Bent I-Beam Axle-What To Do

Cleaned up and blasted my 34 Ford axle this morning,found out it is bent.
What to do ?. It looks to have been snatched out of a ditch sometime in the last seven decades. It has a big 3/16 gap when axle is laying flat on table.Will it take a 100 ton press to bend back (cold) if so I will have to send it out to be repaired. Can it be bent back with a frame machine?
Thanks for info.
Morris

 

It is great steel just put it in a press and sneak up on it slowly so you don't go too far.

 

3/16 is not that much. I would use it as is.

 

You got to think it didnot take 100 tons to bend it. Just a tow chain and a truck or another car.

 

Would something around a 20 ton press work?
I may be able to come up with something in that tonnage range.
I know this is a difficult question, but sounds as if you have done this before.

 

Send it to Sid

 

it takes about 10 tons to bend it. no big deal.

 

I know 3/16 isn't much but it looks like a lot when laying flat. It may actually be 1/4" I just guessed at gap. You can see a crook in forging mark on I-beam when looking down it from end to end.

 

If you do the tree option please tape it so if the tree falls on your truck we can watch it.

 

Or 296 V8

 

Good information, now I have a direction. I was told it would take a 100 ton press to bend axle back in shape, was planning on sending it out to someone who had a press.
Now I plan on straighten the axle myself thanks to all the info I have received tonight.

 

Find a shop that aligns big trucks. They will probably have the equipment needed to straighten it.

Charlie Stephens

 

I have used a C clamp and some heat to straighten mine. Mine was about 1/4 out and all I did was put the ends up on some 1-2-3 blocks clamped it to my work bench. Heated with a rose bud around 550 deg and started cranking on a big C-clamp in the middle. Took some time but it worked for me

 

There isn't a car axle that I know of you can't bend with a 10 ton jack and a chain.

 

Sounds like you’ve done that

 

You can have it straightened at a place that repairs suspensions for BIG trucks- they still run straight axels.

 

the truck shops have a threaded clamp type thing they use they can do it right on the car call around before you get to uptight i'm sure its an easy thing to fix you might want to check at an alignment shop to check the alignment it may be bent like that for a reason thats how the camber adjustments are made on straight axles in trucks

 

Mine had a 3/4" bow in it and we straightened it with a 50,000 lb press. You have to go farther than the bend because it will spring back