Front axle housing is bent. Can it be salvaged? (1 Viewer)

[AcroSteve]

We're pretty far along in a front axle rebuild and have fiund the axle housing to be bent. Unfortunately this wasn't noticed sooner.

It's bent outboard of the lower control arm bracket, and before the spring perch.

I can see the bend and can picture putting it in a press to straighten it, in my mind.

But is it practical?

Comparing measurements on the two housings.

I have another housing, but it has significantly more corrosion damage. Specifically at the knuckle balls. So the most extreme would be to replace them, or possibly fill the roughness with jb weld and then sand and polish smooth.

 

[bhsdriller]

I'd just swap the housings. That corrosion on the ball isn't that bad and even so wouldn't take much to fix

 

[Kernal]

Emery cloth in long strips pulled back and forth around the swivel ball will take care of most of that rust (maybe hit it first with wire wheel). You could follow up with a phosphoric acid product like OSPHO to kill any remaining pits in the steel, then once cured hit it (and the rest of the axle?) with a light coat of 2k Epoxy primer then 2K black topcoat (or use their 2K Primer Filler and sand lightly, then topcoat)

Some options:

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40071397/

2K Rapid Primer Filler - SprayMax

www.spraymax.com

2K Topcoat Black - SprayMax

www.spraymax.com

IME the Spraymax Topcoat gloss black does a very good job. SprayMax also makes a Hot Rod black that's more of a Satin Black.

2K Hot Rod Black - SprayMax

www.spraymax.com

Only drawback to the 2K primer and paint is the "potlife" in the can, once activated you have 24 hours to use up the paint (a bit longer with the primer IME). After that it turns to gel in the can. So get everything prepped (sanded, treated, cleaned, taped off, primed) before you push the button. Otherwise it's much better paint than standard rattle can stuff.

Here's what it can look llike after you're done:

FWIW

 

[LandLocked93]

May be time for some Hard-On ?

Hard-On by Woolwax™ 1-time permanent coating.

Hard-On by woolwax™ is for that application where a permanent coating corrosion protection coating is needed, or preferred, over a maintenance type application that needs to be recoated every couple of years. Hard-On by woolwax™ is a high performance, water based permanent 1-time hard shell...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Trail Tailor sells knuckle balls, easy swap and no fight with a bent housing.

 

[clx16]

You have an opportunity to get a custom housing that has caster perfectly adjusted for your lift goals.....

As far as the balls go. You can clean them up and fill any pitting with steel epoxy and sand smooth. But since it isn't my money i recommend a custom housing! Haha

 

[AcroSteve]

Good to see there are options.

That woolwax product deserves some research.

 

[BILT4ME]

Cut the balls off of the bent housing and weld them on the "good" housing.
Buy another good housing and rebuild it instead of either of those.

 

[inkpot]

Talk to a frame and axle shop? I had one that I fixed at home. Passenger front wheel was angled inboard 3.7 degrees. Enuff to see, just barely. I chained it down to a monster I beam and went after it with a huge hydraulic jack. It took 4 attempts at overbending it to get it to relax at less than 1/2 of 1 degree off perfect. Scarry as he'll and MUCH more detailed that this description.

 

[Squeegee]

That’s cool, how did you bend the housing?

 

[AcroSteve]

That’s cool, how did you bend the housing?

Purchased the chassis as a parts vehicle. Front outer fenders were already gone, but inner fenders were there and were straight. Some minor damage to drivers door is evidence of some sort of incident.

 

[Malleus]

You can fix the housing. It isn't easy, but it is possible - and it's a two man job. This does happen to OEMs, and they don't throw away axles.

This takes some effort, and not a little finesse, but you need a torch (oxy-acetylene, not a propane model) and a source of water spray (air spray, not water from a hose - it needs to be a heavy mist in a stream that you can use to target a limited area). Very carefully heat the side of the axle housing away from the direction you want it to bend. Spray cold water on the other side and it'll curl towards you. It doesn't take much heat and the metal moves really fast, so take it slow. Remember I said it's a two man job? One to wave the torch, the other to spray the water and watch the bend.

