Gday Guys I took my early Ford spindles in for a black light crack test and one has a 4mm crack on the spindle radius - too small to see with your eye. repro spindles and arms are AU$700 ($500) so I d seriously like to consider any way of fixing the crack. The guy who checked it said itd probably be ok but eventually Ill be driving around in the rod with my 10 year old son. besides, authorities here want a crack test certificate before passing inspection . Opinions please..... Steve
my 1st reaction is no fucking way! my 2nd is to think if you had a PROFESSIONAL welder fix it it might be ok,but even then you wanna take a chance on your kid?
good answer, i seem to be seeing way too many people trying to save a buck in the worst way possible.
I have handled insurance claims for over 30 years. Seen lots of bad stuff happen. Under no circumstances would I do this, except maybe if it was a farm trailer. If you repair it, and it fails, and something happens that hurts someone, you will have an awful burden to carry for the rest of your life. The crack could have been there since new, but now that you know about it you would always worry.
Absolutley not , and I'm mister use everyone's cast off pieces and mending is better than spending. What do you need spindles for, this is probably the biggest groupe of find what ya need for anything obsolste in the world. We can beat 500.00 for spindles.
Dude... bust out Shag's story of busting the end off of his spindle and his wheel falling off and him playing 65 mile an hour "wheel jousting,"... as he drove over on 3 wheels to where his wheel was and put the spindle back in the wheel... and then somehow STOPPED without the shit falling off again. Skill? fuck no, he was one LUCKY mofuckkah! ... while driving in between a semi truck and a guard rail... I'm not doing the story justice, but it was the craziest shit I ever read. Would you fly in an airplane with a cracked part? Would you fly in said airplane with a questionable parachute? Would you get it on with a stank ho with a cracked rubber? have I made my point??? running cracked spindles = SMOKING CRACK! just say no...
I think its safe to say that you answered your own question... "Ill be driving around in the rod with my 10 year old son" They will always make more money...but 10yr olds are irreplaceable. Always think safety first...never default to "cheap" to the exclusion of safety.
[ QUOTE ] besides, authorities here want a crack test certificate before passing inspection . [/ QUOTE ] A crack test of what, exactly? The spindle? The chassis? Everything? Sounds a bit heavy
what year Ford spindle and which side? I'd bet someone here would part with one for a lot less. Don't weld it, welding would do more harm then good, it'll upset the molecular structure of the metal at the weld area and it WILL fail. Paul
I had a wheelbearing let go on my A roadster at 60mph. Didn't feel it at first till all the peices came out and the spindle nut and washer came off. The bearing caused the tang on the washer to snap and it unscrewed the spindle nut. Got it stopped and the wheel stayed on thanks to somebody upstairs looking out for me and my 14 year old neice. Called a friend with a trailer and had to hold the wheel on the spindle while we winched it up and tied it down. Next day I swapped on another spindle because the old one was blued from the heat but otherwise looked fine. A couple weeks later a friend was in the garage and asked me what I wanted for the spindle. I broke out the old blue tip and cut that mother in half right in front of him! My answer would be NO.
What about new ones? I'm sure you can get on the net and buy some new ones... and then have one of us ship them to you... if the company does not ship to over there. Sam.
don't try to fix it man...it's okay to build a car that looks and feels dangerous, but deep down you still want it to be safe...We're gonna be done-for the minute somebody kills a bus load of nuns cuz their rod self-destructs on the highway...
Thanks for all the input guys - Ill just keep saving and shell out for the repop ones. Just means Ill be on the road a few months later. The inspection of cracks is just for spindles but we have pretty strict rules in Australia regarding building a rod - but the up side is that rods on the road here are pretty safe. All we need is the media to pick up on "crazy rat rod deathtraps - our children are at risk" and before you know it were legislated out of existence and back to driving hyundais!!!!! Steve
Unless the car is almost ready to go, no need to hold up the build too much. Why not "loose" build with the duff spindle, and then just swap in the new one when you get it? Couple of hours job tops. Fit the new one before driving it, obviously. I'd be inclined to gouge a chunk out of the steering arm or something to stop the temptation of trying to drive on it. At least the car can become a roller while all the other stuff gets done. Just my two pence worth. Mart.
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