Ah, hah! Excellent question! You can tell a balanced crank by the "extended" (1/2" to 5/8") castings on the 4 rod journal throws. One will see something that looks like "chisel" marks on the machined end surface. Those marks are done by the balance machine, generally 3 to 4 "marks". That means the crank has been balanced to spec. An unbalanced crank will not have the journal extensions or any marks, but it will have "machineing" on the large counterweights. Balanced cranks will also have machineing on the counterweights more radical than the cast cranks. George ----- Original Message ----- From: Rich Barber To: 'George Riehl' ; 'Jonnie' ; chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 10:07 PM Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] crankshaft Thanks to George for another quick and accurate answer to a burning question. Now, I'm curious as to whether the journals are machined and polished before and/or after heat treating??? And, how do you tell the difference between standard and high-performance cranks? Are different part numbers stamped somewhere on the crank?? That precision balancing explains why it idles so sm-sm-sm-smooth. She does level out soon after coming off the idle stop, though!! C-300'ly, Rich Barber Brentwood, CA (the rainy season finally got here--we need it) -----Original Message----- From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of George Riehl Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 4:10 PM To: 'Jonnie'; chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; Rich Barber Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] crankshaft Rich; Just had this discussion with a Club member.........both cranks are forged.......300, marine and industrial crank bearing journals are flame hardened to .060, New Yorkers and Imperials are not hardened. Other than that, both are the same in dimentions and interchangeable. Tri-metal bearing used on hard cranks, Non tri-metal bearings used on the others. George Riehl ----- Original Message ----- From: Rich Barber To: 'Jonnie' ; chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 4:32 PM Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] crankshaft Just curious. Is there any difference between a 1955 C-300 crank and one from a NY or Imp? C-300'ly, Rich Barber Brentwood, CA 1955 C-300 -----Original Message----- From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jonnie Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 1:12 PM To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [Chrysler300] crankshaft Does anyone out there have a 55 C300 crankshaft they would like to sell ?-----Johnnie Slayton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] To send a message to this group, send an email to: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/ Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] To send a message to this group, send an email to: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/ Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] To send a message to this group, send an email to: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Chrysler300-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx mailto:Chrysler300-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Chrysler300-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/