I think your putting out a lot of miss information in regards to heating axles. It's done everyday. It's been done on axles since their inception. This can be seen on the Traditional Hot Rods all the time. Just walk through the parking lot of the Lone Star Roundup in Austin, Texas in April and you'll get an idea of how many dropped axles that are out their. How do you think the axle guys drop their axles? They use heat. I don't see people complaining on the HAMB about their axles that were dropped.
A lot of wrong things are done everyday, that does not make it right.
The fact is the axles are special metal that does not bend easy. You heat it and it bends like butter. Over the years the original ones take on a bend at the perch hole as would make sense. But that is after a severe beating.
I have straightened axles and I have seen first hand the difference in how the axles bend. When you feel how much easier it is to bend the metal you might become a believer.
As for the dropped axles.
Well I have found in the last 45 years of being in the hobby that most guys are Fn clueless on the mechanicals on their cars.
They put them together and half the crap does not work right to begin with and then it breaks and they do not bother to fix it.
So you are just making assumptions when you state no one complains about their axles. I know from experience a good chunk of the guys would not know of the axle was bent. Often there are more severe issues with the car that overshadow the axle issues. I also know guys that know their cars have problems and do not feel they are enough of a problem for the 50 miles a year to worry about fixing them.
You just do not know if there is a real problem or not. You just have never heard of any and really no one is looking very hard. Lets be honest how many guys would even know how to check their axles or even know how to set them up right in the first place?
FWIW, During a discussion under the same exact subject years ago. That is I made my assertion that a heated axle is a weak axle. I asked the question when someone brought up the same exact question.
How many guys who actually drive their dropped axles cars any distance have check their alignment?
As I expected, almost one did. So no one knows if they have a bent axle or not. Well except for the 2 guys who have been in rodding for years emailed me and said yes they axles do bend easy and no one ever checks them. They just did not want to get in the discussion.
So let us go back to the simple fact, a heated Ford axle is MUCH MUCH weaker then one that has not been heated. Period end of discussion unless you have data to prove my data wrong.
Properly restoring a car is not cheap or easy. Today people seem to have lost the local network of finding parts. There were 4 million A's built each with a front axle so there are lots out there. You can use Bert's excellent reputation and pay a bit more for the parts or you can take the time to learn and network with local guys and find a good axle. But please stop putting me down for telling you facts you do not want to hear.
I want my car to run right. I have often found NOS Ford parts often at repro prices. I have found used parts with almost no wear. I paid the money to get the right stuff and I spent a lot of time learning how to find good parts.
Properly restoring a car the drives like factory is not easy, fast or cheap. I am NOT going for a show points car either.
If you want to do it right you have to get off you a$$ and learn a lot and talk to a lot of people.
