Straight axles breaking?

Man I would hate to have you as a friend or neighbor.
You know of a manufacture that is having so called problems and you are not willing to let us know which one?

 

I respectfully refuse to answer without benefit of council.
Words to keep your ass and money by.

 

Here's a thread from another site discussing this same topic. Be sure and read the post by powerrodsmike where Keith @ Super Bell describes his knowledge of cast axle strength.
My personal feeling is that the folks who make cast axles most likely have very stringent quality control standards to assure safety. It would be great to know the results of their destructive testing. it would be intersting to have the major dropped axle manufacturers reply to this thread.
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/where-buy-solid-axle-front-end-129215.html
And here's more discussion.
http://www.nz-hotrod.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2268

 

not really..your ass and money will be in the hands of so called council..too bad it has come to this..because either way.yer fucked and not kissed

 

For what it's worth, mine was a Superbell. This is how it came out after a 45 mph head-on collision (70-80 mph combined force of impact).









And here is where it lives now.


As you can see it bent, but did not break. I was quite impressed. I've since ordered 2 new Superbell axles for my Model A projects - one plain 4" drop and one plain 4" drop and drilled.

 

There is no way a cast iron axle would take that kind of impact without breaking.

 

thanks Bull..good to know about that superbell..same one under my A right now.
sorry about your mis-hap. but glad you came out of it to have at it again

 

If I gotta choose, I choose forged.

 

So unless I missed something, I made it to the end of this thread and found out there is one guy who has a slight bit of info on axles breaking but doesn't want to tell anyone because he has to crack the case first...and then I found out that there is a brand of axle named "Tiger"...and then I found out that one dudes Super Bell withstood serious damage, so that can't be the axle the OP was talking about??

So if any of us have an axle break, the OP can sit back and laugh back at the Fortress of Solitude saying, "I told them so." when in fact he did not tell us so? In fact he just suggested an occurance that might hypothetically happen?

So if I say, "Has anyone heard of a certain aftermarket gas tank spontaneously detonating, possibly harming any and all within 20 meters? 'Cause I have, but I want affirmation from 100,000+ and I'll sit here with one hand on the keyboard and the other exploring this righteous body God himself sculpted for me until everyone figures out my riddle or dies under the crushing weight of my collective genius!"

If I were to say something like that.......would I not be a total "wipe"?

 

That would eliminate Bell, wouldn't it?
Larry T

 

I think I am going to have to sue Sarmentrout.

You see he withheld information that potentially could have saved me from a broken axle causing an accident in which a school bus full of special needs children were killed in the fiery aftermath. Had he lived up to his social responsibility and stated he were concerned, based on first hand information, that Brand "X" axles might have a tendency to break, this horror could have been avoided. His admitted silence is tantamount to withholding critical information that could potentially save thousands of lives and affect the general public in a significant manner. We as good citizens of this great nation have a reasonable expectation that individuals that have knowledge that could be imperative to our safety will indeed share that information through established channels, like the HAMB.

In other words, tell us what you think you heard and back it up with information, not rumor and innuendo.

 

I think you have distilled it down to its essence

 

Yep!...
but we really know who really is...dont we?

 

Hotroddon, I want to be on your team! the lingo used herein is enough to make us all think we have a secret lurking lawyer!

 

Ha ha..touche'

 

Good to see you back Von.
I two have a superbell under my A.
The pics from Bull make me think I made a good choice.

 

Well regardless of the pseudo-intended content of the OP, I gave this thread 2 stars. The only thing that saved it for me was the educational carnage shots that Bull and the-rodster posted. Otherwise, this may as well have been on a bathroom stall with a phone number that you call expecting to hear the sultry Debra but instead Hank picks up and all he is into is breathing hard while you ask if Debra is EVER going to get the phone!

 

This is interesting reading. Especially the info on ductile cast iron and where it's used. It would be interesting to know if the major cast iron axle manufacturers produce an an axle with both the qualities of ductile cast iron and malleable cast iron and then compare it's "strength of materials" properties with a forged axle.
http://info.lu.farmingdale.edu/depts/met/met205/castiron.html

 

So, are we talking cast iron or cast steel here?
And he did say forging not casting in Post No. 1

 

No comment; to do so would be admitting or at least inferring that I may or may not have special knowledge, education, or training that could be construed as potentially having the ability to offer or withhold legal advise that could affect the outcome of thinking and/or decision making with regards to the public posting of all things related to the automotive field with special regards to Traditional Hot Rodding.
Failure to comment is neither an admission or denial of facts previously discussed or not discussed herein nor in response to comments made by sephgato.

Than again, maybe I just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't Superbell axles cast?

 

I like Hotrods.

 

Casting and forging are processes. You can do it to iron, steel, aluminum, and I'm sure other stuff. The strength comes from the process AND the material.
I really don't think Bell is selling cast iron axles. But I could be wrong.
Larry T

 

They are cast, but with ductile iron which has mechanical properties similar to 1035 forging steel.

Bob

 

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

 

As I have said several times. I have sold many many 100s of Bells and also lots of CEs and have not had a problem that I know of yet. Believe me if an axle broke I would be the second person to know it. This thread is bullshit without a name.

 

fuckin priceless

 

Well, I did some checking and it appears that the axles are annealed ductile iron. But they are apparently pretty stout.

"The annealed ductile iron Superbell uses has a 65000 psi tensile strength, which is probably stronger than the original Ford forging. It also has a 12% elongation rating. So it will bend before it breaks."

I'm not an engineer and not looking for an axle right now, so I'll let you guys do the research on this.
Larry T

 

We are talking cast iron.
The term "cast steel" is misleading. Cast iron,like steels, are basically alloys of iron and steel. But the major difference is that cast irons contain much more carbon. Steel which contains iron and less than 2% carbon is made by forming or rolling. It is called steel and is not made by the casting process. Iron contains more than 2 % carbon is known as cast iron. It is produced by the casting process. Most commercially produced cast iron is steel that contains iron and between 2.5% to 4% carbon along with other elements. It is cast. It gets kind of complicated to explain, but the iron- iron carbon phase diagram does show it, if you look along the X axis of the Iron-Iron Carbon Phase Diagram. It shows that steels contain 0-2% carbon. Cast irons contain more than contain 2% carbon.
http://www.sv.vt.edu/classes/MSE2094_NoteBook/96ClassProj/examples/kimcon.html

 

good to be back..
and i concur..it would seem we both made a good choice, hate to learn that from anothers mis-fortune, but none the less , good lesson