Hello I am a firefighter in CA. Our department has a 1929 Studebaker Fire Truck. Last year we stripped a ring gear and it has been out of service since. We are trying to figure out the best option to get it back on the road. As far as I have researched no one makes a replacement ring a pinion for this rear end. We have discussed putting a different rear end in it such as a 9" although we would like to keep the original wood spoke spindle mount wheels. What are our options here? Is there anyway to run the original wheels on a 9"? I understand that we would have to convert the driveline to an open, and we would have to add hydraulic brakes. Or is there a better option for a replacement? Thanks for any input
Could look out for a Ford TT truck rear. Its also closed driveshaft and has original wood spoke wheels. Pictures of the original rear would help in a search also. Any rear could work and the original wheels could be adapted on.
Ill work on getting pics soon. sorry but whats a TT truck? Model T pickup? how could you adapt wheels? are most wood spoke the same mounting size? thank you again
No, it varies a lot. I have no way of knowing whose rear end was put in that truck when new. Many truck manufacturers used a "common" rear, perhaps from Timken, etc,.. but Stude maybe made their own. So if you could compare pics of that rear and some other trucks of the same years, you might find out. Studebakers Drivers Club; I have heard is good for getting answers. I do not know the website, but google will
I've wondered if you could use a Ford 9" center section and weld your outer axle housing tubes onto the housing for the Ford 9" . Then all your backing plates, wheel bearings, brakes, etc could stay original. You would just have to get some axle shafts custom made with splines for the Ford 9" on one end and mating to your hubs on the outer ends. I'm guessing the '29 Stude has tapered shaft with a keyway that the hub rides on? I've been thinking about this for Dad's '33 Franklin, so we could use higher gears and maintain an original look. It would be worth investigating who made the original axle and its dimension. There is a chance that your hubs, wheels, and perhaps backing plates could fit with the right combination of parts from another make. It's kind of a long shot, but similar swaps have worked out before.
I just looked in a truck ID book, and it shows those trucks used a Continental motor, so it is possible they also used a "common" rear end, used/shared on other makes.
Try posting something to one of the boards on the 'American Truck Historical Society' site. ( www.aths.org ) Almost certainly someone there will come up with the parts you need and probably for a very reasonable price too. Good luck with your project.<cite> </cite>Mart3406 ===============<cite></cite>
If it is a fire truck, post an ad on the national SPAAMFAA website. That is the club for the preservation of antique motorized fire apparatus. Most of us in the club have extra fire truck parts or know of someone who is hording them. I don't suggest wasting time looking for a Ford Model TT rear axle. They are worm drive and will make the truck top out at 19mph. I recently made adapter to mount my original wheel hubs on an 8in Ford axle, so I'm certain it can be done to fit a 9in.
Here are some photos... This piece of equipment was the first motorized fire apparatus for my department. About 15 years ago a Folsom state prison offered to restore it for us, this was before my time...When it returned from the restoration it came back with a chevy 250 straight six and the original motor is no where to be found. It has served us for many years and we hope to continue entering it in parades and taking Santa Claus through town each Christmas. From what I have found it appears that for the most part it was based off a 1929 Studebaker commander. So I would assume the rear end is a 1929 Studebaker commander which I just found nos ring and pinion for, Although I have not yet identified the rear end.
Industrial Gear & sprocket in Santa Fe Springs Ca. can make you a new ring & pinion. Send them the old ones to work from. They have made us several different new one's ; 1915 Old's, 1910 Buick, 1910 Pope, etc.
Is the cowl tag or the frame serial number still present? Frame number should be aluminum tag on left front outer frame rail. Cowl tag is on the firewall. That will ID the model and year for certain.
Measure the width (drum to drum) and the threaded size of the tapered axle...I think it may be the same as what I pulled from my '31/32 Dodge PU...reason I mention it, years ago a guy here in town had a wooden spoked wheeled Stude truck and wanted my rear as an extra, he seemed to think it it was the same.
Well, that frame number doesn't correspond to any of the numbers in my book; perhaps it's a commercial chassis serial number. Even if you were to allow for the 3 to be an 8, none that began 8 could follow with a 7.
hmmm, I just double checked and that is the serial number on the frame, there is no longer a firewall tag
I see number spreads close to that one in 28 and 29, but that one does not fit in exactly. These are car numbers I am looking at, and each model in a year, has a different spread. So, it could be a spread of commercial numbers, that need to be found. Not sure.
You may want to check with the guys on http://forums.aths.org/Default.aspx They are really into restored big trucks and your fire truck would fit right in real well. I'd first check the source that Pete suggested and see what the costs might be. Also the photos of the truck are nice but we need photos or the actual rear axle and hopefully from both the back side and front side with good clear photos. That might even jar someone's brain into remembering that he has one of those out back in the stash of parts that are too good to haul off yet.
Wait, do you actually still use that in service? Or just parade it around? Because if it still is in use, that's pretty cool. I would start a fire just to see that beauty come by and put it out Hope you get your situation sorted out soon.
You say it has a 250 chevy 6cyl. in it now so why not just have a newer resend put together with your axle ends on it for the wheels. Are you positive the motor is a 250 chevy because those were setup for modern open drive. Let's see some engine pics.
Thanks for all the input... Sadly we do not use it as a piece of firefighting equipment. I will get detailed photos of the drivetrain. Since we were not involved in the restoration and most of the people that were on the department when it was restored there is not too much information.
Sad thing is I bought a '29 Studebaker doodlebug with a Mack truck rearend in it that would have been perfect for a replacement stock drivetrain for your firetruck, in May at a salvage yard auction... but these local scrap dealers Mertaugh, who bought a bunch of the other stuff, theives that they are told the loader operator to load it into their stuff and nobody checked the lot numbers, so before I could even bring it home it got destroyed.
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