| Dropped I-beam axles and polished axles |
Last updated on January 17, 2010 |
Dropped I-beam axles
We supply original early Ford passenger car axles that have been professionally dropped by experts.
Over 300 good early Ford axle cores are in stock.
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Please add $25 for shipping to these prices.
Dropped 1928 to 1931 Ford car axle, outright
Dropping your 1932 Ford "Heavy" axle
Dropped 1933 to 1936 Ford car axle, outright
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$250
$200
$275
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The prices on the right include our suppling an original Ford core axle.
The turnaround time to drop a Ford passenger car axle to your specs is two weeks.
When these axles are dropped, any minor straightening that the axle may need is done, and the kingpin bosses are aligned to within a half-degree
of each other as viewed from the end of the axle. The kingpin bores are checked, and resized if needed. Before shipping your axle, it is
sandblasted clean and Magnafluxed. We are serious about providing quality work.
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Above, two dropped '28-'31 Ford axles.
Above, a dropped '32 Ford axle.
Above, a dropped '33-'36 Ford axle.
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The workmanship on our axle dropping service is excellent, and equal to any axles that were ever dropped back in the 1950s and '60s.
All of the original 1928-1936 Ford passenger car I-beam axles can be dropped up to a total drop of four inches. An axle with a 3 1/2-inch total drop
looks better than one that has been dropped more, because the radius of both bends at each end aren't as sharp. That's what we always recommend, and what most
of our customers choose.
For an additional shipping charge, we are happy to ship axles to customers anywhere in the world.
If you are interested in having an original Ford axle dropped, polished, or drilled, please call Dave Mann at (602) 233-8400 with any questions.
When you order your axle, please include a letter that includes your name, address, E-mail address, phone number and best time to call, and how far you want
your axle dropped. Please make sure that your check or money order is enclosed, and mailed to:
Dave Mann
Roadsters.com
17423 North 26th Place
Phoenix, AZ 85032
(602) 233-8400
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Above, a 1932 Ford axle dropped to a four-inch total drop.
Above, a 1932 Ford axle dropped to a 2 1/2-inch total drop. We call this a "gentleman's drop".
Over the years, many people have tried to drop axles. More often than not, the results have been pretty ugly.
We don't know who is responsible for the workmanship shown here, but it wasn't us.
Dropping an axle correctly, without compromising its appearance or safety, involves more than the desire to take people's money.
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Drilled I-beam axles
For $100, we will accurately drill your I-beam axle with your choice of 15, 17, 19, or 21 evenly-spaced holes. Our axle drilling is done the right way, using
an end mill in a vertical milling machine. The result is a good surface finish in the bores, and the holes are perfectly spaced.
The Model A axle shown above is one that was dropped four inches and drilled with 17 holes before sandblasting it. The picture shows both sides of the axle so
you can see the symmetry of the drop at each end of the axle and in the spacing of the holes.
Above is another Model A axle that was drilled and sandblasted after dropping it 3 1/2 inches.
For safety reasons, we drill the '28-'31 Model A, the '32, and '33-'36 Ford I-beam axles with holes that are no more than an inch in diameter, and the holes in
the '32 heavy axles we do are no larger than 1 1/8". We will not drill, polish, use, recommend, or sell any cast axles.
If you are interested in having an axle dropped, polished, repaired, or drilled, please call Dave Mann at (602) 233-8400 weekdays with any questions.
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Polished front axles
At my shop in Phoenix, your front axle can be polished like this, and delivered ready for plating.
Polishing work is currently booked up until March of 2010.
I've been machining and polishing metals since 1970. The quality of my shaping and polishing work easily meets the standards of any car show judges anywhere,
including Pebble Beach. I have developed some techniques for shaping and polishing I-beam axles that result in the entire axle, including the web that runs
along the center on each side of the axle, being completely free of ripples and waves. The axles that I polish are vastly better in this regard than what you
would get from a conventional plating shop polishing job, where the goal is simply to get a surface that is shiny and relatively even. I get the webs smooth
and shiny, but completely flat as well. This work is done using some specialized tools that I have designed and made just for polishing I-beam axles. It's all
done with abrasives, not buffing wheels.
