crankshafts: BILLET vs FORGED steel?

reddragon93 · 02-22-2001, 09:06 PM

i'm getting ready to build or purchase a 396 or 408 windor stroker kit or engine. my question is, should I buck up and get a Billet steel crank over a Forged steel part? From what I can gather, the whole point of getting a billet part is because the "grains" of the metal are all flowing in the same direction and thus making the part stonger. well the very nature of a crankshaft dictates that the part makes 90 degree turns every few inches or so. doesn't this throw the whole idea of the benifits of billet right out the window??? or am I missing some crucial info? the 4340 forged steel crank will run me something like 700-1000 dollars, while I believe a billet piece is roughly twice that price. I don't mind spending the money (even if it a little overkill) in order to do it right the first time, IF it is really worth it (ie. it is really that much stonger). any info or opinions are greatly appreciated. also any insight into the value/benefits of "neutral" or "zero" balancing is greatly appreciated. thanks.

sincerely,
chris

MiracleMax · 02-23-2001, 12:43 AM

A non-twist steel forging is supposed to be superior to a billet steel crank. If I remeber correctly the grain structure in the billet is still distorted when the billet was forged? Anywhosit, Unless your going for a max effort motor then the billet piece is overkill. A nodular iron or cast steel crank can tolerate in the neighborhood of 600 hp and about 6000-7000 rpm reliably if it is prepped right. A forged crank even more. The money you spend on a billet piece could go somewhere else. For $h1ts and giggles you could take that same money and have the rods, block, and crank cryogenically treated and probaly still have some bucks left over to put a thermal barrier coating on the pistons and heads, then coat the skirts themselves (if you want to spend a few bucks and increase the power and strength). Or whatever floats your boat. I think the only real advantage a billet crank has over a forged unit is that it can be cut to fit any sort of oddball combination without setting up some dedicated dies. Or even better put it toward an aluminum block!

02-22-2001, 09:06 PM	#1
reddragon93 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: richmond Posts: 11	crankshafts: BILLET vs FORGED steel? i'm getting ready to build or purchase a 396 or 408 windor stroker kit or engine. my question is, should I buck up and get a Billet steel crank over a Forged steel part? From what I can gather, the whole point of getting a billet part is because the "grains" of the metal are all flowing in the same direction and thus making the part stonger. well the very nature of a crankshaft dictates that the part makes 90 degree turns every few inches or so. doesn't this throw the whole idea of the benifits of billet right out the window??? or am I missing some crucial info? the 4340 forged steel crank will run me something like 700-1000 dollars, while I believe a billet piece is roughly twice that price. I don't mind spending the money (even if it a little overkill) in order to do it right the first time, IF it is really worth it (ie. it is really that much stonger). any info or opinions are greatly appreciated. also any insight into the value/benefits of "neutral" or "zero" balancing is greatly appreciated. thanks. sincerely, chris

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02-23-2001, 12:43 AM	#2
MiracleMax Registered Member Join Date: Apr 1999 Location: Hayes, Va, USA Posts: 798	A non-twist steel forging is supposed to be superior to a billet steel crank. If I remeber correctly the grain structure in the billet is still distorted when the billet was forged? Anywhosit, Unless your going for a max effort motor then the billet piece is overkill. A nodular iron or cast steel crank can tolerate in the neighborhood of 600 hp and about 6000-7000 rpm reliably if it is prepped right. A forged crank even more. The money you spend on a billet piece could go somewhere else. For $h1ts and giggles you could take that same money and have the rods, block, and crank cryogenically treated and probaly still have some bucks left over to put a thermal barrier coating on the pistons and heads, then coat the skirts themselves (if you want to spend a few bucks and increase the power and strength). Or whatever floats your boat. I think the only real advantage a billet crank has over a forged unit is that it can be cut to fit any sort of oddball combination without setting up some dedicated dies. Or even better put it toward an aluminum block!