what are the chances that 83 chevy 1 ton dually 454 would have a forged crank in it

 

Hi bonez,

Welcome to the Chevy Forums.

Unless the engine in question is specifically RPO'ed as a GM performance engine, then more than likely it is a cast crank. Get the engine RPO from the glovebox, it'll put you on the right track. Many performance engine descriptions specifically include crank type.

Is the truck in question already in your possession, or were you considering buying it?
In order to make a performance rebuild now, with a large block, you are correct. As you probably deemed prior to now, to get the 1.3 to 1.5HP/Cu. In. you'll need to be competitive, you'll want a forged or billeted crank to have a dependable build. If the block is in the table, it won't take much to physically verify the crank type.

However, with the vehicle on the street, if you don't have some sort of documentation up front,(such as a performance RPO code) the possibility of the crank in question being forged is reduced to a low order of probability.

BTW, what's the plan? Bracket racing? Heavy duty muddin'? Camaro? Silverado? M/C?