The easiest spray tool is a venturi; you'll need a 5-gal bucket of water, a three port connector and three air lines. Clear plastic tubing and a push lock connector is fine. The two inline ports have to be the same size, the third, 90° out from the other two, should be no larger than 80% of the diameter of the other two. This sounds complicated, but it isn't; these are standard reducing tee fittings. The drop from the smaller port goes into the bucket. One of the inline ports is connected to compressed air, the other has the spray nozzle on it. Once the air is connected, water will be drawn into the smaller drop and out the nozzle, once it's opened. You don't have to use this method, but it is the simplest in operation.

This is easily doable in a home shop, or even a garage. Just take your time - it's very easy to overshoot the mark. If you do, just heat the water side and spray the previously heated side. It'll bend back the other way.

The finesse part is the path of heat application: it's best to apply it 90º to the axis of the housing (if the axle sits horizontally on a pair of stands, wave the torch vertically). This way, you can control and localize the heat. Use a rosebud, not a welding tip. The support must be far enough inboard of the heat point so it doesn't act as a heat sink, and will allow the tube to move without binding. Wood sawhorses are best (or a wood plate on a metal stand - point is, you want a good insulator), and placed no nearer than 6 inches from the heat point.

If you don't spend too much time on this, you won't affect the microstructure and the axle will be just fine. Do not let the metal change color. Ever.

I've used this method to save very expensive steel parts from scrap. This method will work on all steel shapes, and it's especially good for really large ones, but don't ever try it on cast iron. You'll create a time bomb.

Of all my posts, this is the one I expect I'll get the most flame out of. From people who've never done it. I'd be interested to hear from all the other axle manufacturing engineers on the forum (current or former), before hearing from everyone who's never been in a factory before.

 

[clx16]

You can fix the housing. It isn't easy, but it is possible - and it's a two man job. This does happen to OEMs, and they don't throw away axles.

This takes some effort, and not a little finesse, but you need a torch (oxy-acetylene, not a propane model) and a source of water spray (air spray, not water from a hose - it needs to be a heavy mist in a stream that you can use to target a limited area). Very carefully heat the side of the axle housing away from the direction you want it to bend. Spray cold water on the other side and it'll curl towards you. It doesn't take much heat and the metal moves really fast, so take it slow. Remember I said it's a two man job? One to wave the torch, the other to spray the water and watch the bend.

The easiest spray tool is a venturi; you'll need a 5-gal bucket of water, a three port connector and three air lines. Clear plastic tubing and a push lock connector is fine. The two inline ports have to be the same size, the third, 90° out from the other two, should be no larger than 80% of the diameter of the other two. This sounds complicated, but it isn't; these are standard reducing tee fittings. The drop from the smaller port goes into the bucket. One of the inline ports is connected to compressed air, the other has the spray nozzle on it. Once the air is connected, water will be drawn into the smaller drop and out the nozzle, once it's opened. You don't have to use this method, but it is the simplest in operation.

This is easily doable in a home shop, or even a garage. Just take your time - it's very easy to overshoot the mark. If you do, just heat the water side and spray the previously heated side. It'll bend back the other way.

The finesse part is the path of heat application: it's best to apply it 90º to the axis of the housing (if the axle sits horizontally on a pair of stands, wave the torch vertically). This way, you can control and localize the heat. Use a rosebud, not a welding tip. The support must be far enough inboard of the heat point so it doesn't act as a heat sink, and will allow the tube to move without binding. Wood sawhorses are best (or a wood plate on a metal stand - point is, you want a good insulator), and placed no nearer than 6 inches from the heat point.

If you don't spend too much time on this, you won't affect the microstructure and the axle will be just fine. Do not let the metal change color. Ever.

I've used this method to save very expensive steel parts from scrap. This method will work on all steel shapes, and it's especially good for really large ones, but don't ever try it on cast iron. You'll create a time bomb.

Of all my posts, this is the one I expect I'll get the most flame out of. From people who've never done it. I'd be interested to hear from all the other axle manufacturing engineers on the forum (current or former), before hearing from everyone who's never been in a factory before.

I have a 79 pickup axle that I will try this on. Once straight again I can make it stronger and put it back in to service.

Thanks!

 

[Squeegee]

Purchased the chassis as a parts vehicle. Front outer fenders were already gone, but inner fenders were there and were straight. Some minor damage to drivers door is evidence of some sort of incident.

