1 tonner bended front axle

P

pag trekker

Junior Member
Hi guys, stupid mistake on restoring my 38 one ton truck. thought my front axle supposed to be with a small bend, when i put some pictures on the forum someone attended me to the bend ,and commented it should be straight.
Is this correct and not specially done for a 1 tonner?
Can this bee straightened on a hydraulic press?
Thanks guys
 

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Yes it should be straight. And yes it can be done on a hydraulic press.

What might be more difficult is getting the spring perch bolts out.
 
It takes a major amount of stress to bend an early Ford axle. Someone once noted for every action there is an equal but opposite reaction. If this the truck that the axle was in when it was bent I would be very concerned about collateral and transmitted damage... Check the frame for straightness and level, spring to frame mounts for distortion, radiator mounts and body mounts etc as they could have damage from the shock of whatever this truck hit.
 
I-beam axles don't like being bent that way. It stretches the outside bend legs and compresses the inside bend legs. When a person starts straightening it, a mandrel may be needed to fit the stretched side to keep it from trying to twist. The mandrel should be relatively short & straight but fit the contour of the U in the I-beam on that side. This will help to keep the legs from trying to twist on you during the pressing operation and it will give a better surface to press against. the mandrel can be taken out after it's pretty close. It would also help to have something such as wood blocks on each end to keep the axle flat during the pressing operation. That's a pretty good bend so a person needs to work it carefully. It will likely have to be bent beyond straight a good bit to get it back to straightened condition as it should be.

Axles bend easier than most folks know. This type of bend is common where folks were trying to extricate a vehicle from a mud bog here it was almost hopelessly high centered and they connected to the center of the axle with their chain.
 
To me that is surely not a SMALL bend. As Karl noted, check everything out in detail. You should be able to have the axle straightened - though it may take some heat to get the bent area flexible enough. (I'm not an expert - so find somebody who is!)

I would remove the axle assembly and bring the whole thing to a shop that understands big-truck axles and has the necessary heavy-duty equipment to not only straighten it, but to X-ray it and also set the camber. They'll know the correct procedure to do the work (though I'd question them before handing it over).

As Mart noted, can be a real bear to get the spring perches out of the axle - will probably take heat on the axle to do it and a big hydraulic press (so as to not screw up the threads on the bottom).

Also, don't try to take the spring apart without the necessary tools . . . you shouldn't just try to remove the shackles with a full spring load on it.
 
Many many moons ago I worked in a wheel alignment shop that did White,Kenworth and Peter Built trucks as well as school buses so I straightened axles and did the wheel alignment.We had a pit with I beam cemented in and along with chains and jigs we had 20 ton hydraulic bottle jacks.The way that axle is bent would be nearly impossible to straighten in its current position.You need to remove it and do it out of the vehicle and even then its questionable as it needs to be in a fixture.Straight axles can be a challenge to straighten as they have memory and spring back to the original position.
 
Two uninformed questions:

1/ Would a new axle be a better/safer alternative to trying to straighten the current one?

2/ Any chance the front end geometry might be fine if left alone??

These occur to me and I am completely ignorant of the big truck front end components.
 
I think its very possible to fix it. You'll need to get it apart first, then have a good strong press. Do it cold, then I would machine up some rods that fit the perch pin and king pin holes to use to "eyeball" that there is no twist leftover from the shock of it all. If its twisted, then I would heat it up cherry red, straighten it out and let it cool slowly
 
Ouch!
My hunch is a yank-out-of-the-ditch situation. I would check toe and run it if it works and look for another axle in the meanwhile.
 
I've Anson Axles save several deuce big beams that were bent but none were that severe. I'd have it magnafluxed after you get it straightened.
 
Krylon32 said:
I've Anson Axles save several deuce big beams that were bent but none were that severe. I'd have it magnafluxed after you get it straightened.
Click to expand...


I'd almost bet that is a plain old '37-41 car axle. Measure between perch pins on center. If 38-1/2" between centers, '37-'41 axles are a dime a dozen, relatively speaking. You'll never get that perfectly repaired again. Coop

.
 
I haven't straightened a commercial axle but have many passenger car ones. I have found that what a Frame and Axle shop person told our club was true. The passenger car axles if they have never been touched move at about 8 tons between a span, If they have been heated with a torch, 4 tons so don't use any heat while straightening or you will have weakened the axle and they will get bent again. My 25T press has a gauge so I can tell exactly how much pressure I am putting on things. Rusty tight perches can often take 17T with bridging close to each side as to not bend that area.
The wishbone ends must be pulled in a bit which may or may not help during the straightening. As for the memory (all the ones I have done were completely apart with no wishbone attached) You have to bend it back past where it originally was as it does want to spring back a little.
 
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deuce_roadster said:
I haven't straightened a commercial axle but have many passenger car ones. I have found that what a Frame and Axle shop person told our club was true. The passenger car axles if they have never been touched move at about 8 tons between a span, If they have been heated with a torch, 4 tons so don't use any heat while straightening or you will have weakened the axle and they will get bent again.
Click to expand...

Good info on NOT using heat - thanks!
 
I think the front axle for a 38 Ford 1 ton is the same as the passenger cars. There are a lot of 37-40 Ford passenger car front axles out there, and a stock one should be at least as inexpensive as paying to get that thing straightened. I would find a much better axle as a starting point.
 
38 was the first year of the tonner. King pins, front brakes etc all the same as a half ton pickup. If pickup was same as car, which I think is correct then hopefully axle will be an easy find. The rear brakes were the same as the 1 1/2 tons, but rear axle and drums/lug pattern unique to the tonner. I s'pose the green bible would tell the story. In the green book the tonner is referred to as a 122" truck.
 
I have one, first thing I went over was the front end. Only difference was more leaves and the big goofy drums and I think backing plates/brake parts. I used car axle and wishbones for my AV8 and sure the same
 
They are not that uncommon. Certainly when a lot of people are going with drop axles.

These guys know axles. Maybe could help as they see a few. Might be quicker then ebay.
https://droppedaxles.com/


You could fix it. Probably work okay. but...
 
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