Bending steering arms

[Odies dad]

I need to bend the steering arms on my project to keep the tie rod from hitting the hair pins.
I need to bend them up about an inch on each side.
I would like to do this right the first time, so if someone can walk me through this process, I would appreciate it.
Stock 40 ford spindles with attached steering arms
4" dropped I beam axle.
Speedway bat wings and hairpins with rod ends.

 

[Skip]

Seems to me that bending the arms would change the geometry of the steering, which is not likely a good idea.

Pictures of the issue would help. Hopefully, someone more experienced than I will have a better idea.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I've never done this, but it's a common modification with little effect on geometry. Heat evenly to cherry red and bend... orange or yellow is too hot... let it cool naturally, no quenching or shop air... have the finished piece magnafluxed for cracks.

That's all I know about forming (or reforming) forged steel. Hopefully somebody else will chime in here...

bobw? BED? Torchie? zz?

.

 

[dutch]

Not sure why orange would be too hot..? I would think you`ve got better chance of a part with no cracks when you bend a bit hotter.

 

[Old Iron]

I've done this a few times with no problems.
When you bend it, make sure you go straight up or down or it will change the akerman a little.
A line from the center of the king pin through the eye of the steering arm to the pinion of the rear end is what you're looking for.

 

[Torchie]

I've done this a few times with no problems.
When you bend it, make sure you go straight up or down or it will change the akerman a little.
A line from the center of the king pin through the eye of the steering arm to the pinion of the rear end is what you're looking for.

OI has it right. The big thing is to keep it lined up.
When I have done this I usually get it hot enough to the point where it will bend with a bit of force. So as I am heating it I am apply force and when it starts to bend I take the heat off.
As Dr Crankenstien says, I would call the color cherry. I guess. Then I just let them cool back down naturally.
I never had them Magnafluxed after. Maybe I have just been lucky. Or maybe I was just stupider then than now. But as always. Safety first.
Torchie

 

[TIMOTHALE]

Iron workers spike.

A long tapered punch or iron workers spike thru the taper hole to keep it allgned so you don't put in a twist.

 

[Odies dad]

I am starting to lean towards the notion of swapping the rod ends for heim joints. I think that they will clear.
Speedway has a 11/16 hiem with a 5/8" hole for this situation.
I am not comfortable with the heating and bending stuff. I have no way to magnaflux them when I am done.

 

[zzrodder]

The guys have pretty much covered it, bending the arms is no big deal, done it lots of times with no failures. Don't use heim joints - they're OK for race cars but not for street use - noisy and not geasable.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I agree with zz, real tie-rod ends are superior to heim joints for street abuse. (Here, a heim joint won't pass a simple safety inspection, period.)


Don't be afraid to heat and bend... if they crack, they're flawed or damaged already.

A good alternative to magnafluxing (for the home builder) is DPI or Dye Penetrant Inspection. Any decent welding supply should have this stuff on the shelf in aerosol cans.

.

 

[lowbudget50]

The guys have pretty much covered it, bending the arms is no big deal, done it lots of times with no failures. Don't use heim joints - they're OK for race cars but not for street use - noisy and not geasable.

I use heim joints on all my cars, never had a problem. If you are worried about them making noise you exhaust isn't load enough[ddd

 

[TIMOTHALE]

slow cool down

another slow cool down trick is to wrap aluminum foil around the part, and use your heavy welding gloves

 

[TIMOTHALE]

metalurgy 101

alloy metals behave diferently depending on the alloy and temperatures. The college professor had a carbon steel wire streched between two insulators wired in series with a light bulb. He turned on the switch, the light on and the wire started to heat up and expand, sagging down. then when it got almost to toaster red the wire shrank . The professor explaned that at the critical temperature the molecular structure of the iron and alloying elemants changes, becomes non magmetic. He turned it off and the rapid air cooling kept the wire tight. He explaned that when heat treating a piece of tool steel heating then rapid cooling keeps the structure dense and hard. some tool steels become fragile and will crack and break like a piece of glass. If you polish a piece that has been hardened , then slowly reheat you will get the rainbow colors as the steel molecture structure start to change back. sometimes a propane torch soft flame to allow the steel to slowly cool down, or packing parts in sand.

 

[Odies dad]

Got 'er done yesterday. Worked out pretty good. Had to borrow my dad's acetylene tank because mine ran out after the first bend. We wrapped some wet towels around the king pins and heated the closest part until it would bend with a piece of square tubing, then we did the same to the other side. Went back to the other side again and heated by the tie rod end side and used a drift punch to get it back to level, then the same to the other side. We decided that we had to go a little higher, so we did it again.I cooled things off with my knuckles and got the tie rod put back on. Turned out perfect.
Got the hubs, rotors, and calipers installed.

 

[Old Iron]

[cl right on [cl
We knew you could do it

 

[Odies dad]

Part of the fun was having my old shop teacher running the torch. What I know about welding, I learned from him 35+ years ago.
He is building a 32 Chevy.