I was looking to see the parting line in the crankshaft when I was distracted and never got back to it.

I don't remember if there were balance pads on the rods. I think if they were not there it would have caught my attention.

As you say the idea of a block extending below the centerline of the crankshaft in itself makes the lower end stronger. I never had a hemi apart, I did not realize that they were crossbolted. It's not surprising. In the sixties the Fords and Chryslers proved their long term engine durability over Chevy and most other GM cars. The GM's were typically faster(with the exception of the hemi, of course) but did not have the bottom end strength. Also there were more valve train problems with the GM stud mounted rocker arms. Chrysler and Ford both had shaft mounted rocker arms.

Thanks for the response,

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Larry Bible
'01 C Class, Six Speed
'84 Euro 240D, manual, 533K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles