'40 Front Axle-Front and Back?

Dennis/Arkansas

Dennis/Arkansas

Senior Member
Getting ready to glue some of the front end together on my '40 Ford. Does the front axle have a front side? The pins that hold the king pins in seem to want to go in one side only. Would that be the front? Thank you very much, Dennis/Arkansas
 
Dennis/Arkansas said:
Getting ready to glue some of the front end together on my '40 Ford. Does the front axle have a front side? The pins that hold the king pins in seem to want to go in one side only. Would that be the front? Thank you very much, Dennis/Arkansas
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The pins go in from the front. The nuts are on the back.
The original nuts were special, an elongated cap nut, about 1 1/8" in length. This nut served two functions. One was to hold the the spindle pin in place within the axle. The other was to offer a "stop" for the spindle. If you inspect the rear of the spindle you will notice a small flat recess of about 1 1/2" diameter. That area would come against the end of the nut in an extreme turn.
If you would like a photo, let me know.
 
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Hey Mike! Thanks, as always, for the info. I've got an NOS spindle kit which includes all the correct hardware. I do see the indentions in the spindles for the stop nut. While I have your ear, will those locking pins only go in one way? If so, that must mean that there is a "front" on the front axle.Thanks again, Dennis/Arkansas
 
I asked that same question a while back (thinking that the caster was built into the axle) and was told that the 1940 axles does not have a front and a back and that the locking pins will go in from either side.
 
Thank you 19fordy. I have been messin' with T-Models for years and it makes no difference on them either. The spring perches set the correct angle on the T's. Dennis/Arkansas
 
I had the same Q some time back ,I suggest that the locking pin holes are the same size ,both sides all axles .likely your axle was some time in its life messed with [bent ]to correct caster and or camber settings if you put it in backwards you will have a difficult steering problem . All axles have casting letters,or numbers on one outside end .The axle should be installed with these markings to the right [passener]side facing the front.
 
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