Quote: Yes you balance regardless of the material, but depending on the rest of the rotating assembly Forged cranks generally require less if any mallory slugs to balance. Cast cranks need the added mallory to balance. Each slug is like $50 and a crank can use multiple. Add in some dollars for labor and quickly your budget cast crank costs nearly the same as a forged piece but is still inferior strength wise.
The biggest thing that scares me about your build is the 4 speed. A Cast crank will live at 500 horsepower, but its not going to like you dumping the clutch and so on. A little piece of mind is worth a couple extra bucks. Thats my opinion.
