Attempting to put 1948 Pontiac drums on a 1928 Chevrolet front axle. Since there is a 3/8" gap between 48 bearing and 28 spindle mount, could I safely weld a 3/8" spacer on the bottom of my 48 Pontiac spindle to safely eat up the gap? (See picture) (Shop will be bending Chevy axle to get angle right)
Personally I wouldnt. Is there no reason you can't just machine or get a spacer machined up and place it under the bearing and put together as you would normally? So that the spacer surface just acts like the spindle surface but they are not one. what I would be worried about if it was welded would be distortion in the ID of the spacer, then you have to machine that out and ream it as I would be guessing if you didn't there is the potential of it grabbing the kingpin and causing issues. I guess if you did weld a spacer there, then would you not need to get a longer piece of bronze for the ID to be reamed to suit the kingpin?
I would use a spacer and not weld it. It looks like you have the spindle up side down.The spacer should go at the top between ths axle and the spindle.
I also agree that the spacer should be placed at the top.That said I expect the relief in the king pin for the cotter pin will dictate what the final position of the stub axle needs to be. I note also that you plan to have the axle re aligned to get the stub axle level again. What will happen here is the king pin inclination will be reduced in order to get the front wheel to align in an essentially vertical position however you are likely to end up with the point about which the front wheel steers being beyond the of the inner tyre wall. This translates to a front end that will not track well at all. The front wheels will act like levers and on undulating road will pull you all over the place. To compensate you would need to have a wheel rim with a severe off-set inwards. If you look at the way those olds axles operated from the factory you will see that the line of the king pin inclination converges with the middle of the tyre at the point of contact on the roadway or very close to it. That gives a light steering action and good stability. Once you deviate away from that goal you then invite problems as outlined. I would be checking all of these things before you advance too far. You may be disappointed with the result.
Sweet info. Thanks. Spacer on top with no weld. Now if I can just find a good straight axle bender to level off the spindle mount so the '48 drums will be parallel to the road. Been calling around but the main guy I want to do the job is not bending axles anymore. Maybe I just need to use the 28 spindle/axle set up and try to find a way to machine new races/bearing setup to run larger front drums than the 28 came with from the factory. (Not interested in ECI disc kit)
I don't know about 28 chev spindles, but other car spindles of that era have been remachined on a lathe to use whatever drums. Those early spindles should have a shallow countersunk drilled hole on the backside, right in line with the spindle centerline...so you use that hole for the dead center on the lathe.
Your idea of saving a buck by using those spindles is not a very good one. Fredeuce has tried to explain that your choice of spindles will not produce the king pin inclination angle to make your car steer correctly. Just because you got something for free doesn't save you time and money, junk this idea because even bending the axle will not solve the excessive camber issue, you are developing a worse steering problem and not improving the braking. Why don't you explain what you wish to accomplish and ask for some suggestions that might work with some of the parts you have. Right now this is a disaster.
Pretty obvious that he is wanting hyd brakes on the 28 Chev axle "without" machining the 28 Chev spindles (or making bearing adapters) to accept a newer brake setup.
Pretty obvious Dick Spadaro is trying to be diplomatic and encourage this fellow to communicate a bit more so he can be guided in the best direction...........you must be pretty young, judging by your impatience and lack of diplomacy.....it's also pretty obvious you don't know, or appreciate, who Dick Spadaro is......... Ray
Axle's and matching spindles aren't that hard to find and will work better than trying to bend the axle, add a spacer, etc.
Guys, I can't thank you enough for the advice. I respect everything said. Since this option is loaded with complications, I will scrap it and move onto another fix. By all means I will definately toss those 48 drum brakes since this design seems to be flawed. I don't want to be penny wise and dollar stupid. My goal is to use this beautiful original 28 chevy axle and mount a more reliable set of drum brakes on it. Just seems that the spindle stub ange throws everything off. Not sure if new custom spindle, bent axle, or what is the way to go. If there is a kit, I'm on it immediatetly. I will get with 28 Chevy to see how he has solved his delimma. This info is invaluable. Glad to have some solid guys like yourselves lending a hand. So, attempting to find a factory interchangable set is daunting because finding a starting point is a crap shoot. Again, I will get with with 28 Chevy to learn more. Best Regards Guys -Randy
The problem with written words is they can be taken the wrong way. I will leave it at that. By the way, I am 58, and I do know who he is, and have been to his store....but this is not important to the original thread
You are correct, 're the written word.......no voice inflection, facial expression etc. It appears I am the impatient/undiplomatic one here and I apologize. Ray
Cool heads are best for the hamb. Hope the OP can find some brakes to work with his axle. I am just guessing he may have a tight budget, so maybe someone can help him out here.
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