Technical ANYONE STILL USING TUBE FRONT AXLES?

I have used the dropped Superbell tube axles in the past but now I prefer the I beam dropped axles, preferably the forged original or the old Chassis Engineering beams.

I know the tube axles do not flex and that was the main reason to use a 4 bar with that particular axle.

Anyone still using the tube axles? HRP

 

I found an old M.A.S. tube axle at a swap meet about 25 years ago. It had never been used and the price was $10, so I couldn't pass it up. It was the start of my "Tub" project that is almost at "roller" status.

 

Some one should reproduce the '37 Ford tube axle.

 

I've used 4 MAS dropped tube axles on Mopar and Chevy semi elliptic spring axle front ends and am a happy guy.

 

NO!!!!

 

4” dropped tube with semi-elliptical under our 40 Chevrolet. Ones been there since 1962.

 

Tube axle with 4-bar.

 

YES

 

Have one under this since the mid 90's.

 

I have one of the old welded Super Bell axles that I bought in 1985; at the time it was pretty much the only option available to me. And I’m not going to change it now. I guess it’s part of the history now. 1964 Ford Econoline van spindles too.

 

Still have a Super Bell under my Fordor, no reason to get rid of it. The four bar and Mustang box are staying too even if they are not “trendy”.
Too street roddy? Same fun and no additional expense.

 

my sentiments exactly

 

Among the "surplus parts" I have acquired for my build is a nice set of "hairpins". I know about the tube axles' resistance to twisting, so I got a set of these "adjustable" spring perches from Speedway to compensate for that fact.
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Forg...e&utm_source=CSE&utm_campaign=CSEGOOGLE&gclid
Perhaps this will give me enough points of limited movement to allow me to get away with it. I have seen quite a few posts on here where folks have run a tube axle with hairpins or split wishbones for years with no problems.

I'll watch it closely, and if I see any signs of fatigue, I'll probably have to go with a set of four-bars, as much as I don't like their looks. I expect to get away with it for two reasons; first, the smooth surfaces that these cars experience for the overwhelming portion of there lives, and second, the more limited suspension movement experienced in light cars like this because of the unfavorable sprung/unsprung weight ratio. When I do have one of those rare instances where I encounter the odd bump or two, I expect to pay for it with a jolt to my tuchus rather than stress on the suspension.

 

Still have S.S. 4-bar from the Deuce Factory and a 4" drop Magnum in the box . That is what is going under my 32 roadster.

 

I saw this jalopnik article about a cheap Chinese electric car and it had a tube axle. Found a source for one on Alibaba. Dirt cheap. Thought that this was just the ticket for a small axle for the Austin until I got a quote on the shipping costs. Onto plan B.

 

I still have one that I will eventually use. It is one of my dad's old axles from the '60s and never been run. I will probably use hairpins instead of a 4 bar. They work well with a tub axle. If I had room for unsplit bones I would run that setup, it worked on Henry's tube axle well enough.

 

I`m on he fence about using a Mopar wavy tube axle under my pre 40`s build. A little more against it for explaining to people about how the were factory in 35.

 

I have learned a simple truth and that is not to allow myself to be influenced by fools. Basically I do what I do and let the chips fall where they may.

 

yep. been making my own since the early 70's. still got my homemade jig for spindle inclination laying around somewhere.

 

Independent front suspension was factory in 34 on Plymouths. I`m totally not using that !

 

Why not? It would be traditional. Ugly but traditional.

 

Back around '78, I asked Jim Ewing about making a repop V8 60 tube axle. He said that as much trouble he had getting to production on his Super Bell, there was no way he'd make a 'competitive product' to his own Super Bell. (then, with a grin he said "Besides, it'd knock the bottom out of the value of the gennies!"
I recall when he started retro-ing his Super Bell tubes with the added pins.

I'd better hurry up and build, I'm down to 3 V8 60 tube axles! (not for sale)

 

Cool

 

I had a Superbell 4" dropped axle under my old black mordor. HRP

 

There was also a tube under the red 5 window. HRP

 

Oh, the Plymouth 'wiggly' tubes. (got a couple of those, too; Did anyone notice the one in Doane Spencer's '32 in the old pic where he was lined up with the bike?)
Something else about those MoPar tube axles: There was a Chrysler tube axle, also wavy; BUT, the Chrysler didn't project forward in the middle, it projected DOWNward, reducing center 'scrub' clearance by a couple of inches.
One of the little HOP UP annuals has a 'T' lakester on the cover with this axle.
There was a Turlock seller that had axles...he had a Chrysler tube, I looked at it carefully. NOT the same 'thinwall' as the Plymouth, this Chrysler one was heavy. (thicker wall tube, bigger car: width was the same, there was also a Plymouth axle I compared it to. The grumpy seller wanted $200, fair price...but I had Ford V8 60s at the time)
There was also a 5" Super Bell, not many seen...(saw a couple at Goodguise in Pleasanton, 'Goldchain' types)
I think there's a 5-1/2" (!) Magnum, also. At least, there was...Richard Ruth had one in his shop. We had a confab about that one. (you know...1.35 X 15" Michelins, watch out for manhole covers...)

 

On another note, my roadster was involved in a accident on the way to Good-guys in Columbus a decade ago and the car had a 4" dropped SuperBell axle at the time. the end of the axle on the passenger side was severely bent but didn't break.

The solution was to leave the roadster at a shop and pick it up on the return trip, not a single vendor had a 4" tube axle with them at the shop , in fact the only axle we found was the new Super Bell dropped aluminum axle, I never gave it a second thought until a buddy just kicked the tire and I saw the axle flex just with a slight bump, that bothered me until the day I sold the car. HRP

 

Sorry for OT: But compared to my 34 Ford my 34 Plymouth with factory IFS rode like a mid 50s Cadillac-just one of the reasons why I ´m selling my 34 Ford and building another 34 Plymouth. I guess I´m too old to shatter my teeth, hahahaha