First attempt at striping the old axle. Immediately ran into trouble at the first hurdle because my adjustable spanner won't fit around the securing nut that holds the stub axle onto the hub. I will also need to source a rose joint puller and spring compressors in order to get the rest of the assembly apart.
Started looking at the right hand lower mounting tab which is severely distorted. The tab is made out of 4 or 5mm thick steel plate. Trying to straighten this out with an engineering vice wasn't making any progress. This is awkward because it is the vice generates probably the most force that I can bring to the problem. The only other option will be to cut the tab out and weld in another tab.
Also looked at the right hand upper support member, the pin holding the upper suspension bracket in place has actually punctured the lower face of the box section. Additionally the steel around the joint where it meets the main chassis is severely distended. Given the lack of success reshaping the lower mounting tab I am concerned that this will prove the same and it might just be quicker to source the relevant box section, cut it out and weld in a completely fresh piece. The one good piece of news is that the very top piece of the support member that also contains the fork that holds the forward support member in place is in reasonable shape so can probably be reused.
The only good news of the day is that the Frosts order containing all of the paint and cleaners needed to get the replacement front axle assembly into a presentable state arrived.