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07-14-2017, 12:25 PM | #1 |
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'40 Ford rear housing assembly
A friend of mine is restoring my old '40 wagon and noticed one of the rear radius rods is bowed. Looks like someone tried to jack the car up on it. He wants to know if the bend will affect the alignment of the rear end. I told him I thought it would not. I'm relatively sure there is no adjustment on these rods they merely provide the geometry to keep the torque tube/ rear end ridged. He has it off the car so I told him to bend it straight and put it back on. Good advise or am I missing something? Bill
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07-14-2017, 12:34 PM | #2 | |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Quote:
Think of it this way: Three points (triangle) are made between the outer ends of each axle housing and the point where the radius rods attach. By bending one of the rods, the length of that side of the "triangle" has been shortened (changed). That definitely changes the geometry. My advice is to straighten that rod as best possible or get a replacement that has not been bent.
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07-14-2017, 01:21 PM | #3 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
I agree with Kube.
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07-14-2017, 01:32 PM | #4 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
What Kube says x3. The word Geometry says it all.
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07-14-2017, 02:01 PM | #5 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Let's do the math. If the radius rod were bent badly at mid length, like 2" out of line, that would only shorten the radius rod by .055". The radius rods are part of an iron triangle with the rear axel as the base and the torque tube as the center post. The reaction to that bend shortening one leg is contained entirely within the triangle, exerting no force to the frame that could cause a change in alignment with the frame. What you have is some stress within components of the triangle. When it comes time to take the rear end apart, you may have a bit of a problem getting the bolts out of the radius rods, because they are under some tension. Until then, drive on!
Bent radius rod on the front is another story, because the radius rods are hooked to the frame. |
07-14-2017, 02:13 PM | #6 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
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I have a bent/bowed 35-36 rear radius rod on a 35 rear I'm putting back together. I'm planning to straighten it using my hydraulic press.
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07-14-2017, 02:20 PM | #7 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Tire wear and gas mileage will remain the same. Tracking will be slightly different, meaning that the rear tire tracks will not ride in the path of the front tires. Just think of watching a dog trotting along, rear end to one side or the other!
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07-14-2017, 04:01 PM | #8 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Actually, the Pythagorean theorem is the mathematical equation that will tell the real story.....A²+B²=C². DD
Last edited by V8COOPMAN; 07-14-2017 at 04:30 PM. |
07-14-2017, 04:02 PM | #9 | |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Quote:
Probably an opportune time to correct the issue. Me? I tend to prefer to do things correctly. It typically doesn't take a lot longer than rigging something together and making it "okay".
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07-14-2017, 04:08 PM | #10 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
The torque tube is what aligns the rear end to the frame, not the radius rods. For a radius rod to affect alignment it would have to be bent so much that it would bend the axle housing (bell) on that side of the car. This would put the axle shaft out of alignment also and would likely eat itself up. In theory, it could maybe bend the torque tube and destroy the driveshaft bearing but the radius rod is the weak link in this 'triangle'. So, just drive on!
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07-14-2017, 04:17 PM | #11 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
While not ideal, the bend should not really cause major rear end alignment and the car to "crab" down the road. the rear axle/torque tube is pretty strong and will hold good alignment, all centred around the torque tube being attached to the transmission on the car centreline.
The advise to remove the rod, straighten it, and refit it is (in my mind at least) good advice. It's an early Ford, not a Lamborghini. The axle is pretty strong, the radius rods don't position it, they just protect the torque tube/axle connection from road shocks, for example when one wheel hits a pothole or obstruction. Take it off, straighten it, or fit another one, and keep on trucking. Mart. Edit: Similar replies above added while I was typing. Last edited by Mart; 07-14-2017 at 04:25 PM. |
07-14-2017, 05:13 PM | #12 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
One could possibly elongate the hole at the front of the bent radius rod to allow it to bolt onto the front of the torque tube without pulling things out of line. The bent radius rod would, however, lose a little bit of strength under a severe compression load. If that happened however, there would be a lot more damage elsewhere.
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07-14-2017, 10:41 PM | #13 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
mart says it all, fix or replace, not rocket science
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07-15-2017, 07:36 AM | #14 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
The radius rods are basic braces triangulated to get most effective bracing. If they weren't there the torque tube and rear axle bells can flex more. How much they would flex I don't know but flex they will. A bent rod puts a pull on one side that shouldn't be there because it would force a little flex to the one side, A person wants those components to remain as straight and true as Ford intended them to be. It would mean less wear on parts and therefore longer life with better reliability.
A rear end out of alignment by even a little bit looks funny going down the road. Following from the rear, it looks like it is crabbing into the wind for those that fly. For those that don't, it just plain goes down the road crooked. Last edited by rotorwrench; 07-15-2017 at 07:43 AM. |
07-15-2017, 08:56 PM | #15 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Thanks to all who replied. To be honest I didn't expect that much interest. As the radius rod has a long sweep rather than a kink we are going to straighten it. I'll take some pics of the event which should take place in the near future. Bill
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07-16-2017, 10:34 AM | #16 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Will be interested in seeing some pics of how you go about the straightening operation. I have been pondering ideas on how I will straighten mine, which also has a long sweeping bent over the full length of the radius rod. I believe this was also bent by someone jacking up the car from underneath the radius rod, or maybe they placed a jack stand uner the radius rod, and the weight of the car bent the rod.
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07-16-2017, 01:01 PM | #17 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
A person could start the job utilizing a fairly long piece of I-beam, several lengths of chain, and a jack. The same basic tools used to straighten a frame rail with some wood blocks or purpose made mandrels to keep from making marks on things..
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02-19-2018, 04:12 PM | #18 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Bill, did you ever straighten that rear radius rod and take some pictures to post here??
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02-19-2018, 04:46 PM | #19 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
JM....On 1-22-18, Bill posted that he and a bud straightened the radius rod by use of a floor jack and some chain. He said the event was over with in three minutes, and that the camera batteries were dead anyway! All supposedly went well. DD
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02-19-2018, 05:32 PM | #20 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Got it, thanks DD
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02-20-2018, 11:23 AM | #21 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
There are so many threads like this one where a component that can hardly be given away in one part of the Ford Barn world and is worth a questionable repair in another place. I've been dragging rear axle parts around for too long and seems that it's clearly not worth the work. At Turlock I took some bells and radius rods to the trashcan. Luckily some ambitious soul took a few of the bulky pieces, but the pieces that had some rust were still there when the event ended. In the process of fixing up these old cars many of us end up with actual tons of those leftover pieces and engines with no future. At some age a guy can no longer be the custodian of so much stuff. Good Luck: Fred A
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02-20-2018, 11:32 AM | #22 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
Fred, sad but true. If you want something it is difficult to find and expensive. If you have stuff it is often impossible to give it away! Hard to do, but sometimes it just has to go.
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02-20-2018, 11:51 AM | #23 |
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Re: '40 Ford rear housing assembly
That's the truth. Last year I needed a pair of '40 axle tubes. I was lucky to find a set that wasn't too pitted outside and had clean bearing surfaces for a decent price. By the time I got them in the mail one of them the factory weld had cracked from rough transit. Fortunately fedex was able to give me a partial refund and I was able to clamp the tube tight and reweld it. I was lucky someone saved them and I didn't have to buy a whole rear just for the axle tubes.
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