Steven Mutch Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 (edited) I wonder if you can shed any light on my mystery axle ? I realise that you have issues with COVID at present but perhaps at some point you may find time to look. I have been searching for an answer for some time and have been looking at mostly British built vehicles as I live in north East Scotland and found the axle nearby. I have a vintage axle that I am struggling to identify and wondered if Anyone may be able to help. I have looked on the internet and vintage books but I'm struggling to find out what it was originally fitted to but it may be from a 1910s /20s car or small commercial vehicle ? It has a top mounted worm drive diff, top mounted leaf spring brackets, cute rear mounted oil filler with swing lid, 9 inch brake drums with 2 sets of shoes each side and the cam levers mounted at the front. It also has 5 wheel studs and would have had artillery wheels fitted but they are badly corroded. There is very little in the way of identification as the screw on hub/bearing caps are missing. The worm gear differential has a "DBS" in a circle mark which is the patent stamp of David Brown & Son ,they would have made the worm gear but who would have made the axle and what vehicle was it fitted to ? A Pierce Arrow ? The only other name I have found is one on the brass diff drain plug that is stamped with "Showells Strichley". A West Midlands company that made all things brass until mid 1900,s but I cannot find a link to a vehicle maker. I have attached a picture. Any help would be very much appreciated. Kind regards Steve Mutch Sent from my iPad Edited August 18, 2020 by Steven Mutch Photo missing (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 Most worm drives are from trucks. Five lugs are typical of a car, not a truck American cars that used worm drives are Pierce 1933-1934, Stutz 1927-1934, Stearns Knight 1916-1929, and Nash 1932-1934. Maybe a few others that I don’t know about. Post a photo. Most worm drive units are Timken units adapted to someone’s housing. They are not worth much money, but are fun to look at. Post a photo or two if you want a proper ID. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldford Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 Photo?? Not showing up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted August 17, 2020 Share Posted August 17, 2020 Didn't the "T" series MGs use a worm drive ? Track dimension would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 (edited) No, T series cars just used a regular ring and pinion.. There are a wide range of pre war British cars that are largely unknown here in North America. Greg Edited August 18, 2020 by 1912Staver (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 If the worm is above the wheel it must be commercial. Trucks used worm drive early on because you could get very low gear ratios and they were strong. Not very efficient and not for high speed use because of the friction. Timken came out with a new worm and tooth form that had less friction and was suited to high speed use, this was used first on Stutz cars, the advantage was the low drive shaft which allowed lowering the floor and therefore, building a lower car. Peugeot used a worm drive rear axle into the sixties, or later. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Mutch Posted August 18, 2020 Author Share Posted August 18, 2020 Sorry guys, new to this game , photos now added 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 (edited) It's a light truck rear......best guess......1917 to 1925. Looks European to my eye. It's not Pierce Arrow like any unit I have ever seen......... Edited August 18, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Layden B Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Check the dimensions of screw threads and other parts. Imperial threads usually indicate American made, Whitworth being British and metric as European continental. General design and size hints at truck, delivery vehicle, British made. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 17 minutes ago, Layden B said: Check the dimensions of screw threads and other parts. Imperial threads usually indicate American made, Whitworth being British and metric as European continental. General design and size hints at truck, delivery vehicle, British made. I AGREE WITH LAYDEN....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Ditto, That's not really a 5 stud wheel flange. It looks to me like a artillery wheel ; 10 wood spokes , hub. It looks like a reasonably high quality unit ! Greg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Go on the historical UK military website, and go to the WWI area, there are a bunch of truck guys there restoring civilian and military trucks. They will be able ID it for sure. Try the Peerless thread, it’s active. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 (edited) On 8/18/2020 at 8:23 AM, Steven Mutch said: I wonder if you can shed any light on my mystery axle ? I realise that you have issues with COVID at present but perhaps at some point you may find time to look. I have been searching for an answer for some time and have been looking at mostly British built vehicles as I live in north East Scotland and found the axle nearby. I have a vintage axle that I am struggling to identify and wondered if Anyone may be able to help. I have looked on the internet and vintage books but I'm struggling to find out what it was originally fitted to but it may be from a 1910s /20s car or small commercial vehicle ? Agree looks to be commercial Many defunct truck brands in UK https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Defunct_truck_manufacturers_of_the_United_Kingdom Could look-ask-contact https://www.prewarcar.com/ Many knowledgeable people on that site Edit From post above http://hmvf.co.uk/ Edited August 19, 2020 by 1939_Buick (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now