Assembling front axle on 32
 

Is there a front and a back orientation on the beam of the axle, in other words does it matter which side of axle faces forward?
How tight are the perch bolt nuts tightened before lining up cotter pin?
Thanks

Re: Assembling front axle on 32
 

You will find this thread helpful-
http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...466#post505466

Re: Assembling front axle on 32
 

Stock axle? There s/b numbers stamped on one end of the axle.....that s/b on the left(drivers side) is my understanding.

Re: Assembling front axle on 32
 

Thanks, I set mine up with the numbers on the drivers side

Re: Assembling front axle on 32
 

It makes no difference which side the numbers are on especially since many of the original axles have no numbers forged into them. An original axle is straight and symmetrical.

As for perch pin nut torque, try to get a minimum of 50 pounds of torque (while lining up the slot in the nut with the hole in the spring perch pin for the cotter pin).

Re: Assembling front axle on 32
 

Numbers found in ends are actually the Ford steel grade used...all the V8 ones I have seen are like EE-##. The EE is a grade of electric furnace Ford formula steel (the main ingresients are in the Ford Metallurgy book) and I suspect what follows may refer to the specific heat treatment used...the book gives one EE heat formula but implies there were several.
On a dropped axle, the EE is stretched into a sort of drunken sprawl...

Re: Assembling front axle on 32
 

thanks everyone for the responses

Re: Assembling front axle on 32
 

Having personally worked on several hundred ….. here is the deal.

You will probably find the lock pin will only go in from one side most of the time.
I believe this is because of a bit of a bur that develops from the nut.
If you simply clean the hole with a 9/16 drill bit … the pin will go in from either side and all will work just fine.
Some people will insist the hole is tapered and or ………………………………........ The truth is the only taper involved here is on the lock pin itself.

Re: Assembling front axle on 32
 

My '32 axle had a letter U stamped in the front so I just put it back together the same way.