I'm sorry for the confussion, the crankshaft WAS supported.....I know that I certainly would not try that on an unsupported crankshaft. The balance was continually tested before the high speed turns were done.
To answer the above post, it meant that the crank was balanced down the axis of the crank shaft, so that any harmonics that were not completley gone, tended to be at the location of the main bearings. Honestly, guys, I used two balancer shops in my whole time of building engines, and the first one was the best.....unfortunatley, however, that was many years ago. I only offered the information to try to explain the physics of rotating mass. I did not do the balancing myself...did not own the machines. However, when and engine is broken back apart, after bunches of miles, mainly to freshen up a few things, and you don't see scuff marks on the bearings, you have a good oiling system and a great balancing job.
I would still offer the idea of talking to a really good race shop and listen to what they say. If they are worth their salt, they will be helpful and honest. But for them to get the whole rotating mass right, you must have all of the parts there, and then not change them around or substitue later on. We always took 2 pressure plates and for a nominal fee they did both on the same crank, When one was worn out, then the engine was still in balance. I hope this helps.
You guys keep building, you are doing great work. I'm no final word on anything, because I feel that I can always learn from others, so again the information was only ment to be helpful.
