It is pretty common practice to heat and bend early Ford spindle arms to gain dropped axle clearance. I did mine 20 years ago, and still are ok. Heat cherry red in the spot where you want the bend to be, then slowly bend to final shape. As mentioned, let it cool naturally, and try to keep your bends to a minimum and only one time per spot. I had to bend mine first close to the backing plate, then a second time up to align with the king pin angle. Getting enough heat to soften the steel is the key to prevent cracking.


Don