Technical Broken I-beam axle

[hotroddon]

Originally Posted by Atwater Mike

I also remember in 1977, Goodguise Pleasanton. Ed Moss had an aluminum 4" dropped 'I' beam on display...I couldn't believe it. Aluminum.

Super Bell brought out a Forged Aluminum axle in 2002 - here is a pretty good article about the testing that went into it. http://www.streetrodderweb.com/tech/...xle/index.html

Boyd also built a few and one was under the aluminum truck they drove from CA to the Nationals in KY and back.

Don't recall TCI (Ed Moss) ever offering one though

[Bruce Lancaster]

And weren't those pulled off the market? Why?

[need louvers ?]

Mike, I don't want to argue with you, but I think your time line is little bit off on Super Bell products. Jim Ewing and I believe Vic Leong got Super Bell up and going about '75 or so if my memoery serves correct. I don't believe they had a I beam style axle out until the early eighties ('82 or so?). Please don't take any insult in that, and if I'm incorrect please make note. I do remember an article in ROD ACTION about '78 or so showing the rosette welds as well as the 360 degree welds on the tubes. Might have been damage control?

[Bruce Lancaster]

Another thing to ponder: Cast and malleable have their own types of strength. If you make a stressed piece out of malleable, you add metal as needed in those areas under high stressed, giving proper distribution of strength.
A malleable cast streetrod axle is very nearly an exact dimensional and styling copy of a forged Ford axle. Does this mean that they believe malleable has exact same strength and resistance characteristics as forged and heat treated EE steel??? Huh??
Good OEM suspension parts are indeed made of malleable nowadays, but they are designed as malleable parts, not dimensionally copied from forgings!

[BISHOP]

Originally Posted by hotroddon

Super Bell brought out a Forged Aluminum axle in 2002 - here is a pretty good article about the testing that went into it. http://www.streetrodderweb.com/tech/...xle/index.html

Boyd also built a few and one was under the aluminum truck they drove from CA to the Nationals in KY and back.

Don't recall TCI (Ed Moss) ever offering one though

Thats not what I expected, who would have thought an aluminum axle would be that strong.

[LEFTY_]

i love how everytime i walk into so-cal and want to buy something that isnt theirs they say "its chinese junk" i pretty irritated i have been spending alot of money thinking i buy american only to find my axle was made in taiwan

[Deuce Daddy Don]

Definately a CAST IRON cheap assed foreign poorly made product!!!
All in the name of saving money!!!
When will we condem these foreign objects?
American made FORGED STEEL axles are the best insurance, your life depends on it!!

[FlynBrian]

Originally Posted by chaddilac

Why would anyone buy a new axle from china when you can get a good axle that's magged and set to stock specs from Joe Casto and Sid's Dropped axles????

Keep our money here with our guys!!!!

Exactly how I feel! Keep the money here. Why I have bought factory ford axles and put them up for future projects. When I start a build in the future I'll send it out to one of our Hamb guys for the drop.

[Tudor]

Originally Posted by Deuce Daddy Don

Definately a CAST IRON cheap assed foreign poorly made product!!!
All in the name of saving money!!!
When will we condem these foreign objects?
American made FORGED STEEL axles are the best insurance, your life depends on it!!

What kind of spring shackles do you recommend?

[STEPHEN FIELDS]

wow...

[doctorZ]

Originally Posted by TexasHardcore

Definitely a cast axle. Not only are aftermarket "dropped" axles pure garbage cast in China with junk metals, but they also look like total shit. I've never seen an axle forged at River Rouge broken except for a severely drilled/slotted Model A axle that snapped between the way-too-thin webs, and it didn't look like pot metal at the break like the axle we're talking about does.

Those axles in your pic are So-Cal axles. So-Cal axles are all FORGED.

[Fenders]

Originally Posted by djust

What happened to hotrodkiwi who started this thread.
Seen these threads before, someone shows a picture and then disappears while everyone else gets into a pissing contest.....!!

X2 no one should some on here with another broken axle photo unless they know WTF the story is. If not keep your mouth shut (or your fingers off the keyboard).

