Few points to add to that....

If the guy is looking to see if boring a block is in his budget I don't think he has the money for a forged crank lol.

Have you YOURSELF ever measured a Eagle crank that is not right? Every one I have ever checked has been within +/-.0001 journal to journal. They have gotten much better with indexing and journal sizes over the years. On top of that, they give you a target bobweight for the crank and the thing will balance without heavy metal if you are below that, well unless you screw up and drill out too much.

I wonder if Manley H Beams actually are made in China? If they are such junk becuase of this I wonder why ever Sportsman and Bracket motor that Reher Morrison makes has them in it?

Now when you get into cheap forged rods like a Scat I or a Eagle SiR there are times when you have to throw them on the hone to clean up the big or small end of the rod. Usually it's one out of every set and only the pin bore and for the price of those rods, it's still a deal for what you get. At that point the cost and proper application of the parts doesn't warrant something like a Oliver or even a Eagle H beam. A $250 set of rods is a dam steal, and a few minutes of time on the hone to fix them surely doesn't warrant a $800, $1200 or even $400 set of rods.

Funny thing on the cheap cranks like Scats and Eagles, if you go throwing tons of heavy pistons and rods on them then heavy metal would be needed, but if you match them with parts that are similar in use and strength you are usually close. I don't see the point of a guy spending $1600-$2000 on a rotating assembly where he could get buy with a $1000-$1200 setup and $100 (at the most) of extra labor to make it work.

I've used both $1200 cranks and $200 cranks in builds, $1200 rods and $250 rods and $1300 piston sets and $260 piston sets, Junk stock blocks and $2500 Race Preped Bowties. The same care needs to be taken with all the parts, but they all have their applications for the budget and use of the motors.

On the other hand it's good that the guy you use checks all the parts. Cheap parts do add labor price to a build, no doubt about that. That's why things like Mahle pistons are so nice for a build.

Bret

 

I have my self never measured a Eagle Crank,never had a chance too, for two reasons.I never purchased one, and have not done any kind of rebuilds with them , I just talk with builders who have alot of experience with them. They like you dont completly knock Eagle Quality, but the resounding fact is without a doubt, that Eagle is not up to par on its specs.

Now, I did not make the statement Manley is junk because it is made in china. I just made the statement, that they are made there, for anyone who doesnt want to purchase the Scat or Eagles thinking it is a made in china subpar H beam rod, and think that you are getting a made in america top of the line Hbeam, which comically is much more expensive than the before mentioned two companies. Manley H beams are made in China, have been a for a long time, most likley come out of the same building as the Scat and Eagle stuff.Call them up they will tell you they are only machined here like the other 2.I have no opinion or comment on why Reher Morrison uses those rods in their motors. But Reher Morrison is one out of thousands that builds motors, each has their preference Manley seems to be his, but some of his motors feature C&A rods as well. I guess the point Im trying to make about the China made parts are that if you speak to 100 people who own these china made parts wheather it be cranks or rods, its almost a 50/50 problem/ no problem outcome. When in comparision the american made parts from the big names like Callies, Crower, Cola, Lunati, C&A, Oliver, you hardly ever hear of problems in terms of specs, or problems with balancing, or problems with the finish work. I dont know about anyone else but If I pay $600 for a crank, and it is still not 100% out of the box Im not to happy a person. Eagle Sirs are good for a budget motor, thats it. But I think a better bet is the PM Gm rods , they are cheaper than the Eagles and made in the USA.

On the balancing, the Eagle and Scats counterweights tend to differ from each other vs the Callies, Crower, Lunati and Cola. A few grams not properly machined here and there add up to a lot of finessing of the crank to work, which like you said can add up in the long run.

I think the resounding fact here is the word "budget" and "quality" should not be in the same sentence. If you are looking for a cheap rebuild, and cheap machining cost, you will end up with a cheap motor which will cost you what you should have paid for the better quality machining and parts in the long run when it spins a bearing or the caps walk. I have learned the hard way," You get what you pay for".

 

we use scat in at work in a damn near full blown racecar (think 7 liter twin turbo, 8psi, NASCAR STYLE intake/heads)

no problems with them