due to a pile up on the track, we tried to avoid it and hit the wall. Bent the axle housing, broke a rotor, broke a shock and bent the axle. Anyone know a way to straighten it, or anyone in central ill that could straighten it
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due to a pile up on the track, we tried to avoid it and hit the wall. Bent the axle housing, broke a rotor, broke a shock and bent the axle. Anyone know a way to straighten it, or anyone in central ill that could straighten it
depends how much its bent. is it a floater or non-floater? you can bolt up a new or perfectly straight set of wheels and measure the toe and camber to see where its bent. Then you heat and cool it with a torch and wet rag to make it shrink and pull the direction you want it to move.
If you havent pulled it out of the car yet, do it, then put it on jack stands so you can work on it. Eric
non floater. will try that. Thanks
non floaters are very weak it will bend back easy but it will also bend again super easy. after you straighten it build a brace like the drag guys do to strengthen the housing or even like dirtworks used to do on they're housings.
take rear end out - drain oil - install tires & rims- stand rearend up verticaly on tire & rim - take tape measure & hook it in tread of tire on ground - hold tire above still pulling tape to tread & pick a location to measure from. Have some one spin rearend housing while holding tape & tire above still. You will notice that if the rear end is bent the tape point will go up & down. If it does turn rearend until your at the longest point on measurement & mark the rearend along the tape measure then spin until shortest distance & mark also. I like to put a L on long side & S on short. That will tell you if it is bent & which direction it needs to be bent back. Very easy to do.
wowQuote:
Originally Posted by chickenlegs
y not just put new wheels on and use a tape measure by reading the numbers... in the car?
Measuring tread is surely not going to tell you if a rear end is bent...
Na, I like the Spinning deal, sounds like way more fun! Your way its all over in 2 min. The spinning deal builds suspense, you wont know for at lease an hour!Quote:
Originally Posted by stock car driver
thumbs up!Quote:
Originally Posted by QQQQ
thanks for the info. All that spinning made me dizzy, lol
We got it bent back some, heated, pulled, heated, pulled. Tried to heat and cool, didn't work
just curious SCD, how do you measure every angle of the tube with it in the car?
Every angle? I hope your kidding... It takes two minutes to measure 4 points in the car, usually just front and rear is all you need to measure then you would take it out to straighten it.. though if you let it hang in the car you can use a porta power and chain to straighten them often, I know because Ive straightened mine at the track before when running a 4-5 day in a row swing.
I used my toe gauge today to measure my rear since its a quick change and there were too many springs in the way to run tapes across my car, it took a measly two minutes still.
If you try it you will see how easy it isQuote:
Originally Posted by chickenlegs
You think that's easier than bolting two new wheels on and using a tape measure on the front side and back side of the axle??Quote:
Originally Posted by chickenlegs
Do you remove your engine from your car to change the oil?
If you want to truly straiten it then it is the way to do it. You are relying on tires & rims hoping they are exact & what if you had got up on the wall & it is bent at an angle then you will never know it. Try it & you will see.Quote:
Originally Posted by chickenlegs
I'll add a few thoughts to my original post. I never remove the housing to find out if its bent. Tires have no part of the measuring. use 2 New wheels without tires on them and bolt them up. if you dont have two new wheels you likely need some new wheels if you got wrecked enough to be doing this measuring. put the new wheels on and measure your toe, and its also not a bad idea to measure the camber, if the camber is bent the "right way" I would just leave it, depending on how bad it is. If the toe isnt off that much just straighten it right in the car, if its way off just pull the housing because there is a good chance its gonna need a tube replaced. If your using a torch, dont forget to remove the inner axle seals (if you run them).
Also keep in mind new bare housings are not that much money and the tubes are nice new steel and stronger then OEM tubes that have been shortened. Eric
Quick way to check for bent housing, two 12" crescent wrenches slip eyelet Over lug stud one on each side. Clock them the same on each side and slipYour tape measure in the adjustable end. Eliminates any lateral runoutEven if you have a bent axle in a non floater. Rotate your axle and checkFor toe and camber.