Design Features of the New Ford Axle

IN 1957 Ford introduced in its passenger cars a new rear axle incorporating a straddle-mounted pinion. This paper describes the development and features of the 2¼-in. offset axle.

The author thinks the most interesting feature of the development problem was the design of the hypoid gears. The 1957 gears were designed with the deepest possible teeth to give maximum fatigue strength. They maintained the conventional scheme of 50 deg on the pinion and about 15 deg on the gear.