Crates I beaM ... more thoughts please

[klink]

Klink, without working up a sweat, definitely able to mark the axle with a 1.5lb and a small nail punch

If you can leave a mark with a punch then the axle is softer than the punch (which isn't very hard). Early Ford axles were forged which makes them strong by compressing the steel; there was no need to heat treat them. If it was my axle I'd cut off the brackets and clean up the perch bosses and use it. I can't tell how the perch bosses were capped from the pictures in the other post. If you're lucky they simply welded "caps" over the holes. For piece of mind you can have it tested for cracks which wouldn't cost much.

 

[dutch]

I was under the impression these axles were all cast. but forged ,not hardened sure makes a difference. Crack testing is Always a good thing. When those welded holes are capped only, you should be fine, but the problem remains you just can`t tell how much heat was brought into it ,and what that did to the molecular structure of the steel, and that in the place where it matters the most. What if he welded it with way much heat and somehow had the feeling he had to cool it down really quick, and quenched it in cold water...? just saying you just don`t know.

got any close-ups of the welded area to share?

 

[bob w]

These axles are dropped by heating them cherry red with a couple torches and bending the snot out of them in a press. There is no heat treatment involved. As BED stated, they can take a lot of abuse.

 

[23crate]

If you can leave a mark with a punch then the axle is softer than the punch (which isn't very hard). Early Ford axles were forged which makes them strong by compressing the steel; there was no need to heat treat them. If it was my axle I'd cut off the brackets and clean up the perch bosses and use it. I can't tell how the perch bosses were capped from the pictures in the other post. If you're lucky they simply welded "caps" over the holes. For piece of mind you can have it tested for cracks which wouldn't cost much.

hmm it looks promising, all of the welds have been attempted with not enough amperage -the finished weld is more on top that melted in to the axle or crappy brackets. the perch holes 3 out 4 sides seem to be welded as you might a plug weld. the forth quite clearly visible is what could've been the end of a perch bolt ground flush -- later today im breaking out the drill to work out the weld depth in the perch holes.... judging by the rest of the welding im think I wont be too bad

the company ive previously mentioned , will anneal , crack test etc for less than $150 nzd which is around less than $75 USd
im think more pictures to follow....

 

[23crate]

some pictures...
1st pic is the plug welded , about 1/8 deep same at the other end
3rd pic you can see the perch

the perch in the 1st 2nd pic ,, pretty straight forward , will take it to an engineer buddy of mine for accuracy , get him also to whizz out the broken perch.

 

[23crate]

started to clean up the 'I' cut a couple of top brackets off.. and run out cut of disks...

progress woohoo

 

[kenny c]

If you are not confident with the welding work on the axle, you may want to look over the welds on the spindles where th caliper brackets were welded on.