Axle key worn.

[George Iowa]

The key way on my axle is worn. Any ideas on the effects of this kind of ware? Is this bad? How can I fix this problem? Thanks for any suggestions.
Hopefully the pictures came with the post.

 

[Pete]

The key way on my axle is worn. Any ideas on the effects of this kind of ware? Is this bad? How can I fix this problem? Thanks for any suggestions.
Hopefully the pictures came with the post.

Chances are very good that the keyway in the hub is just as bad.
The right way to fix it is to replace both.
There are a hundred ways to Mickey Mouse fix it and fix it and fix it and fix it etc.

If you elect to replace the axle and hub, lap them in before assembling and you will never have one go bad again. Try and get more than 75% surface on the lap area.

 

[glenn in camino]

When I was close to finishing my first Model A restoration back in the early 70s I discovered that same problem. Not wanting to take everything apart, I put a bead of weld on both sides of the bottom of an axle key and filed it to a wedge shape to match the worn axle keyway. My mickey mouse fix worked for many years and thousands of miles. Be sure to tighten the axle nut after the first 100 miles.

 

[Craig Lewis]

This metal isn't hard...it can be fixed easy. Hold a heavy block against the bottom of the axle as a backup dolly, then use a ballpeen hammer to tap the metal back in place. Just go gentle untill you get the feel and you'll find the keyway can be made perfect in just a few minutes.
All the metal is still there....it just moved abit.

 

[ford1]

machine shops can relocate and recut the axle keyway, but it will take an old time shop to cut a new keyway in the drum, ask at your local machine shop