have a 55 Chevy 1/2 ton truck with original straight axle and drum brakes. The drivers side spindle is jacked up. Can I weld up the scars on the spindle then have it machined to size? Not unless someone knows where I can snag up one.
I would not try and "fix" that.. ...that should be a pretty easy part to find. Lot's of guys are swapping stock stuff for s-10 stuff you should post something in the wanted section.
55'-59' 1/2 ton will work and their a plenty floating around. put a wanted ad on craigslist. i just missed a complete axle setup with 6k on rebuild for $125!
If I can't accomplish what I want with one pass of a spindle re-threader, and like the results, I get another spindle, period. Bob
there are guys that can do it (on semi truck axles, in my experience) basically he just stick welds to build it up, then has a machine that mounts to the end of the spindle with a hand grinder mounted to it and away he goes. something like an ID/OD grinder in reverse. It sounds like he charges more than the cost of your replacement parts though...
I don't know how hard they are to come by out west, but there are alot of them here in the mid-west, plus you will probably want to replace the king-pins anyway while your at it.. Just place a wanted ad.
I would also have to vote no way on this fix. The what if's are what keep running thru my mind here! Chuck
It has been done many times in the past out of necessity. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Why not go ahead and spring for some lowered spindles while you're at it?
Light damage can be repaired but that spindle is shot.As far as the guy talking about the work on large trucks,the guy actually welds a new spindle on or on the rear welds on an axle tube end,it is expensive ,cheaper to just buy new or good used spindle for your truck.Probably some for sale in the HAMB classfieds.
The question asked being " Can I weld up the scars on the spindle then have it machined to size?", of course you CAN. The follow up question should be "would it be strong enough and safe?" and to that, like everybody else that does not know the metallurgical properties of a spindle and what changes to those properties welding and machining would make, I have no idea. Unless you can find someone that actually KNOWS something about engineering spindles, (doubtful on a hotrod forum) you will only get opinions based on assumptions and they all should be "replace it". I to fall into that camp, not because I KNOW the repair will be unsafe, I fall into that camp because I DON"T know if the repair will be safe.
If its not something you can buy new or in better condition than that..it can be metalized and re-machined to original dimensions.. I have had truck spindles done the old school way from a place in Detroit called Bond and Bailey.. basically its welded up and than machined back down, and done right , so theres no inclusions or weak spots but like i said if you can get this spindle, i wouldnt mess with it, those are in a lot worse shape than anything i have had done
Actually a company called Lafferty Axle Repair used to weld and grind them on the trailer. They had a mobile service, form south central PA as I recall.
I repair spindles pretty often, but that I wouldn't really touch. I've welded new spindles (the shaft that is damaged in your case) to knuckles, but only on a certain type of knuckle. I usually repair stuff that you can't get any more. That I would just replace with a stock unit or dropped spindles like someone else said. Really not worth the hassle. Plus the machine work, since it needs to be pretty accurate, would probably cost more than another spindle.
That's the real issue. Of course this can be fixed. Heavy machinery gets repaired like this all day long. Consider that the inner race of the bearing sits on the repaired portion and there should be no relative movement between the race and the spindle. Keep in mind that throws on crankshafts are welded and machined as a matter of course and that surface IS the bearing surface. The whole issue is, a correct repair will cost more than the cost of a replacement spindle. This is an economic choice, not a technical one.
Can it be done yes. Should it be done "NO" absolutely not. The last machine shop I worked in was set up with the proper equipment and wire to do that. We used to build up shafts for printing presses and sometimes the roundy round guys would bring a spindle that needed a little help. But we had a specialized lathe set up with a wire welder for just that type of purpose. That said I never welded up a spindle for myself and could have. It is just not a good idea. You have to remember that the guys running claimer crashed for fun and were about as low buck as you can get. There are plenty of those old spindles running around or maybe this is a good time to think about dropped spindels for your truck. Bell Tech sells them as well as several other companies. If you need to save money cut corners on your paint or interior or something else that won't risk you life or mine.
WE'll thanks for the advice, I have been looking for just a couple of days for a spindle and no luck. (a stock Spindle) Thought, It would have jumped out at me, guess not and it seems they don't reproduce that part (as stock). I have posted a wanted add on the HAMB, I'll throw one on craigslist and keep looking at the classifieds. If someone comes across a set or just drivers-side, please let me know. Thanks, Matt
Matt I'll keep an eye out. But just for grins modify your signature to say you are looking for that part. Then every time someone sees your what you have posted they'll see that you are looking for spindles. Check out my signature.
Thanks again for the advice on "spindle repair, I was really just curious", and the search is over. I found a pair, plus some. Seems they popped up all at once today.