Tricks with stock cranks?

I keep thinking of all the different things I can do with my 460 build that will free up any potential power in the bottom end suck as shaving the casting lines off the rods, lighter pistons, yatta yatta yatta...

Anyhow I was reading through the most recent engine masters mag today and saw the 368W that had the knife edged crank counterweights and was wondering if this was worth doing on a production 460 crank, if I should/could do it myself, and how much power it would free up. I figure it doesn't cost anything to ask and chances are really good that you guys will either have already done something like this or know of someone that has.

Spend the money on the Stroker Crank.........

torkair wrote:I keep thinking of all the different things I can do with my 460 build that will free up any potential power in the bottom end suck as shaving the casting lines off the rods, lighter pistons, yatta yatta yatta...

Anyhow I was reading through the most recent engine masters mag today and saw the 368W that had the knife edged crank counterweights and was wondering if this was worth doing on a production 460 crank, if I should/could do it myself, and how much power it would free up. I figure it doesn't cost anything to ask and chances are really good that you guys will either have already done something like this or know of someone that has.

Bullnosing and knife edging can be worth as much as 25 horsepower on a long stroke engine at 8,500 RPM. On a street/strip 5,000 RPM engine you MIGHT get 2 and probably never see the difference. You will be lightening the crank some so it will need to be balanced again afterward.
Your patience will determine whether you can do this yourself or not.

Back when I did a 460 for the Engine Masters' Challenge I used an Eagle stock replacement 460 crank, weighted it with heavy metal and then cut down the counterweights so that it would balance with no holes drilled. I also rounded and smoothed the crank on the leading and trailing edges etc. I don't know if this really helped any at all but the engine ran fine. Later at the bash that same short block ran 6.50's at 100mph in the 1/8th mile in a '62 Ford pickup with a set of home ported Dove heads and a 514 crate engine roller cam. It was a very good running combination. Shannon broke a rod in that engine but I think he still has the crank which was not damaged.

At the time I measured the change it made in the overall weight of the crank, I can't remember but I'm thinking that it was a few pounds lighter. That engine had an Eagle SIR rod and a KB 137 piston none of which was by any means light.