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Vintage ?? Cragar ?? Drop axle id help

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by iiman65, Sep 1, 2012.

  1. iiman65
    Joined: Jan 16, 2008
    Posts: 14

    iiman65
    Member
    from Morton, PA

    Help Please...
    I have a vintage axle that when I first got it I thought it was a vintage heated and formed axle like a MOR-DROP or DAGO but after cleaning it up it appears to be forged like this. A guy I know looked at it and he said he thought it was an old Cragar axle. Could this be?? Can anyone shed some light on this cool mystery axle. :confused:
    Thanks.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. NealinCA
    Joined: Dec 12, 2001
    Posts: 3,143

    NealinCA
    Member

    Looks like a dropped 48 Ford axle.
     
  3. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    Could be a 42-46 dropped axle, most of the 47-48 ones have the extra hole in the web between the axle bolt and kingpin knuckle for the tubular shock mounting studs.
     
  4. iiman65
    Joined: Jan 16, 2008
    Posts: 14

    iiman65
    Member
    from Morton, PA

    It doesn't look like other dropped axles that I've seen, the shape and form appear to be from the forging. When I got it someone wrote "40 Ford" on it and it has a 41" perch pin dimension.
     

  5. That's just a regular old dropped postwar Ford axle. Look how it is necked down in cross section between the perch and kingpin bosses.

    Lots of those axles were not drilled for the optional tube shocks.
     
  6. iiman65
    Joined: Jan 16, 2008
    Posts: 14

    iiman65
    Member
    from Morton, PA

    Cool Thanks Guys!!
     
  7. NealinCA
    Joined: Dec 12, 2001
    Posts: 3,143

    NealinCA
    Member

    See the second axle down...this is what your axle started life as...

    [​IMG]

    A 47-48 Ford axle without the tube shock holes.

    Neal
     
  8. iiman65
    Joined: Jan 16, 2008
    Posts: 14

    iiman65
    Member
    from Morton, PA

    Thanks Neal, that certainly looks like it. I appreciate the info.
     
  9. iiman65
    Joined: Jan 16, 2008
    Posts: 14

    iiman65
    Member
    from Morton, PA

    Based on the pics, would there be anyway to tell who dropped this axle??, or was it something that alot of guys were doing in there garage back in the day. Whoever did it seems to know what they were doing.
     
  10. SATANSSHO4
    Joined: Dec 11, 2005
    Posts: 242

    SATANSSHO4
    Member

    Looks like this one that's in the 61 cragar cataloge. Did cragar drop there own ford axles
     

    Attached Files:

  11. SATANSSHO4
    Joined: Dec 11, 2005
    Posts: 242

    SATANSSHO4
    Member

    Cragar page
     

    Attached Files:

  12. bangngears
    Joined: Aug 30, 2007
    Posts: 1,145

    bangngears
    Member
    from ofallon mo

    Looking at the indentation between the pin boss and kingpin,i would say SATANSSHO4 has it.Dropping a 48 Ford axle will not change the shape of the indentation.My $.002
     
  13. F&J
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,222

    F&J
    Member

    interesting thread.

    I've never seen one in my area.

    any more info on how the Cragar was made, or ?
     
  14. Hijack, sorry.

    Neal, What is that bottom axle, how much drop?
     
  15. thunderbirdesq
    Joined: Feb 15, 2006
    Posts: 7,092

    thunderbirdesq
    Member

    Yea, it looks exactly like a dropped 42-46 axle.:confused: The indentation on them was shorter.

     
  16. F&J
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,222

    F&J
    Member


    I don't think so.:confused:


    Compare the "exact" shape of the indent on the OP's axle, and look at the Cragar pic. That indent is not uniform up near the very top. The upwards facing "comet" tail sweeps more to one side, and I can't see how that can happen with a normal "stretched" and dropped axle.

    If you have dropped one yourself, it would just look odd that the point heads off to one side.
     
  17. thirtytwo
    Joined: Dec 19, 2003
    Posts: 2,639

    thirtytwo
    Member

    that is a super rare axle.... dropped by non other than world famous zorro...see the z stamped in there....it belongs in the smithsonian...

    .seriously guys?

    ....first off you are comparing to a drawing , not a actual picture... so-cal ,crager(ansen) ,bell auto ,jc whitney god knows who else got their axles from only a few places...more than likely mor-drop or the blacksmith the stewarts used.... its like saying i got a model a quarter pannel from mac's , an another guy says mine is better it came from snyder's....they both came from brookville origionally....how many places you think make model a quarter pannels?

    you guys dismissed rich b's response...he knows his shit...he has probably only dropped hundreds of axles....like he stated where it necks down....that is where it is starting to pull apart from the heat
     
    dragnut likes this.
  18. NealinCA
    Joined: Dec 12, 2001
    Posts: 3,143

    NealinCA
    Member

    Did you read the Cragar ad? They state in therer that the axles were sold on an exchange basis only and dropped in a "special process"...meaning they were a stretched Ford axle...just like a Mor-Drop...and quite possibly done by Mor-Drop.
     
  19. Don's Hot Rods
    Joined: Oct 7, 2005
    Posts: 8,319

    Don's Hot Rods
    Member
    from florida

    I don't think anyone is trying to dismiss anyone else's expertise on axles, people are just asking questions as to it's origins. It would be really cool if someone on here worked at Cragar duing the early 60's and knew who did their dropping for them.

    To me it sure looks like the one in the old catalog picture.

    Don
     
  20. SATANSSHO4
    Joined: Dec 11, 2005
    Posts: 242

    SATANSSHO4
    Member

    I'm just a young rodder but what I was thinking is that it's a ford axle dropped by somebody FOR cragar. Does anyone know who dropped for cragar or did cragar drop them. This is just a question that I don't know the answer for. If you drop axles and are reading this can you show me a pic of one of your axles that you drop that look like this
     
  21. SATANSSHO4
    Joined: Dec 11, 2005
    Posts: 242

    SATANSSHO4
    Member

    Thanks for any info that you can supply
     
  22. Crager was a pretty big company and did a lot of casting and fab work in house, they were not a catalog store. Chances are good that they did drop their own axles.

    I mean as long as we are making conjecture I may as well guess with the rest of you.

    That doesn't change the original question, the kid said someone said it was or may be a crager, no matter how did the deed it comes down to does anyone know if it is a crager or not? or is there really any way to tell?
     
  23. iiman65
    Joined: Jan 16, 2008
    Posts: 14

    iiman65
    Member
    from Morton, PA

    Thanks for all the advice here with this beam, I got it now, and I understand better a little of the history of drop axles. I'm glad it wasn't a rare 'Zorro' beam, LoL, cause I swiss cheesed it, and now it can find a home under my car...
     

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  24. Jebster
    Joined: Jan 21, 2016
    Posts: 5

    Jebster

    I just found this post. If you still have that axle, what is the kingpin to kingpin dimension?
    Thanks!
     

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