We are not being trolled... unless that means looking for knowledge
among the group.

As for the airboat, maybe it's a really fast airboat. Or maybe the
guy doesn't want to admit that he's considering using a modified
crankshaft in an RV-6.

A Lycoming O-360A4A has a "solid" crankshaft. There are no plugs to
remove to open an oil passage because there is no passage to plug.
Think of a solid rod as opposed to a hollow pipe.

On the other hand, a O-360A1A has a hollow crankshaft, by removing the
front plug, an oil passage is opened to allow oil to flow from the prop
governor to the prop.

If a (hypothetical) solid crankshaft had a ½ inch holed drilled right
down the center, from the prop flange to the depth of the center of the
front main bearing (about six inches), AND a smaller hole drilled from
the side if the crankshaft into the previous drilled hole, that would
allow for control of a constant speed prop. Of course the crankcase
would also need to be setup properly.

I have seen this modification on a certified airplane. I'm not sure
that it was legal, but it was real.

My conservative (and less financially challenged) friends claim they
would never consider using a crankshaft modified in this way. My
engineering friends suspect the stress on the steel would be relatively
low in the center of the crankshaft.

Does anyone on the list have first hand experience on this subject?