axle housing bent

[dave in australia]

How easy is it to straighten/re-align the bell of the axle housing. Whilst mounting one of my housings in my lathe, as I rotated the housing to check for rotation clearance, I noticed a.070" difference on the mount face between top and bottom. The housing is mounted with both the inner bearing on a centre fixture on the lathe spindle, and the outer axle exit mounted with a live centre on the tailstock. This ensures the axle alignment is running true. Has anybody straightened tthe bell with any success, and how was it done.

[nkaminar]

The housing can be damaged because of an accident, hitting a curb, or pulling stumps with a chain wrapped around the axle. Used housings are available and that may be the best course of action. I think it would take a lot of force to bend the housing straight again. Perhaps bolting it to a concrete base and pulling the top with a tractor?

I understand that finding used Model A parts in Austria can be difficult. And shipping from the US can be expensive. So maybe the pull with the tractor is the best. If you do try to straighten the housing, set up a way to measure any movement so that you don't over correct or under correct.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by dave in australia

How easy is it to straighten/re-align the bell of the axle housing. Whilst mounting one of my housings in my lathe, as I rotated the housing to check for rotation clearance, I noticed a.070" difference on the mount face between top and bottom. The housing is mounted with both the inner bearing on a centre fixture on the lathe spindle, and the outer axle exit mounted with a live centre on the tailstock. This ensures the axle alignment is running true. Has anybody straightened tthe bell with any success, and how was it done.

Yes, I have done many. Likely like you, I use a live center mounted into the differential race on my headstock end so that I know I have true center. On the hub race end, I am now using a 4-jaw chuck mounted onto a live center mounted on my tail stock to clamp around the hub bearing race. I indicate off of the flange where the Brake Housing plate indexes and adjust to get a true centerline. Then I use an indicator to measure runout along the taper rotating the housing about 350° (-minus the area where the weld is) and find your runout there. I use acetylene torch heat and shrink the tube to bring it back into its original location. Then put an indicator onto the gasket surface of the Diff Housing flange and see what your runout is there. If it is 0.030" or less, just face the flange to make it perpendicular to the centerline. If there is more runout than 0.030", heat and shrink in the flared area to draw it closer followed by facing the gasket flange as I described above.

[dave in australia]

thanks for the replies

[katy]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

I understand that finding used Model A parts in Austria can be difficult.

PO said he is in Australia, not Austria.

[nkaminar]

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Brent, That sounds like a much better way to fix it than using a tractor.

Katy, As I get older I find that misread things a lot. Thanks for the correction.

[Brian SATX]

I would thnk it would be difficult to find in Austria also.

[Joe K]

Held between centers and use a "porta-power" between the backing plate mount and the edge of the bell.

If you overshoot, perhaps a BFH (big, friggin, hammer)

Of course when mounted between centers it is possible to do a final "truing cut" on both edge of bell, and the backing plate notch.

The Harbor Freight 10 ton porta-powers seem functional and I've used mine on several projects - a little limited in "attachments" perhaps.

Joe K