Having said that, when I built my current coupe with a dropped axle I gave the Super Bell about ten seconds consideration before going with the Chassis Engineering.

[26 roadster]

I had an old stretch drop on my 30 roadster and bent it till the tire hit the grill shell..no break and the shop bent her back

[Atwater Mike]

Originally Posted by need louvers ?

Mike, I don't want to argue with you, but I think your time line is little bit off on Super Bell products. Jim Ewing and I believe Vic Leong got Super Bell up and going about '75 or so if my memoery serves correct. I don't believe they had a I beam style axle out until the early eighties ('82 or so?). Please don't take any insult in that, and if I'm incorrect please make note. I do remember an article in ROD ACTION about '78 or so showing the rosette welds as well as the 360 degree welds on the tubes. Might have been damage control?

OOOPS! Senior moment there, I had my shop when those things occured. (1970 was really 1980!) I opened my shop in '76. So it seems like yesterday!

My bud Otto was waiting to talk to Jim Ewing when the customer showed up with the tube.
That had to be 1980, sorry.
But the aluminum axle was sitting on Ed Moss's counter, (not made by him, nor for sale; it was a prototype) It was a few years before I saw it advertised. Still, I was shocked.

[Unkl Ian]

Originally Posted by nutajunka

Are those the new $19.99 harboring freight axles?

Socal Speedshop.

http://www.est1946.com/forgedaxles.aspx

[Unkl Ian]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lancaster

They put a truly remarkable amount of effort into these things for some reason...

They knew they were not building trailer queens

The aftermarket doesn't put that much effort into their own stuff,
because everyone is hung up on initial price.

[tfeverfred]

Amazing how a couple photos and MINIMAL information can turn into a panic. Someone needs to hit the "Rumor Control" alert button.

[Cyclone Kevin]

Originally Posted by Atwater Mike

OOOPS! Senior moment there, I had my shop when those things occured. (1970 was really 1980!) I opened my shop in '76. So it seems like yesterday!

My bud Otto was waiting to talk to Jim Ewing when the customer showed up with the tube.
That had to be 1980, sorry.
But the aluminum axle was sitting on Ed Moss's counter, (not made by him, nor for sale; it was a prototype) It was a few years before I saw it advertised. Still, I was shocked.

Both Jim Ewing and Victor Leon worked for "Bell Super Axle" which was a Gene Scott=PSI Enterprise. Gene made their own axles, Jim and Vic did the machining, this was the early 70's, A Nor-Cal customer had a collision and broke one of their axles originally sold by one of their retailers/dealers.

This smoked Gene, so he imediately got out of the MFG'd axle business.
This also resulted in Jim and Vic really not doing the job that they were hired for.

With Gene's blessing and contacts Jim and Vic started Super Bell Axle Co. on Genoa St, Monrovia CA. Eric Vaughn was in the same complex.
That would've been about late 74 into early 75, Brian Bauer was their 1st stock clerk-shipper. Yes the early axles were all tubes, with forged ends.

One was even a 5" drop before Vic took that to Magnum Axle the company that he started when he sold out to Jim Ewing and Dave Enmark. Fred James seems to come in around the same time,but Super Bell did a move to Fresno when the Bell Tech Line came into play, moved back to Monrovia when Dave was the sole owner in the 80's,meanwhile Magnum was a over at T.C.I. Ontario till its move to Oakhurst (This may be where Fred came in actually)?

The cast I-Beam axle was introduced by S/B and Then Magnum, both of them have been fine, I have really only seen one before this one broken and it too was because of a front collision. I prefer any old type forged axle over a cast axle of any mfg, but I just like forging better.

[trksmth]

Originally Posted by tfeverfred

amazing how a couple photos and minimal information can turn into a panic. Someone needs to hit the "rumor control" alert button.

x2!

[titus]

speaking of broken front end parts, this happened to me today!

the spring eye departed ways from the main leaf, dunno the manufacturer of the spring but it is an aftermarket one.

jeff