Who here has drilled their chassis engineering axle? I'm getting prepared but the CE stamped dead in the center is throwing off my pattern layout. I've read on here a bunch have drilled out these axles, can you show pictures how you went around the CE, through the CE, filled the CE, etc. Plan is to go with either 13, 7/8" holes spaced 3" apart on center OR 17, 7/8" holes spaced 2" apart on center.
none of my CE axles have had a stamp in it. is yours a new one since pete & jakes took them over? is it still forged?
Chassie Engineering’s axles are great looking and no need to drill it and none of mine have any marking on them . What I like about them is they look like a 1932 heavy axle but with a 2.250 wishbone mounting
Over the years I had dozens of CE axles drilled with no problems. I never had a logo in the center of any of the axles. Do you have one of the CE style forged axles from P&J's. I've never seen one but they may have put their logo in the middle. I've also had some P&J cast axles drilled and I had them smooth the logo out of the center of the axle for an uninterrupted line of holes. I'd go with the 2 inch spacing.
Here’s what mine looks like. I believe it’s forged? I didn’t know CE made an axle that was not forged?
If the logo is only on one side, flip it towards the rear and drill it how you want. That logo is not very prominent, you could probably drill it how you want and no one would even notice if a hole was in the middle of the logo. Unless you are super anal, which some folks are. -Abone.
Show a pic from the top in order to see the parting line that runs down the center top of the axle. If its cast I sure wouldn't be drilling holes in it personally...
I have a CE axle ,forged & marked CE on one side. I mounted it with logo on the back, (the axle does not know front or back) & never had a problem with it. I did not drill it but painted one side of the web red just as decoration . It has been on my 34 Ford Pickup for 20 years. It is a great product & I hated to see CE close their doors.
When I balance it on one end and hit it with a hammer it has a ring to it. Not forever ringing, but not a thunk. I thought this was the tell tale sign it was forged? I associated the lack of an 'ever lasting ring' to the fact that spindles are still attached and potentially buffering the sound a bit.
That's forged. A forging will have a wide ground area from the parting line of the dies. A cast part will have a very narrow parting line from the mold so consequently the ground area will be narrow.
Well to add more to this - I just got off the phone with Jason from P&J and got a history lesson. This is for sure a forged axle, made by CE up until the late 90s. Prior to the CE, the tooling for this axle was owned by Vintage Chassis Works. Those axles have a VCW in the top right corner. There was a time period where CE was forging these axles but with a VCW in the top right corner. They later changed the tooling to have a CE logo in the center. CE later sold the tooling to P&J for this axle from them. P&J forged axles with the superbell logo in the center use the exact same tooling as the CE axle with the CE in the center, but they changed out the tooling to show the superbell logo. Other tell tale is the CE forged is 47" kingpin to kingpin and uses a 30" spring. Other fun fact, P&J forged axles are manufactured in the same facility in Ohio as the CE axles were once forged.
And there is a good history lesson for all of us that may be concerned about cast versus forged. I was at an auction last Saturday and they had a pair of aftermarket round spindles in the auction. They were without steering arms, and the radius at the back of the spindles had a very narrow parting line. I passed on them as I felt that they were cast spindles, and I wouldn't want cast spindles on my roadster.
I would say if you have a Chassis Engineering axle regardless of mfg date you should feel fortunate. I don't recall exactly what year I got mine (nearly 20 years ago) but it was after they had their tooling repaired and I know that I waited nearly a year after ordering. I'm sure they got tired of my phone calls.
I drilled one with 13 1" holes right close to 1-1/2" apart. Did it in a milling machine. A little time consuming but satisfying.
Both my CE axles have no markings but one is chrome. I have had both for over 25 years so maybe before they were marked . I also know that at one time they were forged in the norther IL area. The factory is slipping my memory . We seen a few of the axles over the years at the local swaps unmachined /no holes . They also had no markings and the best aftermarket axle on the maket that you can buy then
After reading all the axle info here on the H.A.M.B. I’m not drilling anymore axles. I was already getting a little burned out on the holes-in-everything look and the California streets and highways are getting worse and worse. I’m not messin’ with ‘em anymore. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
@continentaljohn I had heard that John Deere did the forgings for CE but it seemed odd, at least to me, that JD would have an in house forge shop. Decades ago, maybe, but now not so much. I think it might have been a shop that did forgings for Deere.
@Fordors yes that is also what I heard . At one of the first Hunnert Car Pile-up a guy that worked at the place had a number of them to sell, none had any matching done to them.
I've got to vote with the "a bit tired of holes and louvers in every conceivable space" crowd. I like that axle the way that it is. Your car, but you could be different and buck the trend.
I drilled mine back in 2007. The truck had 36,000 miles on it when I sold it last year. Worked flawless. Where I live the roads resemble an off road competition.
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