VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Broken rear axle

Anyone out there have experience with broken rear axle shafts and their causes ? I've read that it's not uncommon. Mine ('32 sedan) are fine now but I acquired a NORS shaft just in case. Was the problem mainly rough roads ? Metal fatigue ? Overweight passengers, sharp sudden turns ? I imagine it's a sudden event with no warning signs.

I plan on more driving my car more this season and want to be prepared if an axle ever fails.

Thanks guys!

Poor design and metallurgy.

I think driver error or abuse may be a more common cause of axle failure. While todays metallurgy may be much better you have to consider that original axles are now around 86 years old so I don't agree that design and metallurgy are the main cause of axle failure.

Maybe age and abuse/ use, but could be inferior materials

I would get a set from C&P Auto (Billy Possum) they are 4140 and FAR SUPERIOR !! if you have talked to him or read his story he made the shafts because he got tired of the factory one breaking !! so he SOLVE that problem !! and luckily has shared it with the rest of us. Great guy by the way, always great to chat with him.
Can Buy them Direct or from The Filling Station, Marx Parts, and Gary Wallace !!

Did you get an early axle or a late axle? They are not interchangeable. Which axle is in your '32?

Thanks Bears. But at $400 ea. for new alloy axles, it's not the most economical solution for me right now. I found a spare NORS axle for under a $100 on Ebay, made by Lempco Industries, an old axle replacement manufacturer.
I'll just continue to drive like an old lady and cross my fingers. No more burnouts or doughnuts in the driveway.

I found and bought the early style axle, that takes the 3/4" nut, small taper, which is what my early '32 car has.

After replacing my left side axle, I pulled the right one and replaced it too… I cleaned them both up and looked at the fracture under a magnifying lamp/lens. The fractured one had fatigue cracks over six inches long about 18 inches from the diff spline in a spiral pattern running in the direction of the diff away from the shear. The right side had the same spiral fracture lines (not sheared) near the same place the left one fractured, but ran to the hub side from what looked to be the start of a perpendicular fracture line. Interesting….

Mac

Did you replace with NOS or the new alloy steel axles ? I should have inspected mine last year when they were out for a bearing replacement job. Perhaps would have seen something like you did.

NOS…..The ones I bought were in great shape with no cracks that I could find…Looked brand new...