Welding Thrust on Cast Crank?

[ss3011]

Any chance you could find a bearing with a wider thrust dimension ?

[GTX JOHN]

Originally Posted by ss3011

Any chance you could find a bearing with a wider thrust dimension ?

Good Idea and I know it works and is available on some GM stuff
but I have not been able to find anything for my Mopar Stuff.

It seems like we have had a lot of problems since we started
leaving two steps. Plus my son is a serial gas whomper near
the finish!

[1347]

Originally Posted by GTX JOHN

Good Idea and I know it works and is available on some GM stuff
but I have not been able to find anything for my Mopar Stuff.

It seems like we have had a lot of problems since we started
leaving two steps. Plus my son is a serial gas whomper near
the finish!

Don't know how worn it is, but the King bearing I use for my small block ford application is always too tight and needs to be sanded down. Just used a King bearing on a friend's small block ford engine that was over .018, and the King bearing out of the box worked well.

[Rich Biebel]

I had a period of time when I kept hurting thrust bearings
Had it happen 3 times on different engines and transmissions and even in 2 different cars.

BB Chevy engines, OEM steel cranks.

Had cranks weld repaired and they held up ok

I got in the habit of checking the engine every week with a big screwdriver.

At one point I pulled the oil pan and pulled the rear main bearing out and the main journal was not hurt. Put a new bearing in there and it had probably .030" of thrust movement.....crank thrust flange was worn....I ran it like that and it never was a problem and I eventually fixed it....

I tried every trick I knew.....Drilled the block and the bearing for direct pressurized oil to the thrust from the rear main oil feed hole....did not stop the problem....

For me the only thing that stopped the problem was not using a solid type flex plate....

Never had the thrust issues again...

I still won't use a solid wheel......and the thrust issues I had were from many years ago.....

[ss3011]

Some of the reasons you get Thrust bearing wear or failure is due to Converter ballooning . Two things to check ,one is the pull up on the converter and two, the maximum line pressure the transmission makes . If the converter does not have enough pull up and the shell balloons , the converter neck can bottom out on the pump gears and force the crank forward . Also if the converter charge pressure is high , this causes a force at the converter neck , the bigger diameter the neck is the greater the force .

[Andy Friar]

Yes, cranks can be welded on. As noted here, it is an involved process and thus expensive. Billet or cast it can be done, but metallurgy understanding and process QC are critical. It would leave you with a set thrust washer height too which may be good or bad in your application. Thrust washers can be bought in all dimensions, ID, OD and thickness. Whether listed specifically for Dodge, Ford, or GM or from a bearing company for industrial use. Material, heat treat and thus load handling are the issues to watch for. Oversize height thrust washers can be sanded down to proper thickness or taken to a machine shop with a surface grinder. All that being said, the welding on of a thrust washer may be treating the symptom and not the causing issue.

Can't say without being there nor do I claim to be an expert on race engine & trans systems. I do work as a gear design engineer and have held quality jobs and running a prototype machine shop in the past. NOT claiming to be an expert on that either, just giving my background to put my response in context.I would be curious to see what you end up doing and if it solves the issue(s) you are having.

[devo340]

We were going through 360 thrust bearings every 10 passes.
Like you, had a small investment in the crank.
Sent it to Ohio Crankshaft & had it repaired.
Killed it in 10 passes.
Wasn't a concern with the crank repair.
Found the convertor snout was bottoming out in the crankshaft.
The mounting lugs were .015 away from the flex plate.
Changed convertors & never had the problem again.