Run mine while youre at it.. Mine was built 5/31/02, last day of final production and friday of all days

 

My vin is: 2FTZF07392CA77452
The crank was supposed to go in a built motor but REM wont put it in any of their built motors so it still sits there someplace......

 

Checked your VIN promod, you're forged (F7 crank).

 

But thats not what was in my motor....the SVT master mechanic at Ford along with Paul and Tim among others, seen the crank when my engine was disassembled and it was cast, no one could believe it...I got robbed...the crank looks different than a forged crank...Paul at REM can tell you more specifics but the crank is still at their shop....

 

 

I gues the cat is out of the bag now. Here is what my sources tell me happened:

The bean counters at Ford decided that the forged cranks were too expensive. So, they instructed the line workers to come back at night, pull the engines out, and replace the expensive forged cranks with the cheaper cast cranks. The mechanics union agreed because the massive engine failures would provide a rich source of shop hours. The parts suppliers were on board because they could now sell two cranks per Lightning. The lawyers also agreed with this decision because the false advertising class action suits would keep them employed for years.

This plan worked so well that Ford started putting in weak rods starting in '01.

 

You are safe, ****. My sources tell me that, by the end of the production run, they had a whole pile of forged cranks and "strong" rods sitting there as a result of parts swaps for the inferior parts. The last trucks of every model year get the "good" parts.

 

The bottom line is , the only way you can tell exactly what you got is to tear down your engine...my deal may of been a fluke, who knows.....

 

I wish i could believe that. Ive already had both cylinder heads replaced, several rear axle seals AND i had a fluke in the pcm that has been worked around by Jerry. Lets just pray those rod's hold up until i decide the exact amount of $$ im putting into the engine. So far, $10K is the current budget.

 

The crank in my 2000 was forged from the factory. I replaced it with a cast one ($180 vs $500) and the guy who now has it hasn't had any probs. It is true about the bluish tint on the forging. And it is true about the parting line on the rear flange- a cast crank has a thin line and a forged one has a wide flat spot.

 

Why would you replace a forged crank with a cast one?

 

$180 vs $500. And like someone said earlier in this thread, cast cranks are fine unless you are spinning it to the moon.

 

Tim Skelton

kiss my

 

How many crankshafts have gone bad here people.
Thats the last thing i am worried about, no im sorry im not worried at all about it

 

I guess you're not running a KB or Works with stage 3 cams and ported heads, are you?