We have found a unknown cyclecar chassis. As the rear axle is marked SMS we thought of Salmson. But is it a genuine Salmson chassis? They have modified it with a motorbike gearbox and possibly different front wheel hubs.

The wheelbase is only 200cm and the track is about 108cm.

Can someone help us to indentify it?

I'm sorry but I don't speak any french..
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xjP5PRKeNaI/SYYXUPFaLMI/AAAAAAAAAAs/UsuBF9c4YLw/s1600-h/SDC10378.JPG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xjP5PRKeNaI/SYYXTZAgsPI/AAAAAAAAAAM/aPKrsil9XHw/s1600-h/SDC10365.JPG



Johan Larsson in Sweden



Modifié 3 fois. Dernière modification le 02/02/09 00:01 par austrodaimler.

Hello Johan,
No, it is not an AL chassis. Only the rear axle is a Salmson part. Just for your information, if the 3 aluminium casing are not damaged, this part will interest plenty of people (me included). I have no idea about the other parts but considering the chassis rails section end the front axle it was probably a very light car with a very small engine.
Didier

Thanks! That was what I had started to think after some Salmson reserch.
Did the Salmson company supply parts to other car companys?
We found this chassis in Sweden and doesn't know too mutch about cyclecars. The previus owner didn't know what it was but we thought it looked interesting. The rear axle looked well made and a bit expensive but some other details looked crude and cheap.

Hello,
Salmson was a provider in very few circumstances : complete chassis or motors but never separate part as rear axles. Many sport's cars ammateurs have built home made cyclecars. Some vintage Salmson have beem sold in Sweden. Second hands parts wure probably available in th thirties.
Patrice ROUSSEL

Just for your information, you will find here under a picture of a complete Salmson rear axle. You will see that there is a tube at the front of the central casing with the shaft inside. In the casing, you have only self-aligning ball bearings plus thrust bearing. Without the shaft and the front bronze bearing there is no angular positioning of the pinion. At the front of this tube there is a large ball joint which go inside the gearbox casing. On a Salmson, all the longitudinal effort goes through this ball joint. The clevis on each side of the rear axle are just for the lateral positioning, the spring leaves sliding inside them. The axis on the top of the clevis are there to avoid the leaves to escape the clevis and eventually for the shock absorber fixation. On your chassis, the springs are fixed on these axes and, to avoid the rotation of the axle around the wheel axis, there are 3 small rods but it is obvious they can’t cope with the effort even with the torque of a small capacity engine. The way they are fixed on the axle is … amateurish. I would be very surprised that this chassis has really been driven and used.

Didier
[attachment 618 DSC_5467b.jpg]

I agree that the design is not that good... But I'm not convinced that it is made by a local blacksmith. Swedish blacksmiths usually didn't have the skills to make nice details as the ball joint that the three rods area attached to.



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xjP5PRKeNaI/SYYXTnkyuDI/AAAAAAAAAAc/4QDey7fJdA0/s1600-h/SDC10371.JPG

My current theory is that it was a very light, cheap and simple car with a motorbike engine. Possibly a small company in Billancourt.

Is it possible to date the rear axle? Can I expect to find any manufacturing dates on it?

This rear axle was in production from 1922 up to 1925 or 1926 (to be checked). The VAL 5 is the last car to use it,on the serie 6 (not the BMW), it is a different one in steel. I agree that this small ball joint seems of good quality,but as the 3 rods arrive on the same ball joint, there is no compatibility with the leaf springs travel and liaison. The cinematics would work without the central rod. As the weakest parts are the rods, the only solution is that they are bending, all the more the one at the top of the central casing. I really think it is a one off based on existing parts from different cars, that would explain the engineering of this ball joint or the rear spring brackets.

Didier