Callies crank vs. Eagle crank
Andrew
Actually, thats not very far from how I feel...regarding the cranks of course.
I have built many motors using Eagle cranks and I haven't personally experienced any failures including seeing many BBC's in the mid 800's using Eagle H-Beams....some of them had the L19 bolt upgrade for a little more peace of mind.
IMO, some of the bad rap Eagle gets is due to the fact they are affordable, many people buy them, some of which have no right assembling an engine (parts fail....parts of course are blamed).
Will an Eagle motor fail if assembled properly?....highly unlikely. Will a Callies fail in the same scenario?.....IMO even more unlikely as it is also my opinion that QC is a notch higher with the more expensive (and MUCH better looking) part. I also happen to know most of the guys at Callies and I feel they all really give a ***** about the parts they are producing.
I am actually building a 403 LS2 engine right now and upgraded the rotating assembly to a Callies dragonslayer and Compstar rods. The finish on all the journals is ridiculous and in 20 years this is one of the only cranks I checked the center main for run-out and literally had zero....most cranks (even very expensive ones) have at least a few tenths. Point is the machining looks and is spot on.
Another big perk is the Callies piece weighs 6 lbs less than the last 4" Eagle I actually installed in my personal 383 motor (it came with the SSRE rotating assembly). Thats a lot of rotating weight reduction and I will bet you worth a few ponies on the chassis dyno and at the track....another perk I felt was worth mentioning here. It's also worth mentioning I have run my 383 hard including a few missed shifts which happens to the best of us and my Eagle crank is still in one piece....ironically however my 383 rotater came with the CompStar rods so they are doing a nice job as well.
In the end, is it all worth it? Its kinda back to the poon scenario again....to some yes and to others no. If you're on a budget and trying to do alot with a little, your money is probably better spent on a different camshaft or better heads (shameless plug I know....). If you have a few extra sheckles left after planning your new engine IMO, the little bit extra piece of mind and the luxury of looking at that much nicer, lighter part as your dropping it in between the main saddles is all worth it. Higher HP cars that plan for lots of boost or a serious N/A piece that may see alot more RPM should definately take the plunge IMO.
Much like cylinder heads, it's nice to know there's a crank out there for most people's needs and budget....you just have to figure out where you fit into that picture, but in life, it seems I have never regreted buying the better (arguably) more expensive option.
Tony M.
Contact me for details.
Dave
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

Magnum XL: $2999
Magnum : $2399
Dragonslayer: $1535
Compstar (coming soon) ~$850
(Racer Pricing)
Last edited by SLED28; Nov 10, 2006 at 12:58 PM. Reason: misprint
Here are the differences for you on the Callies and CompStar Cranks
Magnum XL - This is the lightest crankshaft we make - Hence the price...
Magnum - This crank is fully machined and hand shaped. We will make it in any stroke from a 2.900 up to a 4.500 Stroke ( Yes you did read right - 4.500)
DragonSlayer - We only offer this crank - the stock stroke and a 4.00 stroke with 2.00 or 2.100 Rod Journals. As of right now this is the best bet for a street/strip motor. These cranks come internally balanced to your bob weight with your choice of reluctor style.
Now coming in January we will be offering the Compstar Crankshaft for LSX Engines. We have been offering this Offshore style of crankshaft in the old style chevy motors for over a year now. They will be available in the stock stroke and 4.00 Stroke only. These will be selling at $815.00 with your choice of reluctor style once again.
I hope this helps you in your decision!
What's the difference between the Dragonslayer and the Compstar and why such a big drop in price? January is a bit too far along for me as I hope to have my car back together sometime next month, but just still wanted to know.
Compstar is made in China on our own Forging Die we had made to our spec. and we also provide them with material specification they must abide by so we know we are getting a true 4340 crankshaft. - but final sizing is done here at Callies to the same specs. of our crankshafts.
Tony did post the correct weight for the 2.00 Rod journal dragonslayer crank. He just bought one of these about a month ago.
I have used both of these cranks and we also just had a 2.000 crankpin Callies Dragonslayer here and it weighed 45.75 pounds on our shipping scale VS. 52 pounds on the Eagle 4.000 crank. If you can pay the 400 buck difference you are gettin a nicer crank and it is also considerably lighter plus with the smaller rod journals you are losing weight on the rods as well and there is slightly less friction at the rod jpournals. If you are trying to go fast NA it's usually worth it probably as the weight drop and rotating inertia will make you a lil faster no matter what power you are making.
What's the difference between the Dragonslayer and the Compstar and why such a big drop in price? January is a bit too far along for me as I hope to have my car back together sometime next month, but just still wanted to know.
Everything else makes sense and thanks for verifying.
I have see the stock crank suport 700, 800 even 900 HP.
Cartech had built a 346 C5 Vette with twin turbos, i seen this car go a 8.90 at 150 mph







