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Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:43 pm

What would you say is the strongest type I crankshaft currently avail. if price is no option?

Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:55 pm

Bryant. Contact VWP.

Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:07 pm

we have bryant prostock crank, pretty snazzy & $$$too. ( V8 ) but I mostly used crower cranks ,as far as vw I wouldnt have a clue.it's kinda a trickey question, most crank failures are caused by somethen else, but yes there are junk cranks too.

Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:23 pm

I would consider a Marine crank. 3k+ depending on specs.

Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:17 pm

Berg? If can be found.

Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:38 pm

Flanged Moldex, Bryant, or Crower, top 3 no particular order..... Also Scat flanged, pretty nice piece for the $$

Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:05 pm

smithers wrote: I would consider a Marine crank. 3k+ depending on specs. marine vw? or chegy v8 stuff? the v8 stuff is just car stuff.I done lots of marine stuff,I used mostly crower cranks, zero problems with crower.(1 blower crank had the key way on the rong side& they sent new crank the next day)so i reckon thats 99% no problems.and it didnt cause any problem.

Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:57 pm

Nothing like a billet Moldex. Billet is billet...cannot come better than billet.

Berg is my top choice if forging process. Just wish they came in full-flanged configuration.

The Scat full-flanged is what I use now.

But back in the day 80's when BugPack carried the full-flanged forgings were very nice too.

Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:39 am

I think Moldex is the choice for ACVW nowadays.

Crower doesnt make for VW do they ?

T

Tue Mar 12, 2013 7:42 am

The strongest crankshafts are sectional crankshafts. Kinda like the old vw and porsche roller cranks. They are made from machined pieces and pressed together.
They have all the dimenentional accuracy of the billet cranks and the absolute strength of forged cranks. Expensive thou.

Tue Mar 12, 2013 7:51 am

Actually, I think they stopped making those because they are weaker than a forged crank.
Look at what the guys with really deep pockets do - like F1. Forged or billet is all I've ever seen.

Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:15 am

It was the roller bearings that killed the roller cranks. You needed heavy weight oil to keep them cool and the vw engine wouldnt pump 80w all that well.
Then just try to replace the bearings without damaging the crank.

Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:22 am

A forged crank is stronger if all else is equal due to the fact that that the forging process aligns the metal grain structure to follow the contour of the final forging. This densly compacted grain structure is typically stronger than a piece of billet or actually bar stock which has only a linear grain.

Cast cranks have a more dispersed internal grain structure because it is developed as the metal solidifies towards the center of the part and because of that will not be as strong as a forging. Castings are also subject to internal shrinkage and inclusion defects which can result in a stress riser leading to things like cracking.

The heat treatment of any crank has a great deal to do with how "tough" it will be particularily the cooling from annealinng and hardening/tempering processes.

Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:24 am

Hands down, Bryant!

Moldex and Pauter Machine are also great choices.

Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:36 am

I don't think you can beat the strength of a forging with its ideal grain structure. Billet is OK, but the harmonics involved when removing so much material has caused problems for some. (At least this is what I was told by a friend who makes billet cranks & cams.)

Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:50 am

gears wrote: I don't think you can beat the strength of a forging with its ideal grain structure. Billet is OK, but the harmonics involved when removing so much material has caused problems for some. (At least this is what I was told by a friend who makes billet cranks & cams.) if the guy& company have the grain going the correct way, just like good forged rods the caps are done seperately so they can get the correct grainage direction. a good one is one you dont break. and it dosent break any thing else. one made out of some real old black walnut would be nice.sitten on the desk with red oak rods &burrnished hickery flywheel.

Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:13 am

With a billet crank, there is no continuous grain structure due to its shape. Rods are no problem because they're flat. With a forging, the grain structure more closely follows the shape of the crank AND the material is slightly more dense than billet.

Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:16 am

vwinnovator wrote: What would you say is the strongest type I crankshaft currently avail. if price is no option?

For what use?

Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:31 am

I would vote Moldex but have no experience with Bryant. The fact still remains that once you get to the level of performance that would break a Moldex crank; you've already broken everything else. SCAT Flanged would be it's closest identical twin runner up.

Tue Mar 12, 2013 2:21 pm

Bryant, Marine, Moldex, Pauter are all the best and in no order. Plan on paying $2000.00 to $3000.00 for a crank, depending on the manufacturer. Also, you could be looking at a 4-6 month wait.