Which spider gear is right?

Tom Walker

Senior Member
Gents
I have stripped my Columbia down, and Nervous Bob has been to have a look and brought me some spares.

It seems someone has re-built it with English Pilot parts, and now I dont know which bits are correct. Bob supplied me with a set of good spider gears, but they are a different thickness.

Measured as in the photo, one set is 0.850", the other is 0.875". Was hoping someone might have some lying around they could measure and let me know the US Ford size.

Thanks in advance, Tom.
 

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I can't quite tell where you are taking the measurement. When I take it at the thickest point, I measure .885.
 
Do you know the year of the Columbia two speed rear end your working? How many teeth on the spiders? Can you identify the axles, the Ford green book should help?
 
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Should there be a concave washer behind the spider gear ?

That's s good point, some did and some didn't. Can't remember which is which, but some of the rear axles I've been in had them and some didn't. The ones that didn't have them did not appear to be slack in any way. So there may have been thinner spiders to go with the concave washers.
Martin.
 
Do you know the year of the Columbia two speed rear end your working? How many teeth on the spiders? Can you identify the axles, the Ford green book should help?


Thanks for the replies.

Terry, the problem is someone has put some non-standard stuff in ie the drive shafts are out of an English Pilot. Not sure if it matters but the spider gears were quite chewed up and not as thick as the US ones apparently.

The spiders have 10 teeth.

I have been in touch with John Connoly but he didnt think there was any problem with the different size gears.

Not sure how you "date" a Columbia?

Tom.
 
If when assembled the axles turn freely with a minimum of slack and end play they should work. You can date a columbia by the width and configuration for radius rods. 35-6 will not have spring hangers on the housing, they are on the radius rods which bolt to the housings. 35-41 are the same width, 42-8 are wider and will have provision for a sway bar on the spring bracket. The 33-4 are more narrow than 35-6 and have spring brackets on the housing and will have a bracket on the housing inboard from the brakes to bolt the radius rods to.
 
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