Hello.

Have anyone welded those stock spindles? Most of the spindles can be welded by a skilled welder. I know it has been done a lot, and i used to weld for a living so only question is how good quality material is those camaros spindles?

I was thinking of shortening the steering arms in the spindles, so that i can use rack and pinion that i like. Only problem is short throw of that rack, so i need to compensate it by shortening the steering arm. Other steering geometry is quite good, and i really like the superior feel of that rack.

 

the spindles are grey iron, cast. You need to really know what you are doing to attempt this, since if the weld fails, you will wreck.

I had toyed with this idea for some other reasons and a good idea that came to mind was drilling and tapping the spindle at the cut and using a stud internally for added support before welding.

Akerman is not ideal on these cars, and i believe the arm need to me moved outboard some, maybe research and possibly look into this as well. there are other things like bump steer and such that need to be kept in mind if you are moving the steering arms around.

 

Well, even if those are cast and not forged as some spindles, if that cast is good enough it can be welded safely. But it is no place for learning, one should know how things are done correctly. I know some guys that has been welding their spindles to change the steering geometry(mostly in drifting, to get zero akerman). I hoped that one of you guys have done that so i would know that it will hold.

I think i have to do some strain testing on one spindle before welding and then to one that is welded. If it takes more or same amount of force to brake, i will know if it will hold.

 

Heres one about chevy monza. They suspect it has drop forged spindles, and that can be welded.

i have welded bracket to that kind of materia, that is used to raise up semitrailers bogey and rear axle.

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/can-...les-99013.html

 

you can weld cast, but I wouldn't trust welded cast in that application. Welded forged is fine... I haven't looked to see, but usually you can tell the 2 apart, a forging will usually have a smoother surface and thicker parting lines (the casting will have a thin line where the mold separated, a forging will usually have a thicker line from the forging process).

 

and there is different sound on cast and forged too. on a forged piece sound is clear and resonant. I am sourcing stuff for my project, and i dont have original spindles at hand right now, so i cannot check myself. There is only a shell of a camaro, and most of the parts will be fabricated. So if anyone knows if they truly are cast or forged, i would like to know. I believe its forged, because steering arm is so long and forces are so big.

 

i am almost certain (99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999992%)they are cast, just by the look and finish of them.

 

Main difference in casts are in their carbon content. If it has low carbon content, it could be welded safely. One thing how you can tell them apart, is what kind of sparks comes from it, when you grind it. If sparks are like little stars, it is has high carbon, and therefore they are hard to weld.

When casts have very low carbon content, you can weld it almost like normal steel plates.

 

Well, that's the other end of it, there are different castings, and even different cast irons. Cast steel can be welded just like cold rolled, hot rolled and forged, it comes out very similar to welding the same material formed any other way. Cast iron and some cast high alloy steels will typically weld fine, but may harden around the weld, resulting in a brittle area.

When it comes down to it, I'm betting that it's some sort of cast steel (looked at a pair and they appear to be cast, but what I'm not sure, the machined surfaces look a lot more like a steel than an iron), and I'm betting that they'll weld fine, but I'd be very nervous to put them on my car after welding them unless someone could come up with a good test to see how strong they ended up.