Can you weld to a SuperBell axle??????

I want to ditch those lower shock mounts off the perch & weld a shock stud to the axle itself. With spit wishbones, I don't want the additional stress on the perch. It a regular 4"drop SuperBell I-beam, no drilled, no filled.

Welders, metalurgists, & HotRodders please chime in

 

Yes you can, well I don't know for sure if you can but it can be done. If you have a decent welder and everything is set correctly for the material its a non-issue. ARC with a rod made for iron (like 6018 or 7014) would suffice.

For the ultimate in strength I would drill the axle run a new stud through it then weld on both sides.

 

Steel is steel, cast or forged. Or at least that's what I think. Heat it up then weld. But what do I know.

 

the Superbell I-beam is cast ductile iron , i suggest you not weld to it. while i'm sure i could be safely done with the correct procedures , why take a chance. there has to be something else you could do

 

I ***ume you are talking about the cast I beam and not the tubular.....
I would not worry about stress on the perch, thousands built like that.

But if you must get it off the perch...
"For the ultimate in strength I would drill the axle run a new stud through it then weld on both sides."
I'd do that but without the welding.

 

Is it iron or is it steel? Im still uncertain.

 

They are cast iron,not steel. Drill through it,de-burr the hole,and put a stud through it. No welding needed.

 

The only time that the the shock mounts are really stressed is if your shocks are bottoming out, otherwise there should not be a problem and just leave it alone. If you are trying to build a period perfect car, that would be the only reason I would change it.

 

What stress ?
Are you one of those people that think shocks hold up the car?

 

Sorry for sidetracking this thread, but so the superbell axles are cast ductile iron like and engine block kinda. So is it safe to drill speed holes in one? I mean they sell them drilled already??

 

Yep, there is no issue with the shocks mounted to the perches.Do make sure that your shocks can not bottom out.

I never use those lower shock mounts that go on the bottom of the spring perch,but it is only because I can't stand the looks of them. Very dated.

 

It's OK to drill it, but de-bur and polish each hole very well as to prevent stress risers.

 

About how thick is the web on a superbell axle? I saw a post about a so cal forged axle and it was like over a 1/2" thick.

 

I have 2 of them and welded shock mounts on them 200.000 miiles ago and no problems.

 

I had a superbell axle on a 33 pu that the mounts were welded to, they lasted a few hundred miles, I rewelded it, it broke again, then I went the the lower perch mounts.

Don't know if it was the process, ie.... the man pulling the trigger or what.

 

Two-hundred miles and no thousanths is not all that far.

 

Im with you. So far this thread is leaning toward NO.

I really dont like (structurally), nor do you see drilling on the outside of the perches.

How about some type of I-beam style clamp???? I'm gonna look

 

You could make a clamp easily enough, its the side to side shifting that would be of concern at that point.

 

We all love Split Wishbones, but they DON'T articulate properly.

 

Yeah. Then I'll weld a stopper.

 

Or run a small bolt through it and the axle, still drilling but you wouldn't need much.

 

Weld a mount on the eye on your wishbone, Henry's steel welds just fine. You are using real 'bones, aren't you?

 

Drill a hole, then tap it. Thread a stud in (leave it about a 1/4 inch shallow) then plug weld it from the back.

Or just go with lever shocks. . . nothing looks better than lever shocks.