The axle shafts are without a doubt the weakest part of the TD/TF differential. While he factory shafts look beefy and thick, these characteristics actually make them rigid and inflexible, and very prone to failure. When this happens, the axles twist off a 2" stub deep inside the differential - without any warning at all - (see photo) and considerable effort is necessary to remove the broken bits to get the car back on the road. With one broken axle shaft the car cannot be made to move.

My new and improved axles (originally known as Jerry Austin, and later as Dave Clark axles) are engineered with a slight taper and reduction in diameter, which gives the axles a significant degree of spring and twist to prevent breakage. They are manufactured from the finest 1541 steel with a Rockwell hardness of 62, which penetrates about 1/3 of the diameter of the axles - far more than the originals (the surface hardness of the original axles is perhaps 50-55). In the "old" days, T-series drivers would need to carry a spare axle shaft and bearing when touring - and many were put to use. This is no longer the case - more than 2,000 of our re-designed and improved axles have been sold, and there has been not a SINGLE reported
failure, even when used in race cars with significantly-increased horsepower. These new axles give you total peace of mind, and I back them unconditionally.

Another problem people have with factory axles is wear on the outside end splines - the large axle nuts under the hub caps were often tightened to less than the required 150 foot pounds of torque, creating spline wear on both shaft and brake drum. Even the slightest play between the axle and drum is potentially very dangerous, and can lead to the brake drum and wheel shearing entirely off.

My MGT Repair/Dave Clark axles will fit both wire wheel and steel wheel TD's and TF's without modification, and are identical left to right. 95% of axle bearings are probably just fine to re-use, or they can be replaced with open or sealed bearings for even more peace of mind. TD's before TD12285 used BSF axle nuts to hold the brake drums in place; later cars used UNF or SAE-threaded axle shafts. My axles are made with SAE threads, so early cars will need SAE castle nuts to fit - I modify special Grade 10 nuts to fit (the ones from the usual suppliers are very soft and will distort).

These axles should last the life of your car, and are replete with modern design and manufacturing improvements, as many satisfied customers will attest. These improved axles are $250 each (these MUST be replaced in pairs), plus shipping in the US. Please contact me for total costs, and for overseas shipping. I also offer special SAE castle nuts when needed, at $30 each. I also very much recommend the addition of one of my magnetic differential drain plugs; see that tab on the left.