Drop forging crankshafts - video

[Altair]

Drop forging crankshafts. From the 1959 film The Drama of Metal Forming.




Previously:

Crankshaft hardening machine - GIF
Crankshaft balancing machine - GIF
Forging crankshafts GIF
Induction hardening crankshafts - video
Large ship engine crankshaft used as parking curb - photo

[IntheGroove]

After the crankshaft is forged flat, it is twisted into the proper configuration for its intended use while its still hot...

[Frank S]

After the crankshaft is forged flat, it is twisted into the proper configuration for its intended use while its still hot...

No they are not twisted. A 4 cylinder crankshaft always has direct opposing connecting rod journals.
inline 6 and inline 8 cylinder crankshafts were forged with the die cavities having the shape of the finished shafts made in them with the rod journal cavities in the molds set at the proper angles the same with shafts for V configuration engines.
to twist the shafts after forming would disrupt the natural grain of the metal after it had been forged this would weaken the shafts.
there is some argument that shafts turned out of solid billet are stronger than forged ones but these are brought up to near forging temps in an effort to normalize the grain structure

[IntheGroove]

You can see in this video where the crank is twisted...

[Frank S]

You can see in this video where the crank is twisted...

I stand corrected I had seen the mold dies in the final shape but not the ones in the flattened form. for the dies I had seen the cranks may have may have been poured then trued in the forging die which would have made them cast & forged or forged cast iron instead of forged steel.
I had a crank once that snapped in the middle of the #2 main in a Dodge 383 magnum we replaced it with a crank from Chrysler direct Connection that was turned from a solid billet

[IntheGroove]

I once had to replace a steel crank from a Chrysler Marine 440 that was broken in two but still ran fine...

[Frank S]

I once had to replace a steel crank from a Chrysler Marine 440 that was broken in two but still ran fine...

When mine broke it was because of dwell float on the Mallory duel point ignition I had, My distributor had a rotor that ran twin coils so 1 set of points fired 4 cylinders and the other fired the other 4 if the points slipped it throwed the timing off. Being young and dumb and way too full of hey listen to this as I went through the gate at the Army base In Germany, just after passing the guard shack I gouged on it from a good rolling start pulled the front wheels off the ground slightly then it backfired but kept running I got to where I was going and shut it off and that was the end had the vehicle towed over to the recreation crafts shop pulled the engine and replaced the crank after the new one arrived from the states The break was diagonal through the main which allowed the engine to keep running until I shut it off

[IntheGroove]

I recall a Mallory dual point distributor with a 16 lobe cam. You needed to know what you were doing to properly use it...

[Frank S]

I recall a Mallory dual point distributor with a 16 lobe cam. You needed to know what you were doing to properly use it...

mine only had a 4 lobe cam so it was super critical real easy to have the engine fighting itself, my thermo quad didn't help matters much either .090 primary jets and .200 secondary jets sitting on top of a 4 inch rise manifold. Good fuel mileage though as long as I stayed out of the secondary's I could get around 10 MPG on the highway, 12 if I held it under 70 but who drove 70 on the Autobhan?