bent axle housing

[heath]

Ford 8.8, passenger side axle tube is bent. the tube itself is straight, just not coming out of the housing at a straight angle. I've taken out the shafts and locker out, put a light at one end and can see how it is off. Used a jack and chain to make a "bow" and bend it back. Done research on the net and that seems the best way to do it. After several attempts, was unable to get her straight. Need a torch to heat it up to help with the bend. I'm leaving for starkville tomorrow for school. Anybody up there know if there is a local place that could do this, or has the tools to help me out. I'm gonna call chris at white rhino tomorrow and see if he can help me out.

My options(remember all my tools will be home on the coast):

1. bring the axle to some shop on the way to school.. drive back down next weekend, pick it up, bring back home, and reinstall locker and axle back under jeep, and trailer it up to starkville

2. Keep it at home, come home next weekend, find someone with a torch and straighten in myself, reinstall, and trailer back to s-ville

3. throw the shafts and axle back in just to roll the jeep onto the trailer, bring up to s-ville tomorrow and find someone or someplace local to help me out

At this point I'm ready to just throw the axle under there for rolling purposes only and pay someone to have it ready to go when I pick it up(straighten tube, install new locker, weld on new 5th link bracket, and install back under jeep). Let me know if any of you guys know of a place that does this or could personally help me out with a torch and some tools up in starkville. Thanks alot

[jharfst]

I've got some basic tools and a torch setup. I'm just north of Starkville in a little town called Pheba. I'm sure either I or someone else up here can help you out if you just decide to put the torch to it. Don't know if any shop up here that does that kind of work except maybe Rice equipment. There are a couple of junk yards up here too if you just decide on getting a new housing and packing it with your current shafts and stuff.

-jim

[krimes13]

I know of a guy with a welding shop just west of Starkville that fixed my rear axle when I spun my housing on the tubes. He was able to heat it, anchor the snout to the ground, then jack it up in line and weld it solid.
He usually works on large logging equipment, so recreation vehicles take second seat but it only took him about 4 or 5 days to get to mine and I thought he was very reasonable.
I took him the whole Jeep, but in this case he would have to have the bare axle. He doesn't really do any mechanic type work and it would obviously be much quicker and cheaper if he didn't have to do any disassembly.

[jharfst]

Aug 14, 2008 15:33:32 GMT -5 krimes13 said:

I know of a guy with a welding shop just west of Starkville ...

Sounds like Rice Equipment. They are mainly geared to the agricultural/heavy equipment industry, but they will do just about any welding and are fairly reasonable. That's where I get my gas for my torch setup.

-jim

[krimes13]

This is Paul Yeatman over in Longview. Rice didn't really seem
interested in helping me out and their base charge for firing up
the welder was almost as much as my whole bill ended up being.

[heath]

thanks guys. I've got to make a trip back to the coast to get my heep. I'm gonna give Rice a call and if that doesn't work out, I may take you up on your offer jim. This is coming down to the wire for labor day riding. keep yalls fingers crossed