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What was the last model to have an axle end crimped during normal assembly line production?

Here's a hint: The model was introduced very near the end of regular wheel production and was the "D" series of it's assigned number.

75 ford thunderbird....

From what I have read the last model with Crimped axel was 69a, the Maroon model, which being the first issues would

have been in a B or C boxes, the "D" box I would assume that this would be for the last issue Red models.

I have the "D" box but not a Crimped axel model. After saying all this I may be wrong Joe (Tinman)



George T.

Tinman wrote:What was the last model to have an axle end crimped during normal assembly line production?

Here's a hint: The model was introduced very near the end of regular wheel production and was the "D" series of it's assigned number.

Racking my brains on this one, and getting nowhere fast All I can think of is the fake 13d reverse wrecker, but that doesn't count because it wasn't 'normal assembly-line production'...
Aha! Got it! It's the 21d Cement Mixer with the crimped barrel pin!

I did think it was the 9c model, then thought that is not in the "D" series so wrong again .

I did read your question wrong in the first instance

George T.

Idris wrote:Racking my brains on this one, and getting nowhere fast All I can think of is the fake 13d reverse wrecker, but that doesn't count because it wasn't 'normal assembly-line production'...
Aha! Got it! It's the 21d Cement Mixer with the crimped barrel pin!

Wow! If this is it I'd have never had a chance on getting this right. Good "outside of the box" thinking Hugh. Let's see if Professor Allen is in agreement.

matchbox_n_molars wrote:

Idris wrote:Racking my brains on this one, and getting nowhere fast All I can think of is the fake 13d reverse wrecker, but that doesn't count because it wasn't 'normal assembly-line production'...
Aha! Got it! It's the 21d Cement Mixer with the crimped barrel pin!

Wow! If this is it I'd have never had a chance on getting this right. Good "outside of the box" thinking Hugh. Let's see if Professor Allen is in agreement.

Actually it is not very difficult, thanks to Joe's hint about the "D" series, for there are not very many regular wheel models with "D"-suffixed numbers -twenty-two, if I am not mistaken. You only have to go through all of them, which takes a few minutes, and will find that 21d is the only one which ever came with a crimped axle.

Axle with wheels on? I thought it was the 70A Thames estate car, but it´s neither a "D", nor at the end of the RW era.
Or maybe the fixing pin/axle of the front roller of the 1D Aveling Barford Road Roller? Only visible when the front roll is detached. I cannot see it, so I guess

Is is indeed the second Foden concrete barrel truck, 21d. A Round head axle (and it's clearly an axle) is used to retain the barrel and the end is crimped. This is important for a couple of reasons. It means that a crimping machine(s) for axle ends was readily available in the production line at least up to 1968 (and probably longer).

In the past, due to the time line, it has often speculated that the only machine which could still crimp axles was in R&D. The use of such a machine in standard production, practically right up until the end of the regular wheel era, means that nearly anyone had access to the machine(s). This means that many lunch box specials with crimped axle ends could have originated from far more sources than just R&D. IMHO, this is why many odd ball models are not necessarily trials, or prepros and could easily be unauthorized/unsanctioned lunch box specials.

ChFalkensteiner wrote:Actually it is not very difficult, thanks to Joe's hint about the "D" series, for there are not very many regular wheel models with "D"-suffixed numbers -twenty-two, if I am not mistaken. You only have to go through all of them, which takes a few minutes, and will find that 21d is the only one which ever came with a crimped axle.

Maybe "not very difficult" for you, Christian, and Joe and Hugh, but for me, I still say I never would have got this one. Even had I worked my way through the "D" series models, I just never knew there was a crimped axle beneath the cab of that 21D Foden. In spite of my many years of regular wheel collecting and study I'm still in the Lesney minor leagues (sorry, a baseball euphemism) when it comes to this level of historical knowledge.