Technical Bell or super bell?

Is this a real early Bell tube axel? And how do I measure the drop?

 

Superbell.

 

How do you tell them apart?

 

How do you identify the manufacture?

Somewhere in the receipt book for my 30 is an invoice for the tube axle but I know for a fact it is not a Bell.

 

It''s either a Super Bell, Magnum or Vintage Chassis Works which was bought by Chassis Engineering. Could be any one of the three. Super bell used Ductile iron ends welded to shaped round tube. Magnum and Vintage Chassis Works used forged ends welded to round tubes. After Super bell had some problems with welds cracking they drilled the round tube in a couple spots inside the main weld and did a couple of button welds to add strength.

 

How do I measure the drop on a drop axel?

 

Or an axle, even.

"Drop" is a relative term. Ford axles of this vintage all have a certain amount of drop that is built into them.

That is the distance measured from the top of the spring perch boss to the top of the kingpin boss.

All other drop measurements for axles that have been manipulated, or are aftermarket, are relative to the axle that they are intended to replace.

For instance, a 1928-1931 Model A Ford axle has 1" of original drop. One common example of a Model A axle that has been dropped is a 4" drop axle. In this example, that axle has not been dropped by 4". It has been dropped by 3".

The drop in a dropped axle describes the total drop, which is 4".

In the case of your axle, with 2" spring perch bosses, on 36-1/2" centers, that would be a replacement intended for 1932-1936 Ford, although the overall with is a little narrower. That is in the ends. This is was often done to move the wheels in so that the tires are closer to the peak of the fender, so they do not strike the bodywork going over bumps.

Those axles varied a little, and had somewhere between 2" and 2-1/2" of original drop.

Measure from the plane of the top of the spring perch boss, to the top of the king pin boss. That is the total drop.

Subtract from that either 2" or 2-1/2" and that is how much drop over (under?) a stock axle of this type that this axle has.

 

So the measure from those to point on my axel = 5-3/8 minus 2 or 2-1/2 = any ware from 2-7/8 to 3-3/8 drop.

 

To put it a simply as can be said when your axle was advertised it was probably called a 4 inch dropped axle?

 

Tank you for your help.

 

Most likely.