Question on axle shaft straightening, Original Ford Service.

[Pep C Strebeck]

So my son today told me that I owed him 0.60 cents for fixing the windshield hinge, as per the Ford Schedule Of Repair Charges. When I went to look it up (I want to be sure that I am throwing the right number of pennies at him when he is not looking), I saw something that caught my eye that I wanted to ask here on the Forum. On page 7, under the heading of Rear System Division, operation number 104 it says,

"Straighten axle shaft (without removing from car)................ 1.50"

Could someone please enlighten and elucidate me as to how one would straighten an axle shaft without removing it from the car? This would seem to be a trick that Mandrake or Blackstone the Magician would be proud of and something I would truly like to see.

[Rich Eagle]

Certainly not a recommended procedure, but I have straightened axles by pounding on them with a sledge hammer while in the car. You can correct the misalignment by finding the high spot and applying pressure at that point.
While it doesn't help the axle or bearing any, it can result in less wheel wobble.
This may have been somewhat acceptable back in the day.
If you don't try, you don't know.
But I wouldn't recommend it to a serious T owner.
Rich

[RGould1910]

I'll take a stab at this one. I've seen axels bent where they insert into the hub. Probably due to a rear wheel impact. I'm thinking the repair estimate is for straightening that section. Perhaps the repairman had a large sleeve to replace the outer roller bearing to keep the axle stationary while he heated and bent or hammered the taper.
Just a guess.