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Broken I-beam axle

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by hotrodkiwi, May 8, 2012.

  1. hotrodkiwi
    Joined: Jul 3, 2006
    Posts: 69

    hotrodkiwi
    Member

    I know there's been some discussion in the past, but thought some of you might be interested in seeing these pics.

    I'm not 100% sure of details, but this apparently broke as the vehicle was turning into a driveway at low speed.


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2012
    Aussie A likes this.
  2. LOWBLAZERO1
    Joined: Aug 3, 2009
    Posts: 435

    LOWBLAZERO1
    Member

    ouch. i would like to know more on this. cast axle, correct?
     
  3. titus
    Joined: Dec 6, 2003
    Posts: 5,145

    titus
    Member

    Looks like an aftermarket superbell unit. Scary

    Still would love to see pics of a henry ford axle broken clean off like the one above, but no one still seems to be able to produce pics!:)
     
  4. Engine man
    Joined: Jan 30, 2011
    Posts: 3,480

    Engine man
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    Looks like some bad metal. I wonder if it had been heated or bent.
     

  5. davidwilson
    Joined: Oct 8, 2008
    Posts: 595

    davidwilson
    Member
    from Tennessee

    that looks like a brake twist
     
  6. striper
    Joined: Mar 22, 2005
    Posts: 4,498

    striper
    Member

    Timing is everything
     
    kiwijeff likes this.
  7. Looks like cast iron to me.
     
  8. treb11
    Joined: Jan 21, 2006
    Posts: 3,948

    treb11
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Looks like it started in the kingpin crossbolt hole and progressed to the main beam. The failure had definitely been "working" for a while.
     
  9. Any pictures of the other part of the axle?
     
  10. hotrodkiwi
    Joined: Jul 3, 2006
    Posts: 69

    hotrodkiwi
    Member

    I'll see what I can find.
     
    kiwijeff likes this.
  11. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    How, from looking at a picture, can you tell it's a Super Bell?
     
  12. chaddilac
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,021

    chaddilac
    Member

    By how it's broke!! :D
     
    -Brent- likes this.
  13. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    By the surface pebbling it looks like it might be an original axle that has been around for some time.
     
  14. mlagusis
    Joined: Oct 11, 2009
    Posts: 1,126

    mlagusis
    Member

    Me too.
     
  15. Harms Way
    Joined: Nov 27, 2005
    Posts: 6,894

    Harms Way
    Member

    In the very first picture, it looks like the front of the axle made contact with something before the failure ( just an opinion based on the pictures) you can see some deep scratches and paint knocked of pretty aggressively,.... I would also like to see the rest of the axle.

    It's real hard for me to believe it happened just pulling into a driveway. But !,... stranger things have happened.

    Here's a picture of the Bob Vivian A-V8 after a front hit on 7 mi. in 1953,.. The old Henry forged 32 heavy held up but the king pin sheered top and bottom.
    [​IMG]
     
  16. Pop-Rodder
    Joined: Oct 6, 2011
    Posts: 325

    Pop-Rodder
    Member

    Must've been a helluva driveway...
     
    kiwijeff likes this.
  17. Go forged or go home
     
    97 likes this.
  18. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    This is exactly why I got rid of the Magnum cast axle I had and replaced it with a forged axle before I have even completed the build.
     
    Atwater Mike likes this.
  19. 45_70Sharps
    Joined: May 19, 2010
    Posts: 331

    45_70Sharps
    Member

    Luck for them it wasnt a pothole at 50.
     
  20. Dan in Pasadena
    Joined: Sep 11, 2009
    Posts: 867

    Dan in Pasadena
    Member

    Ugh, and I HAD to see this huh when I intend to drop my axle. I'd never heard of an I beam flatly breaking like this. Imagine this happening at speed in traffic. Like I said, UGH!
     
  21. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    That looks like broken cast to me. When I wrecked the 48 in Texas in the 70's the axle bent back almost to the frame but didn't have any cracks in it. That break may have been started by someone giving the king pin retainer bolt a lick with a bfh to set it in place tight.
     
  22. titus
    Joined: Dec 6, 2003
    Posts: 5,145

    titus
    Member

    I came to that deduction because its a cast axle, forgot about magnum axles, are there any other brand cast dropped axles out there?

    JEFF
     
  23. moefuzz
    Joined: Jul 16, 2005
    Posts: 4,950

    moefuzz
    Member

    I don't think you'll find many Ford axles broken as they were designed and engineered to do just the opposite.....


    [​IMG]
     
  24. TexasHardcore
    Joined: May 30, 2003
    Posts: 5,030

    TexasHardcore
    Member
    from Austin-ish

    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.



    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2012
  25. XL-FE
    Joined: Feb 22, 2010
    Posts: 37

    XL-FE
    Member

    The pebbling makes it look like cast iron. If it was fatigue the surface would typically be 2/3 clean and 1/3 rough.
     
  26. FlynBrian
    Joined: Oct 5, 2007
    Posts: 761

    FlynBrian
    Member

    Looks like a bad casting. I have had broken chinese benchtop vises that were cast that broke and thats exactly what they looked like at the break. That looks like it has been fractured for quite a while. From the pics it looks like there was very little metal holding it when it broke, by what little shiny metal there is in the fractured area. Your friend was very lucky that happened at low speed in his driveway. Be nice to know the manufacturer of the axle.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2012
  27. I have heard of this happening before, Ive got a Magnum cast axle for my project, But now have serious reservations about using it, I think I might opt for a forged Chassis Engineering or similar one instead as i just don't want this to happen at 60mph, might scratch the paint when it falls off the road.
    It definatly isn't any product of Henrys thats for sure, as the genuine article has stood the test of time, just check out the pic of it being twisted in the lathe, try that with the shit we get sold now days.
     
  28. striper
    Joined: Mar 22, 2005
    Posts: 4,498

    striper
    Member

    I'd say contact with the ground after it let go.

    I've watched CSI too, you know.
     
  29. rusty rocket
    Joined: Oct 30, 2011
    Posts: 5,053

    rusty rocket
    Member

    Are all magnum axles cast, or are some forged?
     
  30. R Pope
    Joined: Jan 23, 2006
    Posts: 3,309

    R Pope
    Member

    I wonder how many potential dead people are in that big box of junk?
     

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