I was watching a television show, Fantom Works, last week. They were restoring a 1964 Mercedes. The engine needed a lot of work so they pulled it and sent it out for an overhaul. In the course of restoring the engine, the crankshaft was dropped on the concrete floor and broke in half. I never knew that cast iron crankshafts were so brittle. Luckily, Fantom Works was able to obtain a used (and costly) replacement crankshaft to complete the build. I found two interesting technical articles explaining crankshaft technology. They make interesting reads: Crankshaft Design, Materials, Loads and Manufacturing, by EPI Inc. Crankshaft types and differences
