Putting my 350 back together and the original crank Key is sticking out beyond the face of the crank. What's going on here? Is it possible the crankshaft is out of position or what?

 

Just tap it back in, it probably shifted when you removed the balancer.

 

You misunderstand, I'm assembling the engine. And the key doesn't want to go any further than that. Hammer or no hammer.

 

Ok, remove it and grind the end a bit until its flush, then put it back on.

 

You could also try putting the key in the freezer one hour grease the key-way and key and try again.

 

But the key came out of this engine when I disassembled it. My question wasn't whether or not a key can be shortened, my question is why would it not fit in now.

 

You can fiddle with it and flip it around in different positions to see if it will go flush. It has nothing to do with crank position it simply sits in a slot. Again, if you don't want to fiddle with it simply grind a bit off. Put some lube on the seal and balancer before sliding it in.

 

The balancer bottoms against the crank gear and oil slinger. There is clearance between the tip of the crank and the inside flange on the balancer. This is a non-issue. Put the balancer on, torque the bolt, and stop worrying about this.

 

x2.

 

I have one sitting here that I just balanced and it is exactly the same. Not an issue.