MTFCA Forum

So a few years back I had a local guy come here looking for a T front axle. Said he is going to stretch/bend it for lowering. I asked him to do one for me too. He agreed and I sent him off with two axles and some other stuff to even out the deal. "be back in a week with your part". He took the payment and the axles and vanished. Fast forward a few years and enter my current project, building a brass speedster on camera to pass along what I have learned over the last 50 years. Now I really want that lowered axle I paid for. Does anyone know someone in the "south of boston" area that has the ability to stretch one of these? I'd like to film the process as part of my build series if posssible.

Sid's in Oklahoma is one of the only outfits I know of bending axles.

Here is the link to Sid's in OK:

https://www.droppedaxles.com

Met Sid couple times great guy excellent work
3" drop and stretched back to standard king pin to king pin

Kohler Kustoms in Pennsylvania does. I've met Andy via the central PA hotrod scene and he's a rodder thru and thru and a nice guy. He advertises dropping axles on his website but me and another buddy were not certain he does T axles, so obviously a call will be worth it. Not totally near Boston, but not halfway across the country either.

[/url]Https://kohlerkustom.com/services[/url]

Here's an article in online Motortrend about Andy's technique. Seems like he does reputable drops. Good luck!

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/guys- ... ioned-way/

Anyone that has seen my speedster knows I have no trouble under slinging a model T without a drop axle. What I'm
looking for is some one that can put a smile in my T axle so I have room to put a hand crank in so I can hand crank
the engine. Is any one west of the Mississippi south of the Mason Dixon line that can do that?
Craig.

Correct, once you get around the 5-6" point a crank gets sketchy. If memory serves Sid does a dip but it is large (long) and doesnt look as nice as a short one. If you come across someone doing a short more aggressive drop let me know.

I see no way that axle in your photo will lower the car. It's upside down but still - ????

It won't lower the car, but it will still clear the road of cats.

TheSpeedsterProject wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 28, 2022 7:31 pm

I see no way that axle in your photo will lower the car. It's upside down but still - ????

Never said it would lower the car, it isn't supposed to. When you lower a car enough and try to run a crank the axle gets in the way so a dip is placed in the axle to clear the crank. This is noticeable on Many other manufactures in the early teens.

To clarify what Chad wrote above- this is a problem only when the axle is used with a suicide front end arrangement - when the front spring mount is moved upward to create the drop- this method drops the centerline of the crankshaft to where it intersects a stock height front axle, which causes the hand crank to hit the axle. The purpose of the "dip" is to get the axle center below the hand crank.

Dan McEachern wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 29, 2022 6:02 pm

To clarify what Chad wrote above- this is a problem only when the axle is used with a suicide front end arrangement - when the front spring mount is moved upward to create the drop- this method drops the centerline of the crankshaft to where it intersects a stock height front axle, which causes the hand crank to hit the axle. The purpose of the "dip" is to get the axle center below the hand crank.

agreed. I see no way a stock T axle impacts the crank - and hey - there is a post with your name on it near the top of the list today.... Someone wants to talk to you.

TheSpeedsterProject wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 30, 2022 10:21 am

Dan McEachern wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 29, 2022 6:02 pm

To clarify what Chad wrote above- this is a problem only when the axle is used with a suicide front end arrangement - when the front spring mount is moved upward to create the drop- this method drops the centerline of the crankshaft to where it intersects a stock height front axle, which causes the hand crank to hit the axle. The purpose of the "dip" is to get the axle center below the hand crank.

agreed. I see no way a stock T axle impacts the crank - and hey - there is a post with your name on it near the top of the list today.... Someone wants to talk to you.

A stock T axle can impact the crank, when installed in a non-stock fashion, which was whole point of showing the "dipped" axle.

Only if you hit a big dog! Been there. Took 3 adult males to pull the crank back out far enouth to restart the car.

Craig Leach wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 28, 2022 12:55 am

Anyone that has seen my speedster knows I have no trouble under slinging a model T without a drop axle. What I'm
looking for is some one that can put a smile in my T axle so I have room to put a hand crank in so I can hand crank
the engine. Is any one west of the Mississippi south of the Mason Dixon line that can do that?
Craig.

I copied a picture from a previous posting assuming it's the one needing a smile on your axle. Since the axle looks like its pushed a bit ahead of the cross member do you envision any problems with the length of the hand crank clearing the axle

Talked to Sid's in Oklahoma last month and he is no longer dropping Model T axles. He said they are a real pain to drop and get everything correct.

TheSpeedsterProject wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 30, 2022 10:21 am

Dan McEachern wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 29, 2022 6:02 pm

To clarify what Chad wrote above- this is a problem only when the axle is used with a suicide front end arrangement - when the front spring mount is moved upward to create the drop- this method drops the centerline of the crankshaft to where it intersects a stock height front axle, which causes the hand crank to hit the axle. The purpose of the "dip" is to get the axle center below the hand crank.

agreed. I see no way a stock T axle impacts the crank - and hey - there is a post with your name on it near the top of the list today.... Someone wants to talk to you.

Slid a crank in for checking Note where it has knocked the paint off A good speedbump . . . Note dip to avoid crank Another factory dip