Straightening a rear axle housing.

[enjenjo]

I have Uglyolds rear axle housing and centersection here. He wanted the new gears and posi set up, and the housing straightened. Setting up the rear end was a piece of cake once I got the pinion apart, it took a press to get the yoke off the old pinion shaft.

But I needed the carrier housing to set up my bar for straightening the axle housing. I had decided some time ago tp make a new straightening jig so I could do it cold rather than using heat to do it. So I made a cart with a 6" heavy I beam 6 ft long so I had a solid base to work from. Since this rear was stock length, and the bar I had was too short, I bought a new 6 ft 4130  by 1.5" bar 5 ft long, and straightened it to less than.001" run out in 5 ft. I then made two stands that clamped to the I beam I could hold the rear end on, and another pair of clamps that fit over the housing near the center that would hold the housing securely to the stands. I bought a stubby 20 ton jack to bend the housing with. I installed a pair of pucks in the carrier bearing bores, and installed the carrier housing with a gasket. I pushed the 1.5" bar through the pucks in the carrier bore, and then installed the axle bearing pucks on the bar, neither one was lined up.

Somehow I managed to loose all the pictures of the rig, but you can see some of it in the straightening pictures.

[kb426]

How much spring back do you incur with this? I guess the 1st question should be "how much do you have to move it to bend it"?

[UGLY OLDS]

WOW.  :!:  :!:  :!:    Does this make me famous. :?:   :?:  :?:  :?:

Thank you Frank for the excellent work........

Bob  

[enjenjo]

How much spring back do you incur with this? I guess the 1st question should be "how much do you have to move it to bend it"?

I found that I had to take it about two to three time the initial bend past straight, to have it spring back straight. So if it was bent .060", I had to take it about .180" the other way to spring back straight.

[58 Yeoman]

Hey Bob...see if he'll sign it.

I would've liked to be there to see Frank do that...never seen it done.

[enjenjo]

I know I haven't mentioned it lately, but I spent nearly 20 years straightening truck frames for a trucking company. I did just about all of them cold too, except when I had to shrink them.