MTFCA Forum

This crankshaft is in a 1927 block I want to rebuild. 14,719,XXX

I have an EE crankshaft I was going to use. But I’m curious if the crankshaft currently in the block would be a good choice to use?

Can anyone ID it. Thanks for any information you might have on it.

Looks like a Sure Mike. (spelling ?)

Yes, that's a "sure break" crank.
I had a mint STD/STD in a motor I bought. Rebuilt the motor. Didn't make 100 miles.
My story is not unique.

Shure-Mike:
I have to wonder if the cranks got a bad reputation because People just slapped them into engines with bent pans, bad clearance etc.
We have reused these crankshafts and they're still running today.
We have the ability to crack detect and straighten and remachine them properly .
Maybe this is why ours survive?

There was a couple that came from Eastern NY and the oil pan wouldn't even fit on our straightening table and their crank broke.
He said "Grandpa" didn't believe in straightening oil pans. This is what caused the crank to break.
Either do it right or do it twice.

Time will tell.

I would have the crankshaft in the OP cleaned, dye penetrant tested, and magnafluxed before I would put it into an engine.

John Codman wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 9:51 am

I would have the crankshaft in the OP cleaned, dye penetrant tested, and magnafluxed before I would put it into an engine.

There's no need to have the crank "dye penetrant tested" if you are to have the crankshaft wet magnafluxed.
Wet magnaflux as I have shown in bottom picture will work better than the dye penetrant and is faster more reliable.

J and M Machine wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 9:15 am

Shure-Mike:
I have to wonder if the cranks got a bad reputation because People just slapped them into engines with bent pans, bad clearance etc.
We have reused these crankshafts and they're still running today.
We have the ability to crack detect and straighten and remachine them properly .
Maybe this is why ours survive?

There was a couple that came from Eastern NY and the oil pan wouldn't even fit on our straightening table and their crank broke.
He said "Grandpa" didn't believe in straightening oil pans. This is what caused the crank to break.
Either do it right or do it twice.

John, I will agree with you on the reasons for bad reputation, plus being a counterbalanced crank, possibly some "young bucks" who expected more speed out of a smoother running engine, pushed motors with Sure Mikes, too hard.

Years ago i was wondering why certian cranks always had cracks like the DB cranks, my day job had a foundry so I took a bunch of different style cranks to work to check the metallurgy out in them, the DB was the highest chromium in them the EE crank had non the Sure Mike was right up there with the DB cranks, all the Sure Mikes I have ever had still measured standard as the DB did, my thoughts they where to hard of a crank for what a Model T engine was designed for???

Hang 'em on a string and tap them with a hammer..............

Dan McEachern wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 4:26 pm

Hang 'em on a string and tap them with a hammer..............

My crank came from a "hill climb" motor with a BB rajo on top.
So, I dont know how abused it was or if the pan was bent on that motor
The crank looked new with no wear & great radius's.
My mistake, I didnt magnaflux.
But I did ring it. Best & longest tone I had heard.

The pan on the motor when it broke was straight arrow. Everything full balanced. Z Flat head.
It broke behind #1 rod journal. Not a symptom of a bent pan.
This was my second sure break broken crank. So I thought I knew better. But this crank seemed ubber cherry, so I ran it.
The worst thing is I could have sold it for $450-500 @ the time.

I am happy for those that have successfully run one. 2 strikes for me.

Dan McEachern wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 4:26 pm

Hang 'em on a string and tap them with a hammer..............

Funny that you should say that.
Standing in front of my magnaflux machine with the local T club present on tour of our facility, explaining what the magnaflux machine does.
I asked the club members how they check their cranks prior to rebuild as the other machine shop rebuilder was present .
They chimed in unison; "We hit it with a hammer and it'll ring" !

I did the same procedure with hammer in hand and our crank also rang like a bell. I placed it in the magnaflux machine and their mouths hit the floor as in this picture is what they saw. !

Just because it's an ABC, DB or even EE crank they all need to be magnafluxed. Just because it's EE doesn't make it unbreakable.
Remember it's a Model T

Ooops!! someone needs to pull the pistons on that block, split skirt is facing the thrust side of the bore and needs oil holes drilled for the wrist pins.

When I did mine, no one made them, so I rolled the dice.
It had a crack, but I had it grooved out and welded.
National Crankshaft reground it and a stock EE crank the same size as back up. Plan B
They then did dynamic balance with rods and pistons, flywheel, blah blah
That was 48 years ago. But, under 1000 miles.
( Long story).

Now I am planning on a Sherman head, and that will really test it.

Plan C would now be a Scat, or that other one cooking,
Chaffin? I would grind it to what I have, check clearances and drive.

I think there are 2 different counter balanced crank made in the day. Sure Mike's have a bad reputation, the other 1 is very durable. I don't know how to tell the difference, but I have 1 that was on a originally on a overhead stick, that I now have on a OHV. It has suffered much abuse from me, and previous owners.

Running an engine hard with a very light flywheel might allow destructive high frequency torsional vibration at some speeds.

got10carz wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 8:13 pm

I think there are 2 different counter balanced crank made in the day. Sure Mike's have a bad reputation, the other 1 is very durable. I don't know how to tell the difference, but I have 1 that was on a originally on a overhead stick, that I now have on a OHV. It has suffered much abuse from me, and previous owners.

Steve, there have been many forum posts on Sure Mike crankshafts over the years. One of them I read, said that there were two different series of Sure Mikes, made: Sure Break and May Break (just kidding). Maybe Sure Mike realized they had a problem with the early cranks and, later in production, changed the metallurgy of their cranks to be more durable.

ModelTWoods wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 10:53 pm

got10carz wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 8:13 pm

I think there are 2 different counter balanced crank made in the day. Sure Mike's have a bad reputation, the other 1 is very durable. I don't know how to tell the difference, but I have 1 that was on a originally on a overhead stick, that I now have on a OHV. It has suffered much abuse from me, and previous owners.

Steve, there have been many forum posts on Sure Mike crankshafts over the years. One of them I read, said that there were two different series of Sure Mikes, made: Sure Break and May Break (just kidding). Maybe Sure Mike realized they had a problem with the early cranks and, later in production, changed the metallurgy of their cranks to be more durable.

Of those two styles, I believe one appears to be heavier and more robust. One of each is shown in the various pictures, above.

Kerry wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 07, 2025 7:05 pm

Ooops!! someone needs to pull the pistons on that block, split skirt is facing the thrust side of the bore and needs oil holes drilled for the wrist pins.Screenshot (227).png

Yup this is how it came to us. fresh re-rebuild.

A 1927 Western Auto catalog offers a counterbalanced crankshaft that appears to be identical to the one in the OP's picture. (Cimorelli)