[Rory McNeil]

As for the cast crank "problem", both my Mustang 302 Stocker, and my FE428 Fairmont bracket car, have 4 speeds, and 2 steps, as well as cast cranks. The launch RPM for both cars is between 5600- 6400 RPM, on the 2 step, both cranks are still doing fine. The OE 40+ year old crank in the 428 has been in this car for 14 years now, running 10.0`s @132. I don`t know if there is a relation to the 2 step, but I did just tear the 428 down, and although the bearing surfaces still look great after 3 seasons, most of the bearings have lost their tight fit into the caps. They slipped out quite easily.