1937 rear axle ratio

[Olivierdejong]

Hello.

I’ve been told that there is some sort of mark on the rear axle to identify the ratio.
Can anyo;e tell me what ki;d of figures/ marks I should be looking for? And where on the axle?
My 37 Victoria super 8 is running so high that I guess it’s very short...

Tx in advance.
Best regards.
Olivier

[Dave Czirr]

I'd suggest that a better way is to jack up one back wheel, rotate the assembly and actually measure the ratio directly rather than rely on marks which may or may not still represent the ratio.

[Olivierdejong]

Ok i understand the jack up of one rear wheel, and turning it. But then...? It’ll make a turn and so what?

[Dave Czirr]

The rear axle ratio (4.36, 4.69 or 4.90 for the 1937 Super Eight) is the ratio of drive shaft rotations to driving wheel rotation. So with one back wheel elevated and the other stationary on the ground, just measure how many turns of the driveshaft are required to rotate the rear road wheel exactly one revolution. Then to compensate for the differential gearing either divide or multiply (I forget which) your result by 2 for the ratio.

Those ratios seem awfully high today but were a reflection of road capabilities of the era, noting that many of the nation's roads were still unpaved.