Is a 396 and 427 steel crankshaft #6223 balanced the same and if not what do you have to do to interchange them? P.S What is the best thing to put on cranks and blocks to store them so they won't rust? THANKS Daryl

Well, I don't know about a #6223 specifically, but 396 and 427 GM cranks are all 3.76" stroke. Store a crank up on end, not laying flat. Put a thin coat of oil on it as well. For the block, same thing, a bit of oil on the cylinder walls and lifter bores... and stick it in a plastic bag to keep the dirt/dust from settling on the oil

By the book the 6223 is a 396 crank. The difference is in the counter weights. No big deal just have the assembly balanced and you`ll be good to go.

The 6223 forged crank was used in all factory Hi Perf 396/375 (L78), 427/425 (L72) and 427/435 (L71) engines (excluding the L88 and ZL1 which used the 7115 forged crank) in 1968-1969.

Dave

It is just about the commonist forged 3.76 crank there is. My 66 L-72 came with one that was crossdrilled. I still have a couple that came out of early 396s that weren't crossdrilled. It looks like they could show up in just about anything.