Yesterday I was driving down the interstate (not in chevelle) and saw a scarry item laying on the shoulder. It was a axle with the brakes and wheel still attached to it. My first thought was "must have been a GM application" then I thought "my 66SS has a setup like this" I got a little uneasy feeling like "This could happen to me". So my question for you guys is how common is this? How can I deal with it so it doesnt occur? (The axle comming off the car I mean) Do I really have to get those C-clip eliminators for the 12 bolt on my 66?

Thanks, Chris R.

I would also like to add that this is a street car not a race car.

Chris R.

Chris
Yes, this can happen to you if:
- the axle breaks
or
- the cross-shaft and axle tip become worn to the point that the C clip falls out.

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Fred Aldrich
Web Site: www.GeoCities.com/~69_chevelle (http://www.GeoCities.com/~69_chevelle)

highly unlikely


Mike

Yes, it can happen. But it is extremely rare. I have never seen it happen on the street or the track. And, I go to the track religiously for years. The problem is that while racing the results can be catastrophic. Unless you are planning to run at least a 12 sec. car on slicks I would'nt worry about it. [I have a c clip eliminator kit on my 11 sec. Chevelle.]

Did you see the axle actually come out of the car? There is a slight chance it could have fell off the back of a truck or maybe someone couldn't think of a better way of disposing of their junk parts. The only time I saw an axle come out of the rear was when I obliterated all the gears in my rear including all the spiders. When the tow truck picked up the back end the wheel and axle slid half way out. I pulled it out the rest of the way and set it in the back of the wrecker.I guess with the spiders smashed there wasn't any thing to hold the axle in . And that was just a street car with a 350 and 10 bolt posi/373s .anything is possible

[This message has been edited by Joe454 (edited 07-27-99).]

chris r
I think this is very rare, I had a 68 gto that broke a c-clip,the rear of the car started wandering and I looked at the drivers side tire through the rear view mirror and sure enough here comes the axle,a little driving skill left me limp it to a sevo station. I dont think you will have a problem. you can always go to c-clip eliminators. just my 3-cents. 67rat member #199

I have only seen it once-at Dorsey sped way in Baltimore, my cousin was coming around the 4th turn on an oval dirt track heading for the finish line to win points champion for the racing season and the c-clip broke, the axle and wheel went flying (lateral force yanked it out, and he "plowed his way to the finish line, loosing the race and the championship. True story! but yes RARE. For street application I would not worry.MICHAEL

if you have a regular, non-Posi, open differential, you'll know pretty fast if you've snapped an axle. The only real way to break one is continual hard, high RPM launches, but i guess anything is possible.

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Ian McDermott
1970 Chevelle SS 396
Gold Member #101
E-mail: havoc@graffiti.net
Web page: http://www.columbia.edu/~ijm6/chevelle (This should work...)
ICQ UIN: 3923441

and if you have an open rear end as soon as the axle breaks you will no longer be putting any power to the ground, with one wheel drive it goes to the least resistance which is the broken one.

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Philip Valentine
Team Chevelle Member #42 GOLD
philip@chevelles.com

TRUE STORY NO B.S.!!! I was following an early Chev 1/2 ton pickup at 70mph when I noticed the left wheel moving in & out of the wheel well. Then all of the sudden that sucker walked right out of the houseing as the truck slowed down (loss of power..duh) the axel began to pass the truck, 'curling' up along the bed. As the end of the axel began to drop toward the ground, it hit the aux gas tank door, then bounced up again to only land on the the main gas tank filler cap continuing along the top of the door & wiping out his mirror. At this point the wheel & axel assembly was nearly straight up & when it stood up like a teather ball pole it made an explosion sound like dynomite. God strike me dead if I'm lying...but that whole assymbly cleared the top of the power lines on the left side of the road & landed about 50 yards away. The driver had his arm out the window but didn't get hurt & managed to make a good 3 point landing. If you don't believe me look up Rick Stednitz at American Thunder in Elko, Nevada. He was riding with me! C-Clip eliminators? You bet!!!
Dale Flinn

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Yea.....I'm still living :)

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I have seen front wheels fly off on drum brake cars. If the wheel bearing seizes up at speed it can snap off the end of the spindle and the whole wheel and brake drum flys off.
If you have 4 wheel disk brakes you won't have to worry about it!

Although I can't remember what I did yesterday, I remember well back when I was a kid (in the old days) http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif
It was very common to see a 30's or 40's Chevy sitting along side the road with a rear wheel sticking out a couple of feet past the fender.
I guess the old axles were pretty easy to break cause there sure was a lot of them.


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Dean Call
Overland Park KS
Gold member #3
A.C.E.S. # 00235
N.C.O.A. # 4350

macc.chevelles.net (http://macc.chevelles.net)




[This message has been edited by Dean (edited 07-29-99).]

This actually happened to me in a '65 Ford Galaxie. The driver's side bearing had worn out and, from what I understand, the bearing is what holds the axle in. Fortunately, the fender skirt was enough to keep the wheel and axle from coming all the way out. There I was going 60mph with no brakes, no emergency brake and no way to down shift. Basically, I just had to wait until the car coasted to a stop.

I had an axle come out on me with a 73
Laguna. The spider gear pin had worn out enough to elongate the hole in the carrier, and the pin fell out, which let the c-clips fall out, then the axle came way out. You could see the splines of the axle if you looked around seal area on the axle tube. It was sticking out a good 2-2.5 feet. Wheel and drum were still there bolted on the end. Yes, it can happen, but it's not a common problem.

Strom:

Was that a 9" ford rear? What happened to the bolts and the flange that holds the bearing in? It's strange for a Ford rear to do that, usually the c-clip style are the only ones to do that.

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70 & 1/2 RS Camaro
SB406 & M20 4spd
9" Rear
70 Malibu
SB350 & TH400

Gold Member # 103

This business of c-clip eliminators is puzzling to me. I fully understand that the c-clip axles have a potential problem with keeping the hardware together if the shaft fails or if the clip comes off. Many years ago (the bad old 60's) the NHRA did not allow cars to run higher classes with "safety hubs", regardless of the type of wheel bearing. Now it appears that if you have an axle that has ball bearings on the ends that can hold a broken axle , it is OK. Can any of you old geezers tell what has changed here??

GEEZERS!!!! We just can't get any respect anymore. When I was racing back in the 60's stock classes were just that, if it didn't come on it it couldn't be used. If you ran any kind of serious horsepower scattershields, c-clip eliminators, drive shaft loops, ect. were required.

geezers of all the nerve......just cause my hair grows out my ears instead of on my head and my jeans don't fit around my waist...

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Philip Valentine
Team Chevelle Member #42 GOLD
philip@chevelles.com