[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by V12Bill

In NJ is is not uncommon to find pits in the axle housings. NJ is damp in the summer and salt is used on the highways all winter long. The center sections are usually smooth because the oil leaked out of the housing and gave it a nice protective coating. The leaking oil also protected the ends of the axle housings from rust and it is not uncommon to have smooth areas on them.

My first car was a '48 Ford TuDor (that I bought on Long Island, NY). It had lived its life on LI from new in '48. It was (and I think still is) common practice to "salt" the roads in the winter on LI. I owned several '30's and '40's vintage Flatheads while I lived there and never saw a rear that was as "textured" as the Columbia I have. The Zephyr was also a LI car from new and the rear we pulled out has a smooth finish as does our '39 Ford CS, also a LI car. It is a conundrum however, based on the limited information I've been able to obtain, I know for sure that the "Columbia" side of the axle was in fact made by Columbia, which may or may not account for the "textured" finish... Bottom line for me is this; I'm not too concerned with the outward appearance of the Columbia, I want the unit to function as it should because we plan to drive this car quite a bit and that includes some long road trips. She will not be a Trailer Queen.