Do Studebakers have weak rear axles?

[StudeRich]

No matter what car part or make of car you ask about there is always SOMEBODY out there who has repaired a car that someone like yourself has grossly mistreated and something failed! Studebakers Absolutely do NOT have any worse axles than any cars out there in their day, after all more than half of them had the SAME Dana 27 or 44 axle as the Stude!

Of course we now know that it does have it's limitations when driven really hard or drag raced, you need the FLANGED AXLE version like the late '65 and '66 Stude. have or the new Fairborn replacements for the tapered axle housing. There are many posts here about that.

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[StudeRich]

No matter what car part or make of car you ask about there is always SOMEBODY out there who has repaired a car that someone like yourself has grossly mistreated and something failed! Studebakers Absolutely do NOT have any worse axles than any cars out there in their day, after all more than half of them had the SAME Dana 27 or 44 axle as the Stude!

Of course we now know that it does have it's limitations when driven really hard or drag raced, you need the FLANGED AXLE version like the late '65 and '66 Stude. have or the new Fairborn replacements for the tapered axle housing. There are many posts here about that.

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[bullet_nose_stude]

Do Studebakers have weak rear axles?

In 1969-70, I had a habit of slinging my 60 Lark VIII wagon violently back & forth across the road. To me, this was great fun, particularly if people were out in their yards as I approached. At 16 years of age, I loved the attention that driving crazy seemed to get. Along with any buddies that might be with me at any given time, we imagined what those folks must be saying as we passed, sliding all over the road. "Looky there, that guy must be drunk." "Why, there has to be something wrong with that guy, he must be crazy." "There goes somebody who's been drinking too much." Of course, what they were probably saying was "I wish that little [u]#@*&+^!</u> would quit going down through here before he kills somebody." "If that kid's dad ever catches him, he won't be driving like that anymore."

I was constantly tearing something up on the car. By the time I had driven it one year, I had blown the original engine, plus a second one out of a junkyard. The orig. auto. tranny had been replaced with one out of a junkyard, and there were numerous other things I had done to it. I also loved to make it backfire by turning off the switch and turning it back on. Occasionally, this had the unfortunate side effect of blowing out the muffler. I thought it sounded good with a holey muffler, but my Dad wasn't fond of it, so I had the muffler replaced at least twice during this time. The local mechanic, who was a friend of the family, was replacing the muffler and had the car up on the rack. He noticed that the left rear wheel was canted at a funny angle, sort of tilted out at the top. He asked me if I was aware of it, but I wasn't. He said that Studes were known to have weak axles, and that this one looked to be bent if not partially broken through. He said it needed to be replaced, and that I should drive very cautiously until I did. Yeah, right.

A week later, I got behind an old lady/seasoned citizen driving about 15 MPH on a city street. Being the impatient, impetuous sort that I was/am, I was right on her rear bumper. When at last the opportunity presented itself, I floored the accelerator and swung around her to pass. I slung the car to the left to go around, passed her and as I slung the car back to the right, the axle snapped, sending me sliding sideways on 3 wheels and one backing plate. The LR wheel continued across a sidestreet and directly toward a pedestrian with the unfortunate name of "Squirrel" due to the configuration of his two front choppers. Fortunately, "Squirrel" had heard the commotion and witnessed nearly the entire sequence of events from the time I began the ill-fated pass. The old lady I had started around had practically wet her pants the moment I started around her, and it's entirely possible that she completed this event by the time my car stopped sliding. She rolled up with her window down and asked if I were OK and if I needed any help. Sheepishly, I said "No, but thanks." It was incredibly embarrassing and humiliating.

When the mechanic replaced the rear axle, he mentioned that Studebakers were known for having weak rear axles, especially in their pickup trucks, but also in the car lines? Anyone heard of this before?

[studeclunker]

It seems to me that your father's mechanic was trying to keep a young idiot from killing himself. Just your description of how you used to abuse that poor old Lark, tells a tale of a car that held together under considerable duress. Even after being told and SHOWN the weak wheel you continued to abuse the car. Any make would have done what that poor old Lark did.

No, the axles of Studebakers aren't any weaker than other brands. In fact, the company who sold the rear axles to Studebaker also sold them to Ford.


Home of the famous Mr. Ed!
Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?

[studeclunker]

It seems to me that your father's mechanic was trying to keep a young idiot from killing himself. Just your description of how you used to abuse that poor old Lark, tells a tale of a car that held together under considerable duress. Even after being told and SHOWN the weak wheel you continued to abuse the car. Any make would have done what that poor old Lark did.

No, the axles of Studebakers aren't any weaker than other brands. In fact, the company who sold the rear axles to Studebaker also sold them to Ford.


Home of the famous Mr. Ed!
Lotsa Larks!
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Studebaker!
Ron Smith
Where the heck is Lewiston, CA?

[studegary]

The first rear axle breakage that I witnessed was when I had a service station. I laid a double strip with my Twin Traction equipped 1957 President Classic. My friend, with a pre-1955 Packard, decided he was going to complete a tic-tac-toe puzzle layout. Part way through, a rear axle broke on his Packard. He went a mile up the road to a junk yard, got another axle and installed it on the spot.

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

1959 DeLuxe pickup (restomod)

[studegary]

The first rear axle breakage that I witnessed was when I had a service station. I laid a double strip with my Twin Traction equipped 1957 President Classic. My friend, with a pre-1955 Packard, decided he was going to complete a tic-tac-toe puzzle layout. Part way through, a rear axle broke on his Packard. He went a mile up the road to a junk yard, got another axle and installed it on the spot.

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

1959 DeLuxe pickup (restomod)

[Transtar60]

And to pile on to Studeclunkers comment,
Dana 27 and 44's(or some variant thereof) have been used by Ford in cars and trucks including 4wd, International Harvester in trucks and Scouts, Jeeps of all sizes, Chevy's cars and trucks including 4wd's , Chryslers and Dodges cars and trucks, and many industrial applications(delivery trucks etc). And I probably left out a few too.

Hard use , lack of maintenance, abuse and neglect) seems to be the main sources of trouble with Dana axles.




3E38
4E2
4E28
5E13
7E7
8E7
8E12
8E28
4E2
59 Lark
etc

[Transtar60]

And to pile on to Studeclunkers comment,
Dana 27 and 44's(or some variant thereof) have been used by Ford in cars and trucks including 4wd, International Harvester in trucks and Scouts, Jeeps of all sizes, Chevy's cars and trucks including 4wd's , Chryslers and Dodges cars and trucks, and many industrial applications(delivery trucks etc). And I probably left out a few too.

Hard use , lack of maintenance, abuse and neglect) seems to be the main sources of trouble with Dana axles.




3E38
4E2
4E28
5E13
7E7
8E7
8E12
8E28
4E2
59 Lark
etc

[kompressor 57]

[kompressor 57]