Rotating components often turn into guessing games because it is difficult for enthusiasts to find the right options for their projects. No matter who buys the rotating components, there are several key factors to consider before making any choices.

As more and more people want to make high-performance engines for their hot rod projects, their trams, their racing cars, or any situation, the many options available to engine manufacturers and consumers in terms of rotating components may be diminished. Right is overwhelming. As a result, manufacturers are always looking for ways to make it easier to deliver the correct parts for horsepower and application without fussing.

"Generally speaking, rotating components are the fastest growing part of our business," said Tom Lieb of Scat Crankshafts. "I think there are multiple reasons." 

According to Lieb, the number of component combinations is unlimited because you have different cylinder heads and they must be interchanged with different pistons. There are different apertures and strokes, and there are different budget factors. When choosing cranks, connecting rods and pistons, there are a variety of things that will guide you on different paths. 

"It is almost impossible for the warehouse to have an inventory of all parts," Lieb said. "If a customer wants to make a 383 Chevy, you must first check if they have a crankshaft in stock. Then, the crank is combined with some connecting rod. Do they have it? Then you have to know which cylinder head you are running. You want Flat-top, dish-shaped or domed piston? What bore diameter do you want and is it compatible with stroke and rod length? Do I have pistons, rings and bearings?

"Even if they have all the inventory, customers still need to balance the assembly. What we do is take everything out of the warehouse and put it in a box so you can order a part number. We stock all the parts because we The quantity is it, so we have the ability to stock these parts. 

"We also have a machining workshop. We treat each rotating component as a separate order. As far as balance is concerned, no work is done on the basis of production, so the quality of the balancing work you get is comparable to what any engine workshop can provide The quality is just as good."

Today, crank manufacturers are very good at helping customers choose cranks and related items to match their specific budget, horsepower, and application.

"We do provide rotating components. We sell a lot of kits every month," said Brook Piper of Callies. "Most of our spinning kits are sold to the public or racers."

According to Piper, most of their engine manufacturer customers know exactly what they want, so they don't always ask for help to select a complete rotating assembly. As far as Scat is concerned, Tom Lieb stated that the ratio between engine manufacturers and consumers who purchase their components is 50/50.

No matter who buys the rotating components, there are several key factors to consider before making any choices.

"When you sell rotating components, the most important thing is to ask the customer a series of questions to make sure that everyone is on the same page, because the customer doesn't necessarily know what all his choices are," Lieb said. "The app starts in dollars and cents. What is the budget? What are your expectations? Once we know this, we can match the correct crank and connecting rod assembly and then match it with the piston to get the horsepower needed . In the final analysis, customers can have all the items in the box at the right price to meet the expectations of engine manufacturing. We use our expertise to select the best parts for the application."

Callies offers V8 cranks as low as US$2,000 and as high as US$6,500, so it’s important to understand the customer’s budget. 

"If you don't know the budget, you might start talking about a bag that can blow them out of the water, and then you will lose them," Piper said. "Some people have a horsepower goal in their heads, but they don't fully understand what it costs. Some people say they want to make 2,000 horsepower, but they only have $2,000. That won't work.

"When we make an engine kit for someone, we make a list with them-what is the expectation of power? Are you using a power adder or naturally aspirated? If it uses a power adder, you want to use How much boost or nitrous acid? From there, we worked with him to study the holes in the cylinder head and cylinder block, and then worked backwards to provide him with the best items we could provide."

Due to their inventory depth, both Scat and Callies are able to provide customers with a variety of different rotary assembly options. Both companies have thousands of cranks and connecting rods, and cooperate with numerous piston manufacturers.

"We have prepared thousands of combinations," Lieb said. "We have always had thousands of cranks in stock. We have about 1,000 sets of pistons in stock. This gives us a very good cross-section. The key to the whole thing is that we have a large inventory." 

According to Piper, Callies kept a lot of raw materials on site and stated that there may be 3,000 forgings inside, so they always have what they need. A popular choice in recent years is enhanced applications.

"Increasingly, it seems that everyone is adding power to their engines," Piper said. "Many years ago, nitrous acid seemed to be the same thing. Now, everyone is using superchargers, ProChargers and turbochargers. If you are looking at the third-generation Hemi or LS/LT, people usually want to put 10-12 lbs. This is easy to do for its lifting. 

"For things like this, we would recommend our Compstar cranks and connecting rods, and then the piston manufacturer of their choice. We deal with Wiseco, JE, RaceTec, CP, etc. Some people have specific pistons that they must have, so we Cater to the needs of customers."

With so many customers hoping to reach the magical goal of 1,000 horsepower, Lieb said these applications require forged cranks.

"If you are considering LS applications, we would recommend forged cranks," he said. "We automatically assume that people will abuse it and want to get rid of it. We try to draw the boundaries of cast cranks in the 550-horsepower arena. On the big ones, 700-horsepower is a good boundary between forging and casting. If you start Talking about 1,000 horsepower, it must be a forged crank. If you start talking about artificial induction, such as nitrous acid, supercharging or turbocharging, and you want more than 1,500 horsepower, then you should consider using a billet crank.

"On a large piece-whether it's a Ford, Chrysler or Chevrolet-they use a larger main bearing. They use a larger shaft journal and use a thicker cross section. The cross section that holds the cranks together It is from the top of the main radius to the bottom of the rod radius. Since the cross-section of the large-cylinder engine is larger, compared with the small cylinder, the cast and forged cranks can obtain more horsepower.

"On small engines, when you start talking about 800-900 horsepower, you should switch to billet cranks. On a big block, once you reach 1,100-1,200 horsepower, then you should switch to billet cranks."

Piper said that the thing that Callies has always been popular is their central counterweight crank because of all the driving forces that are popular today.

"Our center counterweight crank prevents the motor from bending inside," Piper said. "LS is today’s new central thrust engine. You have a pivot point at the three main centers, so there are counterweights on both sides to prevent the crank from swinging or trying to bend. When the motor is under load, it moves and the crankshaft Swing back and forth. The center weight prevents it from bouncing around. Our center weight crank is pre-chamfered, which can clear almost any obstacles and any main webbing there."

Popular applications of Scat components are 350 Chevy, small Ford and LS. According to Lieb, Scat sells cast cranks three to one than forged cranks.

"Casting cranks is a staple food," he said. "This is a cheap way to get more cubic inches or more power. But when it comes to crankshafts and connecting rods, we can provide parts from one end to the other. We have cast cranks, forged cranks, billet cranks, and Custom forged cranks. 

"As far as the connecting rod is concerned, we have various levels of connecting rods. From the perspective of strength, whether it is an I-beam or an H-beam configuration, they all match the horsepower. For different horsepower, the piston has different Alloys and different coatings. When you move up and down in the spectrum, we have components that are compatible with each other and wallets. The information we get from this is that we have completed thousands of rotating assemblies over the years, and we try to eliminate guesswork."

With the manufacturer helping you make all the right choices, choosing a rotating component actually comes down to two key factors-budget and horsepower goals. EB

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