Busted crank repair

So, a buddy of mine broke the crank in his car and doesn't want to junk it since it was a custom stroke and size. Somebody recommended he take it to these guys. Price was right.

Any one else use them? Looks like they're in Florida.

No its probably commiefornia, sounds and looks like somewhere in the Valley, you have to of driven across the Valley lately to catch my drift, kinda 3rd world, looks like he's done it a couple times so it should be good to go.

Judging from the scenery, and the fact they aren't speaking English, I would guess that is one of those YouTube videos showing amazing work done small workshops in India, or some such place. I notice in most of those videos that the tools, surface grinders, mills, etc. are pre-war, or look it.

Pretty sure that was filmed at the GM engine plant.

Here's the entire 50-minute video, I found it pretty interesting. My puny little South Bend would never spin that crank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUB7dUjFGIM&t=67s

I've had many Mopar crankshafts that had cracks in the rod throws and cracks in the main surface ground out, welded and repaired to use with no failures by a good crankshaft shop in SO CA years ago. They closed up after both owners died and the younger relative that was running it hurt himself and couldn't do that work anymore
Look for a good commercial Deisel engine repair shop and look at their work and go from there
I now use Marine Crankshaft Repairs in Orange County, CA 714-549-2388, David is the owner and the main repair tech

Me thinks he's being sarcastic.

You mean I could have had this repaired?

Kevin

My question would be, if it broke when it was in one piece would you trust it welded up?

Thats trivial. JBweld and you're good to go!

This is why you don't use cast cranks! Forged only!

Damn, my secret is out. He does all my crank work. Shipping to the Middle East and back and getting the cranks through customs is a pain, but he works cheap.

Cool video.

Gotta weld it with the proper flux coated coat hanger for best results. Watched a similar video on a 6 cyl. diesel "rebuild" on cardboard atop a dirt floor. The crankshaft manufacturing video was equally entertaining. The final Q.C./grind guy was the only one in the shop allowed to use the micrometer Kind of makes you rethink offshore parts.

A for effort there.

That makes our friends at RoadKill look like rocket scientists ... reading this thread made me LOL. Good chuckle to start the new year. I mean, look at that precision crank positioning fixture .... you just need a little pre-heat and the right welding rod The guy welding has Crocks on with socks!!

dang, cool video. pretty impressive.

One hell of a job for a guy in a sheet and sandals. Smoking away, what’s with the guy in the chair? I like his special tools and he kept them clean, I learned a few things watching him, especially centering up the shaft.

Now I know its true!

Anything is possible!

I have a 426 hemi 4.250 and 392 hemi 4.000 cranks that need re-welding (or rechroming) on the journals.
Is anyone interested in doing it?

This guy would 'LAP IT UP' in his lunch break lol...

HNY to all in Moparland from Dynosnore John UK

On a serious note,
instead of trying to repair a broken crankshaft by welding at the spot where it cracked,
wouldn’t it be better to select two spots on either side of the crack
and precisely cut out the bad section,
and use a jig to hold in a replacement section during welding, tempering, and stress relief?

The two spots where welds should be selected to minimize “stress concentration geometry” like corners, notches, etc.

I once ordered machinists to try to hand polish the journal of a 60 year old Alco Locomotive Diesel crankshaft.
The crankshaft was not broken or cracked, just needed to be reduced so an undersixed bearing could be used.
It took several days of hand work, but in the end everything mic’ed OK.
The engine then ran smoothly, without any odd vibration or noise.

But... within a year the crankshaft suddenly broke at that journal without giving any sign of trouble.



I will not say that amazingly precise work cannot be done with primitive tools in poor foreign countries.
If you have never seen what comes out of the workshops of Darra Adam Khel it is amazing.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darra_Adam_Khel

Was that an early engine? Did it get the firing order update? Can't remember off hand if it was the 244 or 251 series that got that change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvYk0Ib0QdI
This is how they do it in Mother Russia! Fast forward to the 4 minute mark.

It’s amazing what determined people can do with so little. Not racecar stuff but obviously this isn’t the first one he has done. I wish I was this smart.
Doug

Somebody way back when made the first lathe, we’ve always been smart just didn’t have the education. A lot of geniuses from way back for thousands of years. We need to not pat ourselves on the back to much. This fellow USED that machine and did not push a button and stand back.

my old man useta' say : "pat self on back, break arm !"
i have never seen the roadkill guys weld wearing sheets and crocs............
i guess it's the end results that count !

And will add that we could likely learn a lot from them if we weren't so proud of ourselves.

it's always fun when someone pushes a button, stands back, and then hears that "expensive sound", followed by silence.

Too true. We get that a lot here. A lot of CNC operators like to call themselves machinists these days. Put them in front of a Bridgeport or a La Blond/Turn Pro and they're useless.

The guy in this video has honed his craft.

Anyone need a Hemi or Numbers Matching Block repaired?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi_NSFq0r8I

That video makes me wonder what their labor rate is per hour versus buying another good use block
Maybe we, our country, are living to high on the world's "hog"

Suggest how a repaired crankshaft could be tested,
without putting it in a running engine?

Suggest how a repaired block could be tested
without assembling an engine around it.

Seems a shame to put good parts at risk to test a welded up part.

For the crankshaft it would seem you could make a custom jig from a scrap block to apply a measured force at each throw.

Test a repaired block with high pressure water? (definitely not high pressure air - that is a bomb)

Nerve gas destruction plants have to have each weld x-rayed.
Constructors of the Bluegrass Ordnance Nerve Gas Chemical Neutralization plant - cheated on the weld x-rays.
The cost over-runs on that government project boogle the mind.

did you see the jig in the video when he was straightening the crankshaft?
that seemed like plenty of force to test the welded journal.

Keep in mind these engine parts are likely going back into a flat bed produce truck, and not a pro-mod engine, so the repairs are likely worth the effort, or he would not be wasting his time. Same for the effort of the people bringing him the broken parts too.

That guy has 10x the work ethic of the people at some of the machine shops around here. Smoke break every 5 minutes, constant cell phone distractions with the ball and chain, ect. Lucky to get your crank or block back in less than a month.

Back when you could smoke at work all I ever needed for a break was time enough to get fresh coffee for my cup and the chance to offload the coffee I already drank. If you'll note in the video,he can still smoke at work, lol.

You forgot to also mention- intentionally working slow to spill into some overtime. (That's how my co workers do it.)

That's not the first one he's fixed.
That guy's got some mad skills.

That guy has almost unbelievable skills and patience. I’m betting those machines are spotless when he quits for the day.

Jay Leno should do a show with a title like:

“ You will not believe this successful repair”

Really enjoyed this video.

I did too. My buddy told me about it or I would have missed it.

This is why they can never be beaten.

We could bomb them back to the stone age and they could just keep going. They're almost there now.