The first step I take in polishing an I-beam axle is to completely remove the forging line that runs all along the top, bottom, and ends of the axle. While
this is being done, the top and bottom surfaces are reshaped, bringing them to a straight peak.
The three pictures above show the distinct, even peak that runs along the entire top (and bottom) of the Chassis Engineering axle I polished in October of
2008.
The entire surface of the axle is shaped and then worked with emery cloth and other abrasives, starting with 60-grit, and then taken all the way up to
1,500-grit. There is a fair amount of skill involved in achieving results like this. Regardless of how it's done, this kind of work is very labor-intensive.
Original early Ford axles are very difficult to polish evenly. The 1932 Ford "heavy" axles are the hardest to do, and can take as much as twice the amount of
time to shape and polish. This is because of the design of the dies that were used when they were forged, which produced axles with more low spots than any
other early Ford axles. Regardless, I've polished a lot of axles, and have got the process dialed in.
Above are two views of one of the many '32 Ford "heavy" axles that I've polished, showing the benefits of block-sanding the beam. Virtually every axle I polish
comes out a little better than the one before. Since the two pictures above were taken, on two occasions I've used a block of wood and some 150-grit emery
cloth and started blocking this axle out again.
Above is a '33-'36 Ford axle that was polished by myself in 2004. First, the axle was inspected and sandblasted, and then roughed out with abrasives. Next, the
axle was dropped to a total drop of 3 1/2 inches, and then I finished polishing the entire axle. In this picture, it has been finished all the way up to
1,500-grit.
Above are three views of one of the several late-'30s Ford V8-60 axles that I have polished. This one is for an early Ford gasser with a blown Olds
394.
In 2005, we dropped, polished and drilled a Model A axle that was used to restore the 1927 Ford Model T roadster that was originally built in 1961 and '62 by
San Diego Prowlers club member Bob Urquhart and featured on the cover of the October, '62 issue of Hot Rod Magazine. When the car's current owner, Jim
Gilliam, received the axle, he wrote to say:
"The axle arrived and looks great! I am very impressed with the job on dropping and drilling the axle, but the polishing job is fantastic! It looks like
stainless! As you could tell from the original picture of the car that I sent you, the dropped, drilled and polished axle is a significant feature of the
car. The job you did will go a long way toward the restoration. Thanks again for the job you did. I appreciate your patience and assistance. Feel free to use
me as a reference as a satisified customer. I will pass along to anyone who is interested that Dave Mann at Roadsters.com is responsible for the
axle."
This picture shows four of the axles that I polished back in 2005. From top to bottom, they are a Chassis Engineering axle, a '33-'36 Ford axle that we
dropped, a '32 axle that we dropped, and a rough-polished '32 axle that will soon be dropped and then fully polished.
The cost for polishing an early Ford I-beam axle to my standard reflects the amount of hard work involved, the cost of the abrasives that are used, and the
quality of the axle when it's done.
The axles that I polish are packaged and shipped ready to be plated. No pits, no ripples, no scratches, no excuses, and no disappointments. If you are not
happy with anything I polish for you, send it back and I will fix it quickly at no charge.
| Polishing your 1928 to 1931 Ford axle |
$350 |
| Polishing your 1932 Ford "heavy" axle |
$400 |
| Polishing your 1932 to 1936 Ford axle |
$350 |
| Polishing your 1937 Ford V8-60 axle |
$350 |
| Polishing your 1937 to 1941 Ford axle |
$350 |
| Polishing your C-E I-beam axle |
$350 |
| Polishing your Super Bell tube axle |
$350 |
If you are interested in having an axle polished, please call Dave Mann at (602) 233-8400 weekdays with any questions.
