Bent front axle

[George Cheney]

Well, so much for brushing against the enter key, sorry about that. Anyway, my TC's axle is twisted and bent. Does anyone know a shop in New England that could bend it backin shape? I'll check local sources Monday (right now I'm in Walpole, NH and will be in CT Momday), But as I just discovered it this afternoon, I'd like to get a headstart. I don't want to drive to the GOF in a station wagon! Thanks, George Cheney __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com

[Peter Pleitner]

Hi George, I can't tell you where to go to straighten you axle beam on the east coast, but I can tell you how its done, because I had to do it about twenty five years ago. I'll assume its bent between one of the spring perches and the king pin. Obtain two 3/4" diameter, three feet long round bars, and a degree indicator with magnetic mount (Stanley makes one I obtained from local hardware store). Mount the axle without spindles to a very strong and immobile surface with large "C" clamps. Borrow one very large pipe wrench and supplement this with a three foot section of strong pipe which you can use to extend its handle for additional leverage. Insert the round bars through the axle eyes. One round bar will presumably be your reference with respect to its nearest spring perch. Measure its castor and camber angle (castor will be different from specification due to arc of leaf spring). Guestimate where the center of bend in the axle beam is and mount your pipe wrench outboard and equidistant from the spring perch. Start applying extreme bending force using the extended pipe wrench and use the degree wheel on the round bar through the bent axle eye until you have rectified the bend. You might be able to use "fast" heat (rosebud tip) applied to the bent area to reduce force required, however do not exceed 700 degrees Fahrenheit, otherwise you will have to worry about changing the beam's metallurgy. This is just a guess, others might have more expert heat treating advise. You might take advantage of this opportunity to reduce the positive camber at both "eyes", this being a common practice among racers to enhance cornering or turn-in. I wish I had, and wouldn't mind learning what a good camber spec is for 19" tires. Good luck and Cheers, Peter -----Original Message----- From: George Cheney [mailto:GeorgeDCheney@yahoo.com] Sent: Saturday, June 15, 2002 8:19 PM To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com Subject: [mg-tabc] Bent front axle Well, so much for brushing against the enter key, sorry about that. Anyway, my TC's axle is twisted and bent. Does anyone know a shop in New England that could bend it backin shape? I'll check local sources Monday (right now I'm in Walpole, NH and will be in CT Momday), But as I just discovered it this afternoon, I'd like to get a headstart. I don't want to drive to the GOF in a station wagon! Thanks, George Cheney __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/