Choosing a drop axle.....SoCal, CE, L7, original?

so where's the best place to get the CE axle?

 

I ordered mine from Joe this afternoon, model 'a' 3 1/2 or 4" drop with drilled holes. He has it in stock, except for drilling the holes (1" hole, 2"O.C.) that he'll do tomorrow and will have it on ready for ups pickup in the afternoon. About $375 shipped to my door. That is an original model 'a' axle and is included, or you can ship him yours.
Check it out, Joesspeedshop.com he is the real deal.

 

Wow...dude....show me someone here on the HAMB who is selling an A axle that, when added to the $250 it cost to drop it (and some of which require you to send in your spindles so they can "match" it) comes up cheaper than a forged (and yes, even the Made in America) repop. Being attached to using old steel is great, if that's your preference. But people should fess up that that is their reasoning.

Last A axle I saw on here was going for $80 bucks....btw. I'll go hunting for that "free axle tree" and let all ya'll know and we can all loot the hell out of it.

If someone's got an A 4" dropped axle for really close to $250 or less, I'm more than open to it

 

ill add that i just bought a so-cal axle. i wanted the CE but come to find out they lost their machinest and had no idea when they would be able to ship a 2" boss. i had also heard that so-cal provides a better finished product.

 

If I can find one that is *really* close to the price of the CE one, or less, I'd seriously consider it.

Hence why the CE one seems to be the better choice of the two I asked about in my OP. It's done all here in the US.

 

Here ya go: Roadsters.com - Dropped I-beam Axles

$250 + $25 shipping. Dave Mann does quality work.

 

Dayum. Is he on the HAMB?

EDIT.....called Dave. He said he has to update his site. He doesn't drop axles any longer XP

 

A Model A axle can be found dirt cheap....and if your PATIENT, you can find a Model A axle already dropped for under 3 bills. Hell, 296 has 'em for $325 outright....
How much are the INFERIOR So-Cal and CE axles again????

But I ain't gonna hold yer hand to lead ya to water....some people.

PS...don't take offence....I'm an ***hole to most....

XOXO

 

$325 vs. $250....lemme see......that's one, two, three....carry the four....I need some more fingers and toes to count the difference. Just sayin'

I understand the view that SoCal might be inferior, but how would CE be?

As long as you're an ***hole to most....but I'll be checkin' in to make sure.

 

Nope.The CE , Lucky 7, and Magnum all look pretty decent.So-Cal is the only one that actually pissed me off because it was so ugly.Don't get me wrong,they have some real nice products ( I'm a dealer for them) but the axles just miss the mark.

 

So lucky 7 is ok but So-cal made overseas is not??

For the guy that questioned the metallurgy on the so cal axle here is some highly unscientific proof that they are likely okay....maybe. I took my brand new so cal axle out the box and put it in a 60 ton press with a block under the kingpin boss and pushed down at the perch boss and bent 1 1/2 degrees of camber into it. The guage on the press only read 28 tons so we had some more to go if we wanted. then I put it on my car, autocrossed the holy **** out of it, and drove it all over the midwest. you ever drive on Chicago highways? they **** and I drive fast and can't see over the cowl so I hit alot of stuff in the construction zones. I don't think the axle will come apart any time soon.......now the aluminum super bell I had when I got cutoff and curbed the car didn't fare so well.

This is really way too serious of a discussion about which axle to buy. All of the options listed are good. If it is really about money CE is pretty decent bang for the buck but they are hard to get sometimes. Vaphead usualy has some good deals if you are looking for something complete. There are a million ways to skin a cat........

Oh yeah I like new parts, too. So youre not the only one.

Good luck and HAVE FUN!

Donny

 

Greg is the only one that I trust to drop my original axles.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=253845&showall=1

I have a CE on my roadster and it is a very nice product.

Lucky 7 makes a good product. I talked with them at Indy last week. Their axle is forged offshore and machined in Canada. Summit Racing is a dealer and offers affordable shipping.

Vaphead is a dealer for Ch***is Engineering.

JimA can get you a deal on SoCal stuff.

 

I agree, I did alot of research, and sent my axle to Greg also.
As for a new axle, I would ONLY get a CE axle. I'm sure everyone else's axle are nice, but I used to work at a "Street Rod" shop, you know the kind place and people that would rather BUY a NEW axle and "Get Rid" of that old "junk", and CE was the only axle I would recomend to the customers. I've seen just about all of them side by side by side. I TRUST a good dropped original over new any day of the week though.

Did I miss it, or did you even mention what the hell kind of front end your planing to run.
Stock wish bone?
Split Bones?
Four Link?
Hairpins?
Do You Have Spindles?
What Kind?

All that info makes a huge difference when it comes to what you need, what needs to be modified, and how much it needs modified if at all.

If you don't have any of it yet, you have to have all new, and you can afford it, buy a whole kit.

Any Stock Spindle With Steering Arms On It Will Need Them "ADJUSTED" With A Truly "DROPPED" Axle.

If you are planning to buy NEW spindles, that use bolt on steering arms, you can buy the steering arms already dropped to match you axle.

 

LOL...you're the *first* person to ask that! Come to think of it, I'm pretty surprised. From what I've learned and seen, here's some answers:

-Split Bones
-No spindles yet
-I'd like to do F1 shock mounts

I have a Ford 8" rear from a fairlane with a 40 Ford front spring mounted off the back. I'm going to be using a stock Model A frame. Engine choice (at the moment) is a running 305/PG combo....possibly swap out for a 283 I'm going to rebuild at some point. I have a coupe body that someone started turning into a coupester. I'm going to finish the job, but give it a soft top. The goal is an A frame equivalent of the Lieb roadster, if that means anything to you.

