An ugly surprise

Bob/Kansas City

Bob/Kansas City

Senior Member
Over the weekend I decided to dive into the rear brakes on the roadster to get those rebuilt so I could move onto other things but here is an ugly turn of events I found after pulling the hubs and drums. The left rear axle is not only bent but has a big chunk out of the axle adjacent to the keyway. :eek: I've got to wonder what happened to cause that... must have been something catastrophic!
Now it looks like a new axle and a rear end overhaul will be in order. Sure didn't plan on that!
I have the Les Andrews books but am trying to find the articles on the diff rebuild from Tom Endy. I tried to download from the Fox Valley MARC site but it says the files are corrupt and won't let me continue. Don't know if it's my computer or what although other tech articles did load ok from their site.
If Tom or anyone has a copy of these articles they can email to me I'd sure appreciate it. If you do please PM me and I'll send you my email address.
Any tips anyone can offer on replacing the left side axle would be appreciated !

By the way I used the inexpensive ($31) hub puller from Bratton's to pull the hubs and it worked beautifully! I'd sure recommend this to anyone doing rear brakes.

 
Oops.. axle pic didn't post....
 

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You might try Orange County MAFC, that's where I found Tom Endy's articles.
 
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It would appear that only the threaded part of the axle is tweaked. If so and the wheel runs true I would bolt it back together and get down the road.
 
I have an axle just like that which was given to me a few years ago. I hope to put a copper key in place and weld in the missing metal, then turn it for a clean finish.

I agree with Chris, that it appears the threaded part is the only bent part from what I see.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
I have an axle just like that which was given to me a few years ago. I hope to put a copper key in place and weld in the missing metal, then turn it for a clean finish.

I agree with Chris, that it appears the threaded part is the only bent part from what I see.
Click to expand...

Would you straighten the axle first and then add the metal?
 
With exception of the bent treaded part of the axle, I have run my huckster for a number of miles with that kind of problem in the keyway. I do realize I may be asking for trouble in the long run but so far so good.
 
Ross/Kzoo said:
Would you straighten the axle first and then add the metal?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what I would do about the bent threads?:confused:

One thing a guy could do is use the axle on the other side. Since the torque is always against one side of the keyway (except for engine braking) then the torque would be against the good side of the keyway.:)

I was trying to think of how the threads got bent. It just dawned on me that someone smashed it with a sledge hammer to remove the drum. Poor practice!:eek:
 
Bob C - Thanks for the link. It worked just fine.

Tom Wesenberg - Yeah, That's what I was wondering too if someone took a big hammer to the axle to pop the drum off. Too bad because they came off easily with the right tool!

The wheel does run true without any wobble. Do you guys think it would be worth a try to run it this way? If so, it would sure save a lot of time and money!
 
Normal axle break. i have driven a car with a drive shaft much worse than that but it did eventually fracture worse after a year, so like the other guys said, weld it with some copper in the keyway and touch it up with a file and it should be good for at least a year or two of driving. Replace it when funds allow / when axle receives major future work>
 
If it was off the axel, I would be inclined to not only repair it, but straighten it. On the vehicle, I would only repair the keyway as others have mentioned. I would not be inclined to put enough heat into it to straighten it on the vehicle. Heating it would not be a bad thing, as you would be annealing an area that is crystallized and brittle from the trauma of the bend. I have never seen a broken axle, on any vehicle, that was not crystallized.
 
The keyway was not meant to carry the driving load. If you have a proper fit between the axle and the hub, with the right amount of torque on the nut, you can probably run with out the key. The fit is achieved by lapping the two together with valve grinding compound. During this process you will easily see when the two surfaces are happy together. Rich
 
Deuce Man said:
The keyway was not meant to carry the driving load. If you have a proper fit between the axle and the hub, with the right amount of torque on the nut, you can probably run with out the key. The fit is achieved by lapping the two together with valve grinding compound. During this process you will easily see when the two surfaces are happy together. Rich
Click to expand...

True "scoop"! Also, re-assembly should be clean and dry...no lube or Never-Seize type stuff. The taper of axle and hub is what transfers torque when that nut is tightened to spec, similar to a Morse taper drill bit. Personally, I'd never try to re-use that axle. Good luck. DD
 
Over the past 80 years do you realizi how many have been run in much worse condition than that?? Were there any problems before dis-assembly??
Paul in CT
 
Bob, if you decide to use this axle, have it crack checked. This is a relatively simple thing to do. First you have to find or borrow the stuff to do it with. There is a red dye and a white powdery spray. The red dye goes on first and you spray the white stuff on second. Well at least I think how it goes. This will show crack immediately. I am in the boat business, 99% of the inboard powered boats have their propellers attached to the shafts by the exact 9 to 1 SAE taper that henry used. When the taper and hub fit properly they last for years, doing their job. When they fit improperly or the key is carrying the load, the keyways usually crack in the corner, the crack travels up with time and the shafts break off just like the ford axle in the picture. This can be very expensive, though not as dangerous as losing a wheel, while going down the road. As part of a boats yearly haul out inspection and service the mechanic or propeller shop, usually crack checks the taper and keyway as described, cheap insurance. Same with your situation. Hope this helps. Rich
 
If it were mine, I'd DRIVE WITH IT, BUT, not over 2 MPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Would you want your Epitaph to read, "I TOLE YOU IT WUZ A BAD AXLE, DUMMY" Bill W.
 
Hi Bob,

In your initial message, your looking for Mr. Endy's article already signals your initial thoughts of great mature wisdom to attack & try to find a remedy for this unknown endurance of a damaged Model A axle.

If a Model A rear axle brakes off, the hub & wheel may or may not exit sideways & allow the backing plate to fall & begin scraping the road.

At the very least, two quite serious problems may or may not occur:

1. One may or may not loose control while driving in traffic; and/or,

2. The rear left wheel may or may not pass you up in the lane of on coming cars.

(Good to think about the unknown possible "reactions" of the unknown other driver, (e.g. male or female, young or senior), who perhaps sees an unexpected Model A wheel headed his/her way about to cause a possible head on collision.)

Help is only a short distance to your keyboard & the responders on this Forum can supply great assistance in many ways if questions arise -- most sincere wishes for the best for you in your endeavor.

Might add, lost 2 Model A wheels over 50 years ago -- pure luck nobody was injured -- but I know what it is like to lose a wheel while driving.
 
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