After looking at the straight axle setup sold by Speedway Motors,I began to consider making my own. I have unlimited access to 316 stainless(marine grade)steel,both plate and tubing. My question is this..Is 316 stainless steel just as good or better to make a straight axle setup out of?How does 316 stainless steel compare in strength to mild steel? On my 1968 Cougar XR-7,I made my own Cal Trac style traction bars out of 316 stainless tubing(3/4 in O.D.,1/8 wall thickness and 3/8 in 316 stainless plate.They looked awesome and worked great,AND only cost me 30 bucks to make($30 for four 3/4 in HD rod ends).I also made my own shock tower braces from the same material. If 316 stainless is just as strong or stronger I can make my own stainless straight axle setups. Thanks for reading this.
I work with alot of 316. It is softer and will bend easier than steel of the same thickness. I would think straight axels are made from a seamless tubing rather than a standard pipe. We do alot of 1" sch 80 seamless, 316 s/s refrigeration piping in fishing boats. I wouldnt use it. FEDER
Hey, I would think that for a straight axel that you would want a steel with more chrome in it than 316 stainless could provide. Ford used a shitload of chrome and vanadium alloy in its' oem castings and forgings. Stainless is fun to look at, but not all that hard. Swankey Devils C.C.
If you really think you need a steel with chrome, then 316's a great one since it has up to about 18% chrome. A "shitload" of chrome is usually about 1%, and vanadium is maybe 0.3%. Personally, I do not consider any austenitic stainless steel (anything in the 3xx series) as a structural steel. Its great for trimwork, piping, etc., but I wouldn't use it to carry any load. BUT, when it comes to metal selection, you can always use more metal to compensate for lack of strength. I don't know the yield strength of 316 of the top of my head, but I know its reaaaaaaaaaaaalllllly low. Another thing to consider, is that austenitics will not exihbit yield point behavior; that is, they will begin yielding (permanently deforming) at very low stresses, far lower than mild steel. Therefore, even if mild steel and 316 had similar strengths at fracture, the 316 would take a permant set at much lower loads. Use 316 if you want, just find out the yield strength and that of mild steel and use 316 that is proportionately larger. 316 will certainly have plenty of ductility, so you can make it as thick as you want. I would not use 316 for this application, nor would I ever let any client use 316 in this application, but if you make the axle strong enough there shouldn't be any problem, other than weight. OK, I should really not try to give metallurgy advice while drinkin. Short summary: 316, bad idea for any structural application.
Thanks guys,I was just rolling the idea around in my head since I can get unlimited amounts of the 316 for nothing.We use this steel for tubing,piping,brackets,and mounting hardware on Rolls-Royce RB-62 and RB-211 jet engine driven generators.These units are often used in salt water enviorments such as offshore oil drilling rigs because of 316 stainless' resistance to corrosion. I just knew fellow HAMB'ers would be able to answer my questions.Thanks tons guys. Now I gotta scrounge the storage racks at work,we might have seamless mild steel laying around that I could "borrow".
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