Okay, so it is Christmas and I usually try to buy myself something Hotrod related to get me through to the next year. I'm trying to be conservative as I'm building a new shop building in South Dakota - funds are tight . . . what can I afford to find/buy? Forget about it, maybe next year . . . BUT THEN: A good flathead buddy turned me onto an auction about mid-December where there was a billet ghost-main crankshaft listed - maybe made by good ole' "Flathead Jack" from back in the day. As anybody who has ever ordered a custom billet crankshaft knows (the hard way) - they are extremely expensive. He was pondering to bid on it, asked my opinion on what it was, what it was worth, what a top-bid might be, etc.. Friends are Worth More than Hotrod Parts: I told him I didn't want to bid against him or step on his toes in any way -> that his friendship was worth far more than any damn crankshaft. He called me and said "Hey, I don't really need that crankshaft, go ahead and go for it". (I had told him I was pondering ordering a billet crank for a special Ardun project . . . big $$$ . . . gulp). Flying Mostly Blind - Gamble or Not? The gamble was that there were zero specs on the crankshaft, not who made it, not the journal sizes, not the stroke - nothing. One could see that it was new and that it was a ghost-main billet crank - that was about it. So, one could bid/win it and find that it was a piece of ****, had all the wrong specs, etc.. But hey, it's Christmas and I was in the mood to gamble a reasonable amount on it and pay to crate and ship it to me (which would be expensive). Turd or Golden Goose? Could be a big fat turd . . . or Jed could be a millionaire . . . no way to know. Well, I won the auction - now the waiting and anxiety began . . . especially as it cost over $400 to get it here. I had to ship it to SD - as I knew I would not be back in Ohio anytime soon. Seems every time I try the "too good to be true" game with myself - I lose . . . f**king Hotrod gluttony is usually punished! Anyway, it showed up yesterday . . . and it was like Christmas . . . who knows what's in the box, who knows if it is good or not . . . was the gamble worth it? Heck, the packaging (crate) was fantastic . . . but what awaited me in the box? I was like a 7th grade kid hoping to open his first stolen ****o mag . . . Winner, Winner, Flathead Dinner! The crank turned out to be exactly what I was going to order . . . made by the SAME guy I was going to order it from --> Henry Velasco . . . one of the best crankshaft vendors for a flathead crankshaft. It has STD mains, 1.998 rods (1939-42 size) and a stroke of 4.250. It is obviously new . . . couldn't have asked to give myself a better Christmas present! In this rare case . . . gluttony paid off . . . it may never happen again . . . Happy New Year to all you Vintage Hotrod Nuts! B&S
I have that part covered . . . once I return to Ohio, I'll be ready to proceed . . . 2014-02-02 17.47.22 by Bored&Stroked posted Dec 30, 2025 at 6:03 PM Ardun-LogManifold2 Copy by Bored&Stroked posted Dec 30, 2025 at 6:03 PM
That was a good score!! Like you I had to get me something for my hot rod so I dropped a sizable chunk on a set of almost NOS Oldsmobubble hub caps for my shoebox and got bit. The darn things need a deeper wheel and I don’t want to risk scuffing an almost new set of WWW tires swapping them.
Sometimes the stars align just right, that was a great score! But as long as I’ve been around this stuff I never heard the term ghost mains. I see how the crank was machined, is that for a weight reduction where the typical f/h counterweights are?
As you can see, the big counterweights are not there . . . there are now two areas that look like small/thin bearing journals. The primary purpose was weight reduction, but also some guys have had those areas finish ground to create two baby 4th and 5th mains. Then they had to come up with a complex "girdle" to hold the very narrow ghost main bearings and the girdle itself had to have BOTH sides of the journal support. Usually there is a bearing cap BELOW the crank that has to bolt on. I'm not totally convinced that adding two baby mains for the 4th/5th journals is a huge bonus - but it might be. On our Flathead Cadillac Bonneville engine, we are also only running 3 mains - and we've put 650 horsepower to it quite a few times. So far, the crank and lower end has held up. BUT I designed a big-*** girdle system and steel main caps to hold the lower end together. I do believe that a flathead will benefit from a lower girdle and supported main caps - with 3 mains probably being okay if the girdle could better support the center main area. I may design a big steel girdle similar to what is shown below (though I also have a Doug King girdle for the Ardun). Here is what I designed for the FlatCAD (1940 Flathead Cadillac BVille engine) 1) First design: 2) Second Design: Notice the Splayed center main cap
All I will say is you are a true machinist. I have some of the same machinery it took to do that. But the machine is more capable than the owner /operator. You are impressive my friend.
Don't yah hate it when you think you've made a good deal on something . . . and it turns out to be exactly the opposite? When we're "in the hunt" it is easy to overlook sometimes obvious flaws in our logic, or pay too much (I've done that at auctions a few times!).
Special stuff. I wouldn't say gluttony. Maybe rather, feasting. Perfectly appropriate during holidays and celebration. But you're making me hungry.
Well it sure looks like that crank fell right into very good hands also Your mention of installing a girdle has me thinking the old girl will not only perform well but also look very good for her age
I hope that you keep us in the loop here, I would love to see how you approach this build! On an aside, it's probably of no use to you, certainly if you plan on using the ghost mains, but I know the guy who has the Kong Girdle patterns...
Do you have any pictures of what his system looks like? I have a complete setup that came from Doug King, but I may make an end-to-end girdle for the flathead ford, that is similar to the FlatCAD one - except the main caps have to be part of the girdle itself (most likely).
Congrats on your “find”!!! With a stroke of 4 1/4(1/2 in stroker,right???) and your current knowledge of strokers, I am sure u are aware that the longer the stroke there is a tendency to “wear out the engine quicker” because of the piston speed that is encountered because of the long stroke. I built a few 4 1/8 in strokers that wore out the bores in a relatively short period of time(not many miles traveled in street driven flatheads) and even had a 4 1/2 crank but was worried about finding pistons for it that were affordable, plus was worried about the amount of material removed from the block for the proper rod to block clearance. Flatheads Forever!!
Whoa, baby! I can still remember looking through the Flathead Jack catalog and drooling over that ghost main crank, then looking at my bank statement and realizing it was never going to happen as a newlywed. Great score and it went to a great home. Our friend in CT has done the 4th/5th ghost main girdle with upper and lower bearings if you'd like to talk to someone about it.
Yes, I know Ronnie quite well and have discussed his girdle setup with him. I'm probably not going to add a 4th or 5th ghost main, but I am pondering a girdle design that incorporates the main caps into the girdle and covers the entire oil-pan rails. This would be more like the girdles you see on a Donovan 417 Hemi from back in the day.
Can I put in a request that you feature this build?! I watched your build thread on the pre-war stroker for the Cabrio, and it was quite inspiring! I think you should put that stuff in print so that we can purchase it... I hadn't put eyes on a crank like this before and would enjoy watching it come together! 3blap.
That sounds like a plan - the Ardun build! Maybe I'll consolidate all the posts and information I've created over the last 15 years and create a "booklet" that could be purchased for a fair price. It might help a lot of folks!
The Jalopy Journal
