was 400, one was 440. One was 78 one was 77.

Why did these HD trucks get a steel crank? Not sure, but if I had to guess, Mopar was getting out of the big block business, so perhaps they were using left over replacement cranks or parts from Direct Connnection, to use up stock or fill needed orders.

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I've seen a few steel crank 440's right up to '78. I had a '76 400 with a .010/.010 steel crank. Has a maltese cross on the pad so that's the way it came from the factory. Also big '73-4 motorhomes seem to always have a 440-3 with a steel crank, six pak rods and internal balance since the low comp pistons were lighter.