Hot Rods straightening a bent front axle in the NW ?

I am having a local shop built a 32 chassis for me and they just informed me that me axle is bent/twisted a bit (not enough I can see it, but apparently the king pin holes are a bit mis-aligned . It's an aftermarket 46" chrome axle with 2 1/4" spring perch bosses of unknown manufacture that I bought second hand. I was ready to order another one to keep rolling on the project, but does anyone know an alignment shop or someone else who could straighten a forged beam axle in the Oregon/southern Washington area ?

 

You might try Tommy, he is the go to guy for hot rod alignment around here

 

Sid's
https://droppedaxles.com/

- EM

 

Take it to a truck shop. They should be able to take care of you hopefully.

 

Any alignment shop that does big trucks can do it easily. Or you can do it at home. If you have a couple of long rods or pipes that fit into the kingpin holes, lay the axle flat and eyeball the rods or pipes from the side. Try to line them up visually, if they are skew gee you will see it at once.

 

Unless you know for a fact it is forged such as a Chassis engineering, then it is scrap metal or wall hanger.


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what he said .

 

Where's the bend?..I mean chrome may flake...I'd want to see it...see what I'm working with...FFS...how many bent axles back in the day ran true?

 

I straightened mine in my press

 

First thing you need to know is the actual alignment reading on the axle. As in what the actual camber and caster is. Then go from there.

The right side usually runs alittle more caster for road crown so that side would be slightly twisted back compared to the drivers side. Depending on the shop your using they might be seeing this twist and not understanding what they are looking at.

It surprises me the number of "shops" anymore that really have no idea of front end work other than what a computer screen tells them on a alignment machine. I fix more shop screw ups now than any other time in my past 40 yrs...

 

I don't know that I have ever heard of a 46" axle that was forged. Seriously.

 

I haven't seen it since they said it was bent, I bought it under a rolling chassis, and swapped it out with a tube axle I had because I wanted to keep the beam. It looked fine? They say it doesn't lay flat on the set up table. I don't think it was ever under a driving car? I wanted a 46" axle and this one looks heavy, 2 1/4" bosses, looks way nicer and heavier than the superbell I had on my last roadster. I guess I just assumed it was forged, how do you tell on a polished & chromed axle ?

 

There is a thread about cast axles failing. I'm not sure what the link to it is but with a search you will find it.

 

If it bent and didn't brake I wouldn't worry about it. I've straitened several in a press that were bent in the center. You may get it back to dead flat only to find you need to put a little back in it to get your car to drive good. I say keep going forward with what you have and if needed after final alignment it's an easy swap. Honestly I wouldn't loose any sleep over it if you can't see it with your eye. As mentioned above, both sides are seldom the same.

 

Just an FYI: Henry Ford didn't put any extra camber or caster in just one side of the axle. They are the same side to side. There was no compensation for crown in the road from the factory. And I've never seen an aftermarket axle with a difference in the sides either.

Just because the axle doesn't lay flat on the table might not mean the bores are crooked. If it's cast there may be extra material on one side of the boss than the other. They need to check the bores, not the outside of the axle.

And, if it is cast, and crooked for real, you are SOL. Can't bend a cast axle.

Show us a picture and we can probably identify the manufacturer, and let you know if it's cast or forged.

 

He's right .

 

I found an old picture on my phone of when I first got it.

 

When Henry was building cars with I Beam axles there was no crown in the roads.

 

That looks like SoCal's forged axle to me.

 

Alchem is right On sprint cars we run split caster on them for turning with 4 different size tires. When Henry started there were no roads.
Most people don't realize that roads were crowned for water to run off them.

 

My guess on that axle has always been Speedway or SoCal, but I can't find any markings on it and have nothing to compare it to besides a Superbell and an Alunimum Pete& Jakes, and know it's not either one of those !!!

 

how do I tell a forged axle from a cast one, once it's been polished & chromed ?

 

"Ping" it. Forged (if hung from one end of pin bore) will 'ping' when struck lightly with a steel rod. Cast will sound 'flat', like 'zazz', short, no 'ring'.
Necessary to have a Super bell or such *%!$ cast axle to compare it with, but the resultant difference is convincing...

 

anyone have an axle that is Definitely a SoCal or Speedway they can compare to the above picture ?

 

Go to Speedway Motors and enter "forged axle" in the search box. I looked at their axle and I have no doubt it is the same. The radii between the perch boss and king pin boss are different just like yours is, near the perch it has a larger radius and a smaller one at the k/p boss. Also the perch bosses have the added material on the front and back side like yours. So-Cal seems to use the same supplier for their axles too, just as you suggested.