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I can also grind and polish a Super Bell tube axle for a cost of $350. The polishing technique includes completely removing the forging lines on the top and
bottom surfaces of the ends, as well as all of the extra welding rod where the forged ends are welded to each end of the tube. The entire outer surface of
the axle is ground smooth and even, without any ripples or waves, and then polished all the way up to 1,500-grit. The Super Bell tube axles that I polish are
essentially flawless and ready for plating.
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Shown here in five different views is a '37-'41 Ford axle that I polished in 2004.
At the Portland Swap meet in 2001, I bought this axle from Carl Schmid from Stockton, California, who had it dropped by the late John Moore at Mor-Drop in
Oakland back in 1954. Carl had this axle on his 1941 Ford convertible, which had a genuine Carson top.
After I bought it I cleaned it up and then set it aside. These pictures were taken before I finished polishing
it.
This axle can now be found under a '36 belonging to Josh Mills in Georgia.
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Polished front wishbones
If you're using an early Ford wishbone, I can polish it like I did this one as long as it's not too badly pitted.
Shown here are three different views of an original 1932 Ford front wishbone that I am polishing for one of the project cars here.
This one was a pretty cherry piece that came off a restored Deuce that had been pampered. It was surprisingly free of pits, and it's not going to be split
like the other ones I have.
If you're going to try this yourself, don't grind off the weld that runs all the way down their length. The wishbone can break if you do.
Please call Dave Mann at (602) 233-8400 with any questions that you may have about polishing your wishbones or axle.
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Choosing a front axle
We use original early Ford axles on everything we build, and we always recommend that anyone do the same. Early Ford axles look right, and they don't
break.
Every I-beam axle that was original equipment on any car or truck was forged, not cast. Forged parts are much stronger than castings. Here's why:
Every piece of metal has a grain structure, which is not unlike the grain that is found in every tree, and every piece of wood.
Castings are made by pouring molten metal into a mold. The casting process relies on gravity to make the metal fill the mold. The grain structure of a
casting has a random pattern, like the grain in a piece of particle board.
Forgings are made by heating metal to just below its melting point and then immediately pounding it into the required shape. The grain structure in a forging
will conform to the shape of the part, the way the grain of a tree follows its branches.
A concise explanation of the many advantages of forgings over castings can be found on the
Forging Industry Association's site. For even more information about how the grain structure
and strength of forgings are superior to castings, here is a link to a Google search for the words
cast, forged, and grain.
You already know that forged cranks are a lot stronger than cast cranks. And you know that any decent screwdriver has a forged blade, just as the head on any
decent golf club is forged.
Have you ever heard of a cast wrench? Of course not. It would snap.
The different types of early Ford axles are easy to identify by referring to the picture on the right, which was scanned from an old magazine article that was
written by Neal East.
The 1928-1931 Model A axles have a uniform curve from end to end. The spring perch bosses are 2 1/4 inches.
1932 axles were the first Ford axles to be made with a slight drop. These axles are often referred to as '32 heavy axles. They are unique among early Ford
axles in having a wider recess at the ends, and a slightly raised area on the front and back of the spring perch bosses in the shape of an I-beam. The spring
perch bosses are two inches.
The '33-'36 axles have narrower recesses at the ends and along the center compared to the '32 axles. The spring perch bosses are two inches.
The 1937 V8-60 axles the only early Ford axles that are hollow forgings. They are flat along the front and back, so their cross-section resembles an oval
track with short straightaways. They are relatively lightweight and not recommended for heavier cars. Their spring perch bosses are 2 1/4 inches.
1937-1948 axles are not recommended for earlier hot rods. All of the early Ford axles that were made from 1937 through 1948 have shorter distances between
the kingpin bosses and the spring perch bosses. When these axles are being dropped, there is less material to work with, so they can't be dropped as far as
the '28-'36 axles, and they don't look as good. Also, with the perch bosses being farther apart, this places the wishbones closer to the tires, making the
trailing edge of the tires more likely to hit split wishbones on tight turns. Spring perch bosses on all '37-'48 axles are 2 1/4 inches.
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are Copyright 1996-2010 Dave Mann
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