Timken rear axles

dopiejoe

Sharpest Tool
Jan 6, 2012
200
N.Central TX.
Willys Model
Willys Year:
I have 3 Timken rear axles all out of W/O 4X4 pickups built prior to 1952,would it be safe to assume(yes I know what that means)that they would have 5:38 gear ratios?I am not ready yet to tear into them and find out just trying to get some kind of idea what I might have and how I could utilize them.Thx,DJ
 
I've had 4 or 5 Timkens. Not large enough for a scientific quantitative survey, but all were 5.38s. I've never personally seen the 4.88 version.
 
I posted about this and never got an answer. I have a timken with this tag on it










I went and checked by turning the drum 2 turns and came up 4 3/4 turns on the drive pinion
 

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Guys, there is such a thing as a 4.88 Timken Jeep rear, I have one. Most are 5.38 however.
Just spin the drum and count the revolutions of the (1) yoke, then double that number. you will have your ratio.
diggerG
 
a timken 4.88 could be found in studebaker 3/4 ton truck with the larger 245 six.

Back in 2009 there is a company that was remaking them (4.11) for the circle track racing crowd. I don't know the company name, but know you can get a set through Marmon Herrington specialist Chuck Mantiglia. Expensive. Here's Chuck's web site. Stu

http://www.chuckstrucksllc.com/startframe.htm
 
I found this on Wikipedia just now on the Willys Jeep Truck page. Quote; "The heavy duty Timken 51540 was used in the early years of production, later being replaced by the Dana 53. The front axle was a Dana 25. With the 4-cylinder engines, a 5.38:1 gear ratio was standard, with 4.88:1 and 6.17:1 optional. With the 6-cylinder engines, 4.88:1 was standard with 5.38:1 optional."
 
dopiejoe said:
I found this on Wikipedia just now on the Willys Jeep Truck page. Quote; "The heavy duty Timken 51540 was used in the early years of production, later being replaced by the Dana 53. The front axle was a Dana 25. With the 4-cylinder engines, a 5.38:1 gear ratio was standard, with 4.88:1 and 6.17:1 optional. With the 6-cylinder engines, 4.88:1 was standard with 5.38:1 optional."
Click to expand...

Cool....I didn't know that
 
eddiem
You still don't know that. Wikipedia didn't get it right. The Timken was replaced by the Spicer 53, and the front was a Spicer 25. The only reason we call them Dana today is because, much later, Dana Corp, a re structured name for Spicer, re tagged the Spicer differentials to Dana. All original manuals and interchange information out there on Willys pickups will identify the diffs Spicer. Once in a while you will also see the name Salisbury referring to Spicer. Salisbury Axle was bought by Spicer very early on. That's where all their axles came from.
diggerG


dopiejoe said:
I found this on Wikipedia just now on the Willys Jeep Truck page. Quote; "The heavy duty Timken 51540 was used in the early years of production, later being replaced by the Dana 53. The front axle was a Dana 25. With the 4-cylinder engines, a 5.38:1 gear ratio was standard, with 4.88:1 and 6.17:1 optional. With the 6-cylinder engines, 4.88:1 was standard with 5.38:1 optional."
Click to expand...
 
Chicodave said:
a timken 4.88 could be found in studebaker 3/4 ton truck with the larger 245 six.

Back in 2009 there is a company that was remaking them (4.11) for the circle track racing crowd. I don't know the company name, but know you can get a set through Marmon Herrington specialist Chuck Mantiglia. Expensive. Here's Chuck's web site. Stu

http://www.chuckstrucksllc.com/startframe.htm
Click to expand...
The Timken rear was also used in Ford trucks and that is where the circle track guys got it. It seems Fords were popular for use in jalopy racing that in the end is where the outlaw racers come from. Some enterprising individual took the early Ford car rear with its centered pinion flipped it upside down and built a box on it that you could open and change a pair of spur gears in and called it a quick change rear, as you could quickly change your gear ratio to fit the track conditions. This worked fine in the old Fords with the 85 horse flathead engine but as racers will do they started to use larger engines.

As a side note the racers found that they could use the 36-39 ford hubs and wheels that were called wide five (10.25 bolt circle) and the wheels would not get the lugs ripped through the center of the rim on the dirt tracks.

Well the use of more powerful engines led to much rear end breakage so someone looking for a better rear looked to the Ford truck with the Timken rear. This was much stronger as it had a 10" ring gear instead of the small 7.5" of the car. It also had the bonus of having full floating axles and the strong wide five bolt pattern. It didn't take long for this rear to be converted to a quick change also but instead of 3" shaft centers it had 3.5" centers and bigger gears.

The racers had found the ultimate rear in the Timken and that is what even the current Champion Quick Change is based on and that is why you can still get parts for them. If a person was of the mind to you could take two Timken rears and use the left side for both sides and put a champ quick change center section in between with a special bearing spacer on the right side. Then shorten the right side to be the right length for the axle and you have a choice of any gear ratio you want.

Just a bit of trivial info for those who want it. I have 2 of those rear ends as well and was thinking of building a quick change with the center I bought off ebay. This would go in my off topic 29 Ford pickup.

Jim Ford
 
Greg, Thank you! and Jim that's pretty cool info and you're right when I look at the rear ends on the sprint cars they always remind me of the old timken. Thank you!
 
Morris Ratner said that the Timken 51540 was the best rear ever used in the Willys Pickup. He said that it came out of the 1930's, and was originally used in 1.5 ton dual wheel cargo trucks. I always liked them because they look real "antiquish". In a 1 ton rated truck that has a curb weight of only 3300 lbs., this rear should perform quite well.
 
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Hello Big Dog Frank !, hope you're well. Nice to know there are spares out there. There are a lot of people who have replaced these. I'm not a rear expert by far, I only am going by what I was told by a gentleman who did know. It would be fantastic if someone out there who does know these well to chime in and let us know what about these makes them as stout as they're supposed to be. Parts are a challenge and that's probably the main reason for ditching them.
 
They actually offered a 6.17 to 1 ratio as an option w/ the 4cyl. ! Can you imagine rolling down the highway with the flathead 4 with 6.17 gears ?
 
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Well we were rolling down the highway in a 1954 Dodge Power Wagon with its stock 5.83 gears with top speed of 38-40 mpg....eeeveeennntuuallly..!!

Larry
 
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