Opinion's on u-joint manufactures please....

[Verne Frantz]

Re: Pictures from Terry....style2.2 *NM*

[Joe L.]

Re: Pictures from Terry....style1.1

Verne-----

As I've previously mentioned to Terry after seeing these photos, I still believe that what appears to be a Chevrolet "Bow-Tie" is actually the manufacturer's ID mark for the company that produced the u-joint forging. If it were meant to represent "Chevrolet", I would see no reason for the "M" in the center. There are other logo's which contain depictions which are similar to the "Bow-Tie" logo and I believe that this is one of them.

As I previously mentioned, during the 50's through the 70's, the Bow Tie logo was rarely, if ever, used for anything other than vehicle product branding. I can't think of a single case where it was ever used to brand a component (except, obviously, those trim components on which appeared the vehicle's brand). The use of the "Bow-Tie" to brand the components, themselves, is a phenomenon of much more recent vintage.

If GM had wanted to identify the manufacturing source as an internal GM division, then I would expect one of 2 other means of doing so:

1) Since outside manufacturers were usually required to emboss a manufacturer's ID on components manufactured for GM, the lack of such an ID could be sufficient to ID an internal GM piece;

2) If a GM divisional ID were to be embossed on a forged part, I would expect an alpha-character embossment. Many Tonawanda-forged pieces carry the identifier "GMT" or just "T". I don't know what identifier was used for the only other GM forging operation of the day, the Detroit Forge, but if there was one, I would expect an alpha character designator.

It is true that both the Tonawanda and Detroit forges were once operated by the Chevrolet Motor Division, although they produced parts for all GM car divisions. However, I still don't think they ever used the "Bow-Tie" to brand parts.

[Terry F.]

Maybe it stands for Chevrolet "M" division??

I will say that the guy that I got them from made it sound as though they were made from the ground up by Chevrolet.

It really doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that they are consistant to those that are found installed on corvette on the assembly line.

To me that is all that matters.

Regards everyone, Terry

[Joe L.]

Re: Maybe it stands for Chevrolet "M" division??

Terry-----

I'm not aware of any manufacturing division within Chevrolet of the day that was known as "M" or with a first letter of "M". There may have been one, though.

I agree totally; it's an extremely small and quite academic point.

[Terry F.]

Agree! Thanks Joe! Terry *NM*

[Verne Frantz]

Re: Pictures from Terry....style1.1

Joe,
Like Terry, I'm not looking at the unique marking as proof that Chevrolet (or GM) actually made the part, (although it was a consideration) but rather that it may indicate that the part was used in original Production. Since the feature is clearly shaped like a Bow-Tie, it may just mean that the part was manufactured FOR Chevrolet back then, such as the Borg-Warner transmission cases with Bow-Ties.

Verne