Author Topic: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.  (Read 16644 times)

Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #55 on: August 01, 2019, 01:09:28 PM »
Looking for STL's contribution to the success of The Sunbeam Tiger V8?, sorry to let you down, I haven't done it yet. :-[
Peg.
In the 60s The Sunbeam Tiger was a high performance version of Rootes' 2 seater sportscar the Sunbeam Alpine (James Bond drove one in the 1962 movie Dr No) the upgrade was designed by US car designer and builder Shelby who specified a Ford 4.7 litre V8 engine, 7083 Tigers were built 1964-67 by Jensen, West Bromwich and on paper with a bigger engine they were more than a match for the E Type, in the 60s and 70s most high performance and off-road vehicles were fitted with Salisbury's Powr Lok differential which reduces wheelspin and improves traction to the driving wheels. Both the Tiger and the E Type had this type of differential.
In reality did the Tiger measure up to the E Type? - See attachment.
Peg.
P.S. MIRA - Motor Industry Research Association Test Track.
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Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #56 on: August 02, 2019, 08:45:56 PM »
STL gave it's axles and axle units a random health check as they were coming off the assembly line by giving them a blood test (very much as in humans) but of course not blood but lubricating oil. The company had a development section on the first floor above the heat treatment plant where a number of test rigs were located the largest being a Heenan & Froud Dynamometer, which mimicked the driving conditions the axle would be subject to in normal use and ran for many hours sometimes days, after test, lubricating oil was drained from the gear housing and analysed for any deposits. 
Peg.   
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Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #57 on: August 07, 2019, 09:55:51 PM »
HRH Princess Anne was a real fan of the Reliant Scimitar GTE she owned  8 in total, the first one she received on her 18th birthday, it was a well designed sports estate with good load carrying capability, even the spare wheel was out of the way under the bonnet, with her love of all things equine it was a good choice, a cross between practicality and driving pleasure, with a Salisbury limited slip differential the odd field excursion was ok, Reliant built the last one in 1986 (I think some other company made some after that), Reliant then started making a much smaller 2-seater Scimitar and, the similar, Sabre, but to me they just looked like kit-cars, a shadow of  the original GTE.
Peg.
P.S. Sorry folks, I've missed off the below bumper front spot and fog lamps, I believe these were fitted as standard.  :-[
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Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #58 on: August 12, 2019, 06:09:58 PM »
So when Reliant Motors went broke in 1995 did they owe STL money? Most likely, indirectly - I think the Robin 3-wheeler had what is known in the trade as a banjo axle - (imagine a banjo with two fingerboards), based on a pressed and welded design, STL didn't make such an axle their chosen design was a beam axle, a central malleable cast iron gear case with tubes pressed in either side housing the drive shafts to the wheels. STL made just the differential if customers so required to fit themselves to their banjos. At the time of going broke Reliant was owned by the old automotive engineering company Beans Engineering of Tipton (they made their own range of cars and commercials many years ago) now Beans supplied parts to Reliant most likely including the rear axle and unfortunately Beans crashed at the same time as  Reliant, I've seen reports that Reliant dragged Beans down and some reports saying the opposite, anyway if as I suspect STL supplied Beans with Reliant's differentials, STL would have been owed money, I don't suppose it matters if it was Beans or Reliant it amounted to the same thing.
At the time of Reliant's crash in 1995 I was studying for an NVQ4 at the Birmingham Business School (UCE) and I had been seconded to Reliant to help fill a gap in the purchasing dept. the company actually went broke when I was working there.
Peg.


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Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #59 on: August 18, 2019, 10:47:21 AM »
For reasons only known to the designer The Reliant Robin's front wheel is different to the rear, (different rim off-set) this has far reaching conseqences, not least of which is: you need 2 spares, but where do you put them in a vehicle that has hardly got room for one? :-\
The answer today, of course, would have been to supply no spare, just an aerosol puncture repair kit.
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

WolfbUp

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Salisbury Transmission Ltd
« Reply #60 on: August 22, 2019, 04:43:36 AM »
That will suffice for now I think.

Its interesting that it has taken 50 or 60 years to get back to super singles and single drive axle tyres 

Where was that show? it looks like a Triumph Snag in the background

Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #61 on: September 03, 2019, 09:16:37 PM »
Does size matter? When comparing the performance of wide wheels with skinny? Swing by the Industrial Birmingham Thread for the facts.
Link: http://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14299.msg701975#msg701975
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #62 on: September 06, 2019, 04:12:02 PM »
Wide v skinny wheels - which are best? Logic tells us the wider the better but science says not,,, what's the evidence?
Swing over to the Birmingham Industrial Thread to find out:
1. Collector Rd skid, link:   http://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14299.msg702186#msg702186
2. Tobogan on steroids, link: http://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14299.msg702692#msg702692
Peg.

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Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #63 on: September 08, 2019, 03:00:48 PM »
Wide v Skinny - there are some applications when wide wheels will definitely give better performance  :-\ .
Peg.

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Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #64 on: September 10, 2019, 09:58:30 PM »
A job that went pear-shaped: I designed a rack for holding flanged axle shafts vertical whilst lowering into a degreasing tank, the correct spacing was 2 x 2.3/4, somehow I got the answer to 4.1/2" (should have been 5.1/2") so instead of just being clear of each other they clanged together, it was 1973 and we'd just joined the EU, I tried to blame metrication but my excuse fell on deaf ears.  :-[
Peg.
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Peg Monkey

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Re: Salisbury Transmission Ltd.
« Reply #65 on: September 17, 2019, 02:21:19 PM »
1967 - I'm into the 3rd year of my apprenticeship and doing my stint in the Salisbury Garage when I get the opportunity to witness a Salisbury differential on test, fitted to a Corsair, it would prove to be a demanding test seemingly to destruction, the test driver was the technical sales manager. This was the test: whilst at a standstill the car's engine was taken up to about 6000 rpm and then the foot slid off the clutch, with a screeching of tyres the car shot forward and then the driver braked, the length of the garage allowed this sequence to take place a number of times and then the driver reversed and started again, this went on all morning until the clutch gave out, the differential survived the test unscathed.
The attachment shows a 1964 advertisement for a Corsair, I was in my last year of senior school at that time and probably unaware I would be starting a Birfield Apprenticeship in Sept the following year.
Peg
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.


 

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