Crankshaft X-Ray; WHERE?

[bill dedman]

I have a cast iron, 4" stroke, crank for a small block Mopar that I'd like to get X-Rayed, but have never had anything X-Rayed before, and don't know whether this service is available anywhere close to where I live (central Arkansas.)

If fact, I don't know if ANYBODY does this in the aftermarket.

I'd be looking for internal casting flaws, cracks, etc. that can't be determined by the MagnaFlux process.

Thanks for any information/advice...

Bill

[Jeff Lee]

I looked into getting a set of rods x-rayed for the same reasons. I was looking at around $800.00 for the set of 8! I decided the standard magna-flux was adequate.

[richie 2]

we "wet mag" every crank & rod that goes through this place for sure...i do know a reputable shop that goes one step more & sends the race components off to the aircraft industry for ex-ray....i could research for more info if you wish...

[Greg Barsamian]

Find someone in your area with "sonic testing" equipment.

[Rich Biebel]

I worked for a company in the '60's that machined aircraft engine components. Fan blade parts mostly. We EDM and ECM'ed holes in the parts. They were made of "aerospace" materials.....Every part was sent off to a company that was less than a mile from where I am right now.....Parker X-Ray......I looked at many of those x-rays as the parts all came back to our Q.C. dept. with the x-rays included. Other than an outright flaw or void in the metal.....I don't see the advantge over a wet mag test. A person with a lot of experience can find almost any flaw in a crank with a wet mag machine....


I don't know of any std. automotive crank shop that did anything beyond wet mag inspection. I'm sure there are facilites that can do it......but finding one/shipping the crank and paying for the service sounds like it would be fairly expensive.....

[bill dedman]

Thanks for all that information, everyone.

I am woefuly ignorant about MagnaFluxing's capabilities. Can a "Wet Mag" test "see" an air bubble inside a crank? I have a very basic knowledge of how standard MagnaFluxing works, but don't know anything about a "Wet Mag" test.

Would it be a test that could discover internal casting flaws in a crank?

Thanks for any info on this; I don't want to spend $1000.00 examining this $230.00 crankshaft, of course....

Bill

[Rich Biebel]

A mag tester, wet or dry uses an electrical current to magnetize the part being inpsected. If there is a crack or flaw it shows up due to the broken magnetic field. The powder or fluid has metal particles in it. This is a surface inspection....can't really see anything inside unless it comes all the way to the surface. X-Rays are usually used for metals other than a casting, I think....I'm no metallurgist or expert. The gentleman that sponsors Top Dragster here in Div.1 could answer your question better than me.....Ernie Kendall...His company sells and services magnafluxing machines. MXI......He used to post in the Top Dragster area......maybe he would respond if you asked your question over there.....

I have to ask.....Where did you get a 4" stroke crank for a small block Mopar engine? I am not to familiar with Mopar engines but a 4" stroke is not common in a small block anything that I know of.....?

[bill dedman]

Thanks, Rich; I'll try to get his attention over there... and thanks for the explanation.

The 318/340/360 motor has some dimensions (taller deck/longer rods, higher cam location, compared with a SBC) that allow it to use a 4" stroke without interference, so several companies that deal in aftermarket hard parts (SCAT, EAGLE, etc.) started selling 4" cranks for these engines a couple of years ago... maybe longer.

Some of them are cast; some are forged, and a lot of the cast ones come from CHINA... 'nuf sed.... but they're incredibly cheap ($239.00)

Sometimes, you get what you pay for... lol!

Bill