how do I drop a 1940 ford axle myself?

I have a complete front end from a 1940 ford sedan and want to drop the I--beam 3" or 4" myself and suggestions on how to go about doing this myself? Thanks

 

Package it up and shoot it to Joe Casto and he'll shoot you a 40 dropped axle. He'll also mag it to check for cracks and take the king pin holes back to factory specs. You really don't want to mess up a good axle so let the pro take care of it!

 

Look at http://www.droppedaxles.com. Sid is the man when it comes to dropped axles and he will ship anywhere.

 

I'd think that the cost of building a jig and buying an axle or two to replace the ones you might ruin in the process of learning would cost more than sending the axle off to one of the Hamb axle droppers and having it done right the first time. I've got an old Chevy axle out here that someone most likely dropped themselves to save a buck an it's pretty ugly.
I got it at an auction for 10 bucks and that may have been too much to pay.

 

Id say save yourself the trouble and ship it to sid.

 

'37-'41 axles are usually limited to 1-1/2" to 1-3/4" drop. If you want more, and want to stay with an original Ford axle, the easiest way is to use a dropped '32-'36 axle along with a set of '35-'36 bones.

 

I usually jut hold it out at arm's length then just relax. I have cradled them and then just relaxed but it is a little hard on the feet.

I don't know you are what your skill level is so take this with a grain of salt, but it is not an armature job to drop an original Ford axle. If you use the search function you may find a thread or two on how it is done complete with pictures, maybe on the Main board (here) or in the tech section.

Good luck and try and make a good decision.

 

X3! If you have never done forge work, or metal work, my suggestion is also don't try it, really easy to screw it up...have a professional do it for you...even when I worked at Blair's Speed Shop, where we had equipment and builders, we always had the pros do dropped axles...

 

I can appreciate the " I wanna do it myself" feeling, but when it came to dropping the axle on my wife's '37 GMC, I got one from Sid at http://www.droppedaxles.com/. He did an excellent job and kept me informed on the progress of my axle. I have the added security of knowing that it was done correctly when my wife is driving her truck.

 

Take a moment and consider the consequences of failure. If there are cracks, you might not be able to see them, but you WILL find out soon enough.

 

With as many good products available,....Some things needn't be D.I.Y. As said above,...it requires some knowledge and skills with forging proceedures.

Happy Roddin' !!!!!!!!!!!!
4TTUK

 

Sid is the man... I have see him in motion!

 

Let a pro do it. You,ll be money ahead in the "shorrt run" yours and everybody elses life depends on it. Its a art form....

 

Never fails...DON"T do you own work... you will die or kill innocents.....matter of fact, be safe, and hide under your bed forever.

Shit, it is just a inexpensive axle; how else does a person learn?




That core is worth maybe $20 to $30 if you got lucky trying to sell one.

 

Yep, very dangerous to do it yourself How did the guys that do them for a business get good, they made a jig and dropped one...then did more.

 

I am one of those guys that wants to try everything at least once.. So I applaud your effort, there is an article in the tech archive on making a jig and dropping an axle.

My best advice coming from someone who has done most everything but that, is make sure you follow the heating and cooling instruction carefully..

And if its over your head and you just want a dropped axle and dont plan on doing another, try a professional. Sid as mentioned above is one of the best.

 

Okay then, get it Magnafluxed when done. Good luck.

 

lol..peice of cake...Last year I got one from Sid [7" Ford F1]..Nice..He must have a BFT...Reminds me, he owes me some pics...

 

x 3

 

There was a thread just entered a few pages back. His first try, and came out great. He will be posting a complete thread on the fixture and process. Will not be doing any for others. Consider the past advice and send it to Sid. For my 47 Dodge pickup, I have the skills and equipment to do mine, but considering the time to build a 1 off fixture and shit happens as we all know, I will be ahead to have Sid do one.

 

Word.

 

To bad this is too long....Id steal it for my signature! There's been alot of that going on here lately too....Apparently they traditionally bought tires every car show season too..... As for the OP, Do it! There's only one way to learn!

 

If you are dead set on doing it yourself and can weld good enough, just cut your spring perches off (where the shackle bolts on) and reweld it lower on the wishbone. I have seen this done before. You also can raise the crossmember if you have the room.

 

I'm all for learning new things, but this one is pretty important. I'd reach out to someone who knows what their doing and essentially "apprentice" with them. This isn't something you want to screw up.

BTW--welcome to the board--I'm surprised nobody's jumped on you net about not doing an intro, but you seemed to have jumped into a sensitive subject right off.

 

The local bicycle shop always lets me have the old boxes when I need to ship large objects. Bob

 

Nuff said. I'll check with Sid on price and amount of drop. I was hoping for 3" to 4". Thanks guys

 

Actually Sid doesn't do the 40 axles... Joe Casto does.. they are buddies and Joe takes care of the early ford axles.

Either way.. Joe and Sid can take care of it!! Good choice!

 

Last month he had a 6 week backorder.
TP

 

btt

 

I'm Sid. I drop the 1908-27 Ford, the 37-64 Ford and all other makes. Joe drops only 28-36 ford axles only.
www.droppedaxles.com