Just wondering if this is a viable option to having a crank welded & ground? I send out machine spindles, worn beyond thier usable life for this, and they come back as good as new. Also had a trans shaft done, about 4 years ago, that had a bearing surface chewed beyond recognition, and it's still working great. Saved about $600.00 by repairing instead of replacing it.The bad surface is ground down, then built up with the hard chroming process, then ground back to specs. Would the surface be to hard to polish?
Terry

I used to be a grinder at Arizona Hard Chrome. Hardchroming can be a viable fix for an expensive crank that's damaged or worn too far to grind undersize. There can be troubles if the process is not carried out just right, chrome can flake off, etc. Another issue entirely is what happens if the chrome is not evenly applied arond the journal radii. Stress risers apparently can form, possibly leading to breakage in a highly stressed situation. Having said, I also know that a lot of cranks have been used successfully after chroming. We used to do a lot of Offy and Chevy sprint car cranks, along with heavy diesel stuff. I have had hard chromed cranks in several of my own engines. Never had a problem. THere's several shops that can do this.

Tom

Thanks Tom, I just had a toyota v6 crank welded and ground, but the shop doing the work offered no guarantee. They said the welding weakens the crank, and that it's more likely to break. I don't know if this is true, or a ploy to sell cranks. Fortunately, this one is working great. Next time I need this done, I'll defintely look more into the hard chroming, at least for the more expensive cranks.
Terry

Hard chroming a crank can be a viable fix but I would only do it on a expensive or rare part. I have seen to many of them flake and spin bearings
one shop to avoid is located in memphis they will chrome anything to make a buck (EVEN CRACKED ONES). If you need a chevy crank ohio crankshaft probably has what you need. Checkout
www.ohiocrank.com (http://www.ohiocrank.com) they do their own machine work
so their 4340 BBC cranks are 569.00. Myself and friends have been using them for a while and are quite pleased with the quality.
Happy Racing!!!