Re: [ihc] Front Spindles Heat treated?

["James Lidberg" <jameslidberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

John,

Jim L. here.

I concur with Jim Amos temperature/color chart.

It's been a long time for me, but I had always gotten straight A's in HS metal shop, and I was very good with a torch, 
and this is how I was taught to draw out hard steel after it was machined then heated red hot, quenched, then annealed 
by torch.

And yes I believe the spindles got that hot. I find it hard to believe, but I still have most of the parts to show. I 
think that part of the darkness on the spindle and the bearing races is partly from the grease burning into the metal. 
That darkness cannot be wire brushed off. The color is very hard, and deep into the metal. The passenger side inside 
bearing would not come off the spindle, even with a puller tool. I had to cut the cage, remove the rollers, then score 
the inner race with a miniature cutoff disk mounted in a Dremel , then crack it with a chisel and BFH. It was burned 
onto the spindle. This spindle was more black than blue - I attribute that partly to burnt hydrocarbons.

The other spindle is more blue than black - I attribute that to turning almost red hot.

The funny thing is that the rollers were OK, grease was still packed around the rollers and it was not burnt. The races 
overheated, but the rollers were still intact and not turned coler nor pitted.

I have never seen bearings fail like this.

- Jim in Mesa

> 
> So, Jim, these are the temps for annealing steal. Is it reasonable to assume
> that Jim L's spindles (dark blue) got up around 600 degrees?
> 


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Jim In Mesa - James Lidberg
jameslidberg@domain.elided
'79 Scout II/4X4/345/Edelbrock 1400/727/D20/3.07 open/PS/PB/4"Trailmaster
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