That’ll do it!

 

[AcroSteve]

3 heavy coats of 2k epoxy primer, sanded between.

That's all it gets. Light scuff tomorrow then 2k urethane top coat.

Starting point...
We did rust remover Gell, and the metal prep from the por15 kit before the primer coats.

 

[PIP]

I straighten horribly bent things regularly.

Thicker steel parts are a lot easier to straighten out than thin stuff.

Heat from a big rosebud is a good method. You don't even need the water. Just expand one side with heat and go about twice as far as you need. It'll pull back about 1/2 what you expand it to.

Big press works good for some things to. 50+ ton press can work great, but I'm not sure it'd work great for an axle housing.

From my point of view, as someone who does this kind of stuff (heavy ag and logging repair) for a living, I would never trust some measuring off brackets on the housing to tell me it's bent. Those brackets aren't always that precise.

I'd make pucks for the carrier bearings honed for .0005" over a 6ft 1.5" TGP bar. Then I'd measure the knuckle balls relationship to the bar.

There's other ways to do it to. Depends what you have access to.

 

[Dave 2000]

Of all my posts, this is the one I expect I'll get the most flame out of. From people who've never done it. I'd be interested to hear from all the other axle manufacturing engineers on the forum (current or former), before hearing from everyone who's never been in a factory before.

I have heard of this method and with good results however, the guy is a 'coded' welder, he took the oppurtunity to strengthen the axle afterwards. No flames from Spain!

Regards

Dave.

 

[AcroSteve]

Final

 

[BILT4ME]

Final

View attachment 3383952

View attachment 3383953

Let that paint cure as long as possible before it gets grease on it or it may bubble and peel.

 

[thegadgetguy]

You can fix the housing. It isn't easy, but it is possible - and it's a two man job. This does happen to OEMs, and they don't throw away axles.

This takes some effort, and not a little finesse, but you need a torch (oxy-acetylene, not a propane model) and a source of water spray (air spray, not water from a hose - it needs to be a heavy mist in a stream that you can use to target a limited area). Very carefully heat the side of the axle housing away from the direction you want it to bend. Spray cold water on the other side and it'll curl towards you. It doesn't take much heat and the metal moves really fast, so take it slow. Remember I said it's a two man job? One to wave the torch, the other to spray the water and watch the bend.

The easiest spray tool is a venturi; you'll need a 5-gal bucket of water, a three port connector and three air lines. Clear plastic tubing and a push lock connector is fine. The two inline ports have to be the same size, the third, 90° out from the other two, should be no larger than 80% of the diameter of the other two. This sounds complicated, but it isn't; these are standard reducing tee fittings. The drop from the smaller port goes into the bucket. One of the inline ports is connected to compressed air, the other has the spray nozzle on it. Once the air is connected, water will be drawn into the smaller drop and out the nozzle, once it's opened. You don't have to use this method, but it is the simplest in operation.

This is easily doable in a home shop, or even a garage. Just take your time - it's very easy to overshoot the mark. If you do, just heat the water side and spray the previously heated side. It'll bend back the other way.

The finesse part is the path of heat application: it's best to apply it 90º to the axis of the housing (if the axle sits horizontally on a pair of stands, wave the torch vertically). This way, you can control and localize the heat. Use a rosebud, not a welding tip. The support must be far enough inboard of the heat point so it doesn't act as a heat sink, and will allow the tube to move without binding. Wood sawhorses are best (or a wood plate on a metal stand - point is, you want a good insulator), and placed no nearer than 6 inches from the heat point.

If you don't spend too much time on this, you won't affect the microstructure and the axle will be just fine. Do not let the metal change color. Ever.

I've used this method to save very expensive steel parts from scrap. This method will work on all steel shapes, and it's especially good for really large ones, but don't ever try it on cast iron. You'll create a time bomb.

Of all my posts, this is the one I expect I'll get the most flame out of. From people who've never done it. I'd be interested to hear from all the other axle manufacturing engineers on the forum (current or former), before hearing from everyone who's never been in a factory before.

Intrigued by this... I assume there is some limit to the amount of un-bending you can achieve using this method?