Crankshaft Storage
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 550
Likes: 1
From: Effingham,IL USA
ok has anybody ever actually had a crank bend or warp cause they stored it on their side? ive never heard of anybody actually having a crank bent like that. i dont think it'll bend if you lay it down on the counterweights like i said earlier.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 26,007
Likes: 575
From: Brentwood,CA
yes it can and will happen. the crank will settle. the crank is only strong when supported by the main caps in the engine. it can distort. machine shops use crank racks to hold them. i built myself a crank rack.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,483
Likes: 1
From: Northern California
I doubt anyone has had it happen....it really does sound like "someone told me" and it just keeps getting passed along as such. I would be most interested to hear of an actual account of this, not just hearsay. I have seen endless numbers of cranks stored on end, which could lead to distortion also if they are this prone to distort, and they all seem to work just fine.
New User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: up state new york
i went to nascar technical institute, but i did not graduate. however i did go through an automotive engines and repair class and they said the safest place to store a crank is in the block. There there second recomendation was to hang it from the flanged end. And set down on the flange end as a last resort. Thats what i was told at least.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,483
Likes: 1
From: Northern California
I dunno Tim, seems to me I may need to keep the pistons in my spare block then to keep the cylinders round...
If storing them on their side will bend them, then in the same theory, hanging them off the flange on the back as you have said should strech them too...
I've always heard that the purpose behind proper crankshaft storage is to keep other objects from hitting them and possible causing bending or journal damage that way, not protection from gravity.
If storing them on their side will bend them, then in the same theory, hanging them off the flange on the back as you have said should strech them too...
I've always heard that the purpose behind proper crankshaft storage is to keep other objects from hitting them and possible causing bending or journal damage that way, not protection from gravity.
Last edited by 94F150-408; Aug 2, 2005 at 10:11 PM.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 139
Likes: 0
Why do people have such a hard time believing that cranks will bend if they are left on their sides? Now we are talking about leaving them on their sides for months or years before they do this. They are not being supported like when they are in the engine block. We are talking thousandths that they will bend, it can't be seen with the naked eye. But this is enough to wipe out a set of bearings shortly after puttin the crank in. I am a machinist and am speaking from experience. Crankshafts will even bend in a running engine over time. 6 cyl inline engines are the worst and I have seen them come in with .003 to .005 bend in them. Its amazing they are still running. And certain cranks will have more of a tendency to bend compared to others.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,483
Likes: 1
From: Northern California
Originally Posted by mvoeller2
Crankshafts will even bend in a running engine over time. 6 cyl inline engines are the worst and I have seen them come in with .003 to .005 bend in them. Its amazing they are still running. And certain cranks will have more of a tendency to bend compared to others.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 139
Likes: 0
Yes they do go 200 or more, but when they come in, the majority of them are bent and have to be straightened and reground to be reused with new bearings. It is rare to just polish a 6 cyl crank and put in standard bearings. And yes the 300 is a very good engine, but at 200, or 300 thousand, they need some work just like any other engine.
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 161,999
Likes: 75
From: 3rd Rock
If storing them on their side will bend them, then in the same theory, hanging them off the flange on the back as you have said should strech them too...
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
Having grown up in Daytona, I had the priveledge of knowing Smokey Yunick. The first time I saw crankshafts hanging in his shop I asked him why they had to be hung. He said "So they won't bend". I liked to challenge his answers as often as possible, probably because he had little patience for some kid nosing around his shop asking dumb questions. He stopped what he was doing long enough to explain that the steel of the crank is very stable and if a crank were laid on it's side and not subject to change in temperature or vibration it may never bend. However, as the temperature goes up and down during the day this thermal cycling can "relax" a crank that is not supported evenly by it's main journals. It sounded logical to me so I have never had a reason to believe any differently. In fact I believe everything Smokey ever told me except for when he told me that Chevys were better than Fords. We'll miss him.........
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 550
Likes: 1
From: Effingham,IL USA
dam if smokey said so i believe it. finally got some good evidence with mvoeller- a machinest that's seen it happen. im changin my mind on the crank storage issue! next time i'm in my storage unit im settin my 302 crank upright. thats what i was lookin for someone who actually works with machining them who has actually seen the effects of im proper storage. everybody can say they will bend laying down but if you have no reasons to support the idea its questionable. i just hate that when somebody says something but has no evidence or reasons or first hand experiance with what there talkin about. one thing i know smokey was never wrong about anything- except that chevys r better than fords!