Axle drive differential for motor vehicles

Claim 1

In a rear axle drive for a motor vehicle, comprising: a rotatably mounted bevel gear differential case; a pair of first and second beveled side gears disposed in said case, each said first and second side gear having an internally splined opening receiving externally splined inboard ends of first and second, respective, axle shafts therein aligned on a first axis; a pinion shaft mounted in said case and aligned on a second axis intersecting said first axis at an angle of ninety degrees; a pair of beveled pinion gears rotatably journalled on said pinion shaft and meshing with said side gears; a ring gear concentrically surrounding said first axle shaft and coaxially secured to the outside of said case, and said ring gear having a bevel gear rim facing away from said pair of beveled pinion gears; and a propeller driveshaft having a drive pinion gear mounted on the end thereof meshing with said ring bevel gear rim, said drive shaft principal axis intersecting said first axis intermediate said first axle shaft splined inboard end and the outboard end of said first axle shaft, the improvement wherein; said ring gear having a hidden end face which faces said differential case and an outside diameter that is only slightly larger than the outside diameter of said differential case; said differential case consisting of a main part having one end closed by an integral axial extension concentrically surrounding said first axial shaft, said case having one open end closed by an end closure part concentrically surrounding said second axle shaft; a plurality of identical securing machine bolts of predetermined axial length with each said bolt axial length substantially equal to but greater than the axial length of said pinion shaft, each said bolt having a threaded end and a head end, each said bolt having its principal axis aligned on an imaginary circle concentric with said first axis; each said bolt extending through aligned bores in said case main part and said end closure part with each said bolt head end engaging said closure part and each said bolt threaded end being threadably received in an aligned blind bore in said ring gear hidden end face; whereby a transverse plane of symmetry common to the said pinion shaft second axis intersects said first axis at a right angle such that said plane intersects each said bolt substantially at its midpoint, wherein the bolts securing said case main part and said end closure part to each other and securing said ring gear to said case main part; said case main part formed with an axial extension having an annular stepped shoulder concentrically receiving thereon an internal axial bore of said ring gear; and said end closure part inner face formed with an annular rib having a cylindrical collar concentrically received in a counterbore formed in one open end of said case main part.