Any experiences with the forged aluminum dropped axles?

Has anyone used one of the aluminum dropped axles? Good, bad or what?

 

They SNAP!!

 

So tell me about it. Don't keep me in suspense.

 

Alum? no no

 

Well,for starters they are not forged,,

I had one of the 4" dropped I beam aluminum axles under my 32 roadster,,extremely light and looked great.

I was very pleased with the axle that was purchased at Indy the same weekend my roadster went into a spin and collected a guardrail in the rain and bent the tube axle that was under the car.

A few weeks latter I was shooting the breeze with a couple of friend and one of them kicked the front tire and I actually saw the wheel move,,I told him to do it again except harder,,IT SHOOK THE WHEEL!

I got over the initial scare but it was in the back of my mind every time I drove the car.

I would never use one again,,It might be fine for a show car but I drive my stuff. HRP

 

I like the idea of the light weight reducing unsprung weight but I know that aluminum will flex more and almost work-harden after extended usage. Has anyone had a bad experience like breakage, etc.?

 

Hotrodprimer, when you sober up later can you clarify your story a little. The tube axle was under the car when it was in the accident. That much I get. Was it the aluminum I beam that was installed when your buddy kicked the tire?
So he kicked the tire and the wheel moved/shook. Loose lug nuts, wheel bearing issue or was the axle flexing? Clarification would be appreciated. Think I'll stick with dropped versions of original Ford axles. Never had a problem so far.
Oh, just havin' a little fun with the sober up crack.

 

The aluminum axle was the one that shook when he kicked the tire,,I had just driven the car over 400 miles,,nothing loose,,as I stated the axle flexed.

I will never use any axle that is not forged again,,no aluminum or tube or cast.

Maybe it the pain killers I've been taking because of a fractured ankle,,possibly I'm not making myself clear. HRP

 

Alum is about 1/3 the weight of steel but is also 1/3 the stiffness of steel. There is story about an attempt to make a light howitzer for air drop in WW2. it was flexable and by the time it was stiff enough to use, it weighed as much as the original. All the sections had to be 3 times larger.

 

who made this aluminum axle? Pete & Jake's? i thought theirs was forged? is someone making a cast aluminum axle?

 

The Super Bell Aluminum axle weighs in at 9.5 lbs. HRP

 

The "iron"/steel Super Bell I put on my avatar weighed 24.8 lbs. before a buddy of mine drilled it. Now it weighs 22.4 lbs.

 

Thanks for the response HRP. Hope that ankle heals quickly.

Just a general comment from me is that I never really understood the reason for the aluminum dropped axles other than the look. And they do have a cool look. I've done some autocrossing in OT cars and understand the advantage of reducing unsprung weight but can't imagine much is gained in the average buggy sprung hot rod.
Other than the visual is there much else to be gained?

 

What would worry me is the work hardening .

An I beam axle is designed to take a certain amount of flex , a decent forged steel axle will do this year after year .
How ever with aluminium that's not the case . The more you ask Aluminium to flex the harder and more brittle it becomes - Known as " work hardening " .

I know I sure as hell wouldn't want that happening in the front of a car that may see 65-70mph down the highway .


.

 

Isn't someone making polished stainless front axles? if so whats the take on them, has anyone used them?

 

There is an alloy of aluminum that is known as "Age Hardening Aluminum". It actually gets stronger with aging. Maybe that's what aluminum axles are made of. It's used in aircraft too. Metallurgy is amazing. Here's a little info.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-age-hardening.htm#did-you-know

 

I would use Never-seize or Anti-seize paste liberally when putting perches, king-pins and and bolts in. Stainless steel parts and AL love to bond permanently.
Forging AL is also quite possible, the one I'm running is the Superbell.
And the car is very light w/a AL 4-banger on board.
BTW, a stainless steel axle is likely to exhibit crevice corrosion, the matl also
has its issues.

 

Whenever I see that super bell logo on the front of an axle, it screams "cast" to me.
And forged aluminum is an oxymoron.

Get a forged steel axle from Chassis Engineering.

 

Pistons in AL have quite a history as forged as well.
See http://www.venolia.com/forged-rods.html

 

ALCOA in Cleveland made, and still probably still makes, thousands of forged aluminum landing gears for several of the big commercial planes flying today. I used to watch the 50,000 TON press do the work. I'm sure the same procedure is used on the dropped axle. Good enough for the jumbo jets.

 

My OT Ford F-150 [05] has alum front suspension, A arms, ect.. Purpose made and used as such there shouldn't be a problem...But...

 

This line of thought is like comparing a piece of balsa wood to a 2x4 wooden stud. HRP

 

A customer brought in a glass '32 roadster for an interior job several years ago, it had one of those aluminum axles. I could nudge the tire with my knee and the axle would bend, fuck that!

Any and all aftermarket axles look like shit anyway.

 

An aluminum dropped axle!!!! To me this sounds just downright dangerous. Why would you put your life and others at risk for something that looks cool or to save weight. I would never ever consider putting one of these axles under one of my cars. This is not a good idea at all. I only use genuine Henry Ford axles and have them dropped by a competent craftsman who knows what he is doing. Henry Ford's axles have been around for a very long time and I have never heard of one of them failing yet.

 

I'd sure like to see a scientific or semi-scientific experiment on this. I'm not doubting that HRP or TexasHardcore saw some movement, but I do question that a knee or foot on the wheel would result in flex of an axle.

You can call me doubting Thomas, but my name is Bruce. And, I'm not from Missouri but I am Missouri Synod. "Show Me"

 

Id bet there stronger than V8 60 axles people are so fond of

 

Well Bruce,between the spring perch and the weight of the wheel and tire you could actual see the movement in the tire,,a slight shake that is not present with a forged axle and that's a fact Bruce!. HRP

 

I have put 10,000 on the one in my roadster.

 

i have a quick question, didn't they put a aluminum axle in semi trucks?

 

Supposedly forged, so the grain would follow the final form of the axle.
Unlike billet.