Technical 1956 Chevy, broken axle. What to do?

Do you check your wheels torque regularly? Yes, I think that's a myth. I ran bolt on wheel adapters on my Austin gasser for 7 years, and drag raced it every summer. Never had any issues with them loosening. I finally removed them when I went to a smaller 8.5" wide rim, and my pie crust slicks, which fit without the 1" adapter needed.

 

How did you get it out? Just curious. I've been rather lucky, and never broke an axle, but the rear ends either just got real noisy, or the spider/side gears "exploded". I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Something’s gonna give, axles easier to repair than transmissions.

 

My friend has a '57 that broke a stock axle. He wound up putting in aftermarket axles in it. Not a year later he blew the spider gears out of it, and he wasn't really romping on it at the time. He wound up finding a company that builds Ford 9" to fit the Chevy and putting that in.

 

https://www.strangeengineering.net/product-category/ford-9-inch-third-member/12-bolt-drop-out/

 

I used to paint a line down the axle on my 64 If the line exceeded 1/8 turn replace. That was in the 60s with a 327 and no sticky tires up grade. As for bolt pattern get one for those cheep plastic pattern check disc and a set of transfer punches. I have done it many times The brake drums- disk center off the hub so when drilling them it is not that critical .

 

I’ll defer to your experience then. I’d asked a question here about running spacers and consensus was it was okay, but they needed to be checked regularly. I do recheck lug nuts at every oil change, haven’t caught a loose one in 40 years tho

 

1960"s tires were the weak link.Modern sticky compound race tires transfer the shock back to the drive line.

 

Luck mostly. I was just barely able to get my small needle nose vise grips on it and with an extremely light touch wiggle it enough to pull it of there. I can't believe it came out as easy as it did because when I say "barely able" I mean one end tooth in the vise grip jaws caught on the axle stub.

 

^^^^
Never hurts to be lucky. As has been mentioned, if you don't run too much rubber, your risk of breaking parts goes down tremendously.

 

L60-15s, but they don't have much bite. If I haven't done a burnout already to soften them up, they'll spin for probably 40 or 50 feet.

 

Years ago when I worked at a gas station, my boss told me one day that he thought I could break a steel ball bearing playing in a sand box with a plastic hammer. I abused late 60s Mopar Performance cars and I broke a lot of parts. One day someone told me I should put a certain part on my car because it was "unbreakable". I told him there was no such thing as "unbreakable", that only means the person that claimed it was unbreakable just wasn't trying hard enough. I've never seen a part that couldn't get broken, but some of them you really have to work at them to break them, others are pretty easy to kill.

I finally grew up. I don't break much stuff anymore. Replacing broken parts gets expensive. Gene

 

I don't know if we " grow up" or just get tired of repairing/ replacing broken stuff ( & paying for it )

 

Pretty much sums it up for me.

 

I don’t recommend doing this

 

Worked for my go kart when I was a kid

 

Test axle for length?

 

A buddy broke it before his last event of the year, he trailered it there and broke it again before it was over

 

That’s because he didn’t chamfer the edges before welding

 

One just like that got me into and finish an A Main at Eldora once...

 

Why do some break clean like a Sazall cut and others splinter like a tree limb ?

 

Im guessing heat treatment..

 

Just wanted to post up a picture of the old Ansen Gear locks.
Anyone ever run a set to make a ''poor man's spool''? These were made for the Chevy rears.

 

^^^I know they were made for the 57-64 Olds/Pont, AND, the 55-64 Chevrolet's, "at the time"^^^. Kinda wish they'd make them again, just for the novelty of it. Remember, they also used to use the 55-64 Chevrolet rear ends in Junior Fuelers, and using the Mickey Thompson aluminum or magnesium third member cases. Course these cars weighed less than 800 lbs, used fairly narrow, hard/stiff sidewall, slicks. Like I said earlier, in my Sedan Delivery I got lucky and found a pair of NOS, billet, third member caps. But, I should have kept my 57 Olds rear end, that was set up and ready to go into the Delivery. The guy that bought it all from me "promised" to set up the 12 bolt I had destined for my street, "old man car"/ bracket car, only when I was ready, he refused to follow through. And this was a local, well known, respected, rear end guy. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

^^^^^ ^^^^^ I have a set in 59 Chevy 3rd member with 4:56's. Have another loose set for 9.3 Olds/Pontiac.

 

Are Dutchman axles any good?

 

I'm seriously considering ordering stronger axles.

I'm measuring as in this diagram "c", but my measurements don't seem to jive with any of the others I find online.
I have a pair of 55/56 axles that appear to be untouched that I have measured several times. They appear to measure 30 1/8" Right and 28 9/16 Left.
Then I have the ones out of my '56 that we shortened 1/8" for the posi. The Right measures 30" and the left is broken so I am having a very difficult time attempting to measure it.
I've measured several times with both a metal yardstick and a tape measure but the fact that virtually all the measurements I find online are 3/16" or more different than what I am getting has me really tripped up.

 

You already have your answer on axle length. The ones you had in the rear end must've been the correct length (or darn close). The other pair that you have need to be trimmed 1/8" to be the same length.
You can double check this by measuring with a tape . Hook the end in the side gear and measure out to brake backing plate. Then add the offset from the outside of the bearing to the outer surface of the axle flange.
Having said this, I wouldn't buy new 17 spline axles. As others have said, you will break something else and there goes your $500+ pair of axles.
Earlier, I suggested a Quickchange. I know they're not for everybody, but one would give you the strength you need and be cheaper than the Big Ford or Olds/Pontiac that others have suggested. The ability to change gear ratios would just be icing on the cake.
If you can live with 4.11 or lower gears, you can get a 'no change' center section that will give you the strength advantages I mentioned above. Lot's of differential options.

Just for reference, Jamie Frankland once told me that the strength of a Frankland QC was in between The Ford 9" and a Dana 60. Mark Williams claimed that the 9" was stronger than the Dana.

If you are interested send me a 'Conversation'.

Bruce

 

Thanks
I guess I posted this so others who have more experience with these rear ends would chime in either saying 'that is correct' or 'this is why your measurement differs from what you are finding online'.

As far as a different rear end. This car has a great deal of sentimental value because I have had it since I was 11 or 12. Consequently, the only "acceptable" rear end choices are those that I would have entertained as a young person(stock '56, 9.3 Pontiac/Olds, or 12 bolt).

 

Midnightrider78, contact
Quick Performance.

Their 17 spline axles are holding my 481 HP/475 TQ. Street tires, no 4000 RPM and pop clutch starts.