I've been eying the kit from CE that has the axle, spring, shackles, etc etc. $650 total. However, it has the fabbed upper shock mounts....I like the F1's a lot better.

I don't think the old stuff is junk, far from it. However, I'm trying to strike a balance between quality, cost, and ease of use for a first time A builder...hell, this will be my second build, ever. The first was my 50 Chevy.

One thing I find curious about the original axles that are dropped, they say it's a 4" drop, yet it looks WAY less than, say, the repro 4" drop axles. I like the degree and look of the repros, but I do have appreciation for the old steel. I just haven't been fond of the tee-total price. My firstborn is due, literally, tomorrow.....I've been doing this whole thing on a budget and don't plan to stop now!! lol

 

Dude just go with Joe's Speed Shop. $250 plus shipping is what it will cost for a 4" dropped model a axle. Here is his website:

http://www.joesspeedshop.com/joesproducts.htm

Here are some pics of the axle I got from him.

 

have used both, really minor differences between the 2, used a so-cal on my 30 and will probably use one on my 34

 

CONGRADULATIONS!!! I hear ya, with a couple kids and another "bun in the oven", I'm on a VERY tight budget also, and I can understand. If you planning to run split bones, I can almost garantee your steering arms will need to be "reshaped" reguardless of who's dropped axle you run. I'm not totally sure, but if I remember right even the bolt-on "dropped" steering arms cause issues with split bones. Maybe someone else who has a setup like that that works will chime in with the formula. Thats the nice thing about original stuff, when its all done, it's "made to fit".

Keep an eye on the cl***ifieds and craigslist(stay away from evil-bay, they go for stupid money there) for a set of 37-41 "roundback" spindles. Those are the easiest ones for the juice brakes. I'm using my original 34' spindles, but the conversion was done in the 60's with an old school adapter kit, so I won't be changing it. That is unless you are going new on those too.

Also I'm almost positive that the "dropped original" axles are the same if not more that aftermarket, because they are dropped "over-stock", instead of "total drop". It's just the shape that gives them a different look

 

I guess I should have said "he did quality work."

 

Gee, the guy asked a simple question and this has degenerated into a contest of urination.

 

LOL...on here, what doesn't? It's ok...I've gotten plenty of good info.

 

yes it does. the so-cal axle takes an inch shorter spring. i have had both axles, i prefer the so-cal since it has better steering arm clearence and the CE axle i had,had to have the perch pin holes reamed just to fit. the so cal axle looks good in my opinion as well. and its affordable

i dont get the comment about the so-cal axle being bad looking. i have one, and i have a stock axle. the so-cal axle looks pretty good actualy.

 

I've had several of both axles and one thing worth mentioning is the SoCal axle requires a lot more work for chroming, The CE axle is definitly a much better forging with a nice smooth surface, The SoCal axles isn't very smooth at all and has many pits.

 

eric never had one in stock when i had money to spend. so i ask again, where is everybody getting their CE axle from?

 

This weekend I'll take some pictures of both -- so you guys can see for yourselves. In my case, the So-Cal axle is much smoother and a cleaner forging than my CE - but it was one of the first ones they built (2 years or so ago). Maybe their forging dies have worn - who the hell knows!

My CE looks more like my Heavy 32 axle as far as finish . . .

B&S

 

Yap
And your post is very helpful

 

I bought mine from 296 V8 and was very happy with the service and the price. When I inquired about the So-Cal axle, I asked directly if it was Chinese. Their (Jim's) dancing around the answer didn't impress me any. Found out later my su****ions were correct.
If your own product embarr***es you, that says something!

 

Going further down this rabbit hole away from my OP b/t the two axles....

Can someone explain to me the difference between a 4" drop on an original axle vs. the new forged axles with a 4" drop. The new ones look dropped wayyyy lower. Are there two different standards for old skool vs. new steel?

Also, can you run a 34 Ford dropped axled on a model A? is the width different, etc? I saw this one on Joe's Speed Shop site:

 

LOL.....I had the same thing happen when I called them. It's like I tripped a trigger or something. I said "Are your axles forged AND milled here in the US?". He stuttered for a second or two then said "Our axles are forged in, uh, Malaysia? and then milled over here....NO ONE makes them here in the US anymore except for John Deere, and they won't even give hot rodders and this industry the time of day." Um, ok?

I really hope that I didn't come across as denigrating any of the guys who drop original axles here in the US. That wasn't my intent. Nor was it to suggest that their materials, time, and fees aren't worth it. I'm quite sure that they are; however, I just wanted to indicate that they don't fit in my particular budget. That's all. Well, that and I'd probably waste a lot more cash buying the wrong parts to fit on them, fraking others up while trying to mod them, etc. I'm the kid who wanted the BMX bike but had to settle for the Huffy.

 

You sure can...just gotta match the wishbone perch width to the axle width. Then get the proper length spring.

 

Not to keep stomping all over this post, but you've indicated that you are still learning about early ford front ends, so I felt the need to elaberate on what SinisterCustom has said.

You can use just about any Early Ford Front axle in your model A. 32-36 Axles are unique in the sense that where the wish bone mounts to the axle is 2 inches, where as all other Early Ford Axles from 28-31, and 37-48 are 2 1/4 as well as most aftermarkets. So to run a 34 axle, you'll need to use 32-36 wishbones.