Hi all I have a '76 225 and had a few questions about the rotating assembly balancing.

1.) It has a forged crank, which is ungodly heavy, how much can it be lightened ?

2.) Can I do the lighting myself and just have the machine shop balance the whole thing ?

3.) The balancer(vibration dampner) thats on the engine, Mopar muscle said you can use a 440 dampner, just make a new mark on the TC cover, but what about the pulleys that are built into the balancer ? are there aftermarket pulleys available for the sant to use with aftermarket balancers ?

I want a fairly decent revving engine, it will be turbocharged, and used as a daily driver, and road raced on the weekends, I will be using stock rods in a .030 over block. Not sure on the cam yet, have to call Erson and see what the recommend. Probably gonna go with .030 stock forged pistons from the local parts store.

-Mike

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I am the Guardian, I hate helos, everything leaks.......

Lightening the crank can be done, and shave a few pounds, but I would recommend sending it to a shop unless you have all the tools, and experience in balancing cranks.

I know they aren't incredibly popular, but a cast crank is quite a bit lighter, but since it is lighter, it's not quite as strong. This is probably a question best answered by Doctor Dodge himself.

~THOR~

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1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

Well how much is too much to take off ? I was going to chamfer the oil holes, and smooth the rough surface to try and help keep the oil off the crank and in the pan.

-Mike

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I am the Guardian, I hate helos, everything leaks.......

Where are there stock forged pistons from a local parts store? Are you sure they aren't cast? Just making sure, I've done a lot of research and stuff for a boosted motor and expensive forged pistons is something that is holding me up.
Lightening the rotating assembly isn't going to turn the slant six into a revving machine. The 170, smaller journals on the crank, and expensive new components (k1 rods) are going to be your options. You can knife edge the crank to shave some pounds off, however, I don't think this is really going to be worth it. What would be worth it is to lighten the rod/piston combo. Your best option would be to get lighter pistons in the form of the 2.2L piston and have someone weld up your combustion chamber to offset the the compression. Than you will balance the crank for each rod/piston combo instead of trying to lighten everything.
Of course there is the cast crank option which would involve getting another short block. However, by the time you mess around with that you've ruined some strength and could've invested your money somewhere else on the engine you already have. For the slant six I would invest in strong parts that can take a lot of boost and a turbocharger that is matched to the engine that will enhance the characteristics the engine already had. You have a long stroke that produces torque naturally which means you can have full boost built at 2800rpm or so and have it carry on up to 5500.
There is some basic information that came to mind when you asked those questions. Post some more and get the gears going, I got a lot of info on this stuff, so which direction do you want to go is what I need to know. With the boost and the right cam I wouldn't worry about lack of power or needing to spin the engine 10k, leave it to the Hondas.

Why would you waste your time lightening your rotating assembly, and then put a heavy RB damper on it?

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Doc has been able to shave 9-10 pounds off a forged crank, but he was worried about the structural integrity of the crank. I would assume then that you could safely take 5 pounds off and still be OK, so long as you have it balance afterward.

~THOR~

_________________
1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing