Just having some fun at your expense! That's what friends are for. How about sending them out to be nickel or one of those DIY plating kits? Beats polishing them all the time.
Thanks all you guys for the axle drilling info. I probably won't build another (exposed) straight axle car...gettin' a little too old for another "hard core" Hot Rod...but who knows... Thanks again
LOL the stuff that you do that don't show is just as important. I have been known to polish the inside of an engine block. No one sees it until the next mechanic opens it up. details man details.
Love the copper liners. Really creative. Drilling is no problem, I drilled my forged steel Willys axle with a Harbor Freight black bit on my drill press. Used 30W oil to help. No issues.
Yup no hill for a stepper. We used to chamfer the holes then paint them a contrasting color. I try and keep good bits for drilling stuff, but just a normal everyday twist drill for metal works well enough. @willys36 this will give you a chuckle. The wife bought me some actual wood bits. Got to say that work real well on wood. When we were moving up here I was thrashing to get some things in the shop rolling and ready to move. I just snagged a bit and was trying to drill a hole and began to ***** about how damed hard the metal was. The wife walked out and said, "what bit are you using?" Then I realized that I snagged a wood bit which was not dulled beyond repair. grabbed a proper bit and it drilled like warm ****er.
I like it! I'm a fan of using different metals, I like the look. I personally don't like leaving holes in things, I think I would have plugged them completely (edit: with br*** or copper), but either way, cool looking
If your kind of on the ratty side I like the idea of shotgun casings. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I've written a couple chapters in that book over the years!! My most memorable (forgettable?) drilling experience is using a 4 1/4" hole saw to cut the big holes in my Mysterion frame. I used pre-polished stainless steel so I would save the $$$$$ chrome bill for plain steel. Got the hole saw and started drilling my normal method - no fluid just lean on the drill press lever real hard and shove the bit thru. I got a clue things weren't going well when the saw hadn't penetrated the 16ga metal and was turning bright red hot. Looked and the teeth on the bimetal saw were totally gone and the stainless was slightly scratched. That's how I learned to hate stainless. It work hardens when machining tearing up tools, it transfers heat very poorly, building up dangerous local temps that destroy tools, it is super sticky so if you don't use anti-seize on everything fasteners weld themselves in place. If it wasn't so pretty, I would lobby to ban the stuff from hot rodding. I tried several fluids for cutting my frame holes and found that plain water was the key. Lube isn't important but rejecting heat is critical. Water is the absolute best for that. Cut all 24 or so holes with one saw and water and the saw was as good as new.
anybody up on modern drill bits? I watch a lot of tv shows about all kinds of machines and lately see a bunch of modern machines used for drilling a bunch of the same parts like on ***embly lines. Lately they all seem to be using gold colored drill bits. Anybody know what they are?
cobalt coated would also look gold-ish. I generally don't spend the extra for cobalt, especially for drill bits that I can sharpen myself easily (regular twist bits with no funky pilot tip) I think generally you will be able to benefit from longer life span on the more expensive coatings in a rigid machine setup, rather than in hand drilling or occasional drill press. I generally just use HSS or occasionally ***anium coated. Whatever you do, for use on metals, don't get carbon steel bits, haha! From what I understand, a lot of the extended life span has to do with how much heat the drill bit can take. Which is probably more noticeable in a factory or machine shop setting where the drill bit is in more of a constant use, and less cooling fluid could probably be used. Lately I've been using stepped "uni-bit" type drill bits (for metals thinner than 3/8", particularly sheet metal), if you've not tried those give them a go. Makes real quick work of holes in sheet metal, and the holes are actually round, not slightly triangular like with regular twist bits, and generally don't need much deburring.
I maintain/ build railroad tracks for a living and we use these to drill the rail. Certainly work welI. I have drilled a few axles and suspension components and I just use a bi metal hole saw. Works well, inexpensive and with oil, one hole saw will do an axle and still be good. I like the copper lined holes. Never seen that before. Neat.
"The only thing I can ad is lots of folks will tell you to use a ton of oil when drilling. But the truth is drill it dry. Cast has a high nickel content that acts as a lubricant." Is that a cast iron axle? Yes, cast iron is supposed to be machined dry, but I believe it's due to the graphite nodules in it.
Those copper inserts look good. To take it one step further I would machine up one or two swage tools to roll the edge over front and back, then polish them. Great idea. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I like those inserts,cool !! by 28 Ford PU I really like details like that ! Take note of those things that are cool. I do my own when I can,I'll add a pic of my own that shows a few details on my 28A with 48 axle ,I built in 1959. Still drive her. I've drilled a few axles,one for my self lots of years ago in late 50s,an two more for buddy's much later. Did the last one for Tommy{I'll need to get a pic from him of that. We drilled his,so we could press 25 cent coins into the axle holes/it's a polished smooth painted black axle. Tommy saw the 50 cent coins I have as a cap for my kingpins and 25 cent on each rodend ,so wanted to do it too the axles holes. { ya I love shiney,an coin's polish up nice !!!
I'm trying to remember the distance between the upper and lower ribs on a Ford I-beam axle. Don't have one here to look at but I was thinking the drill would need to be about 1 1/4". But, I've been lying to my wife of 40 years about how long 6" is. Seems like the 5/8" mentioned would be pretty small.
I did the holes in my axle with a 1" hole saw. Used oil on it. Maybe I didn't need the oil- anyhow, doesn't matter now. Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I drilled my Super bell cast with regular drill bits, pilot then up a couple of sizes, no lube, as advised by Pete and Jakes (who sell their SB cast axles drilled, done by them)suprisingly easy. I thought about hole saws, but all the ones i've used seem to 'wonder'. Hougen bits look like the bits used in mag drills, I may be wrong, but I do know in the UK you can get adapters to hold mag drill bits in a regular chuck, so can use in a regular pillar drill.
If you’re doing holes in stainless, get a carbide hole saw. Goes through the stainless pretty easy. Slow speed, lots of pressure. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Looks nice but will be very weak, don't hit any curbs, it'll bend like a pretzel. I had the experience and it's a bad deal, bends right where the wishbone mounts. Have to be trailered home. Think about how many axles you have seen bent just from towing with a chain. JW
"I drilled my Super bell cast with regular drill bits" Cast what? If it's cast iron, it won't bend. But those turnings from drilling don't look like cast iron chips. Yet oddly enough, the recommendation to drill dry is correct for cast iron.
The Jalopy Journal
