55' CJ Axle Tag!

I finally got around to cracking the cover on the rear of my 55' CJ-5, does anyone have any idea what this little tag means?

 

Sorry, forgot about "linking the photos," will post in a few minutes, or delete the thread! In the mean time, its a small tag that is located on the lower portion of the differential cover, it has a 43, a line below it, then the number 8, and that's it.

 

it means that unless the gears have been changed they are 5.38 ratio. pretty much what i would expect from 1955.

 

43 / 8 = 5.38. The number of teeth on the ring and pinion gears resp.

Should also be stamped into the edge of the ring gear.

 

X2
I believe anything produced before 1963 only had one ratio available and that was a 5.38...there was no other option from the factory. After 1963 they had other options including the 4.27 as they were making a 6 cylinder engine available.

Does the front diff match the ratio of the rear diff?...it should also be a 5.38

 

The 4.27 debuted with the 3.34:1 first gear on the T90C transmission and had nothing to do with the 225 option a couple years later. The standard gears with the 225 were 3.73's with 4.88's optional.

 

Good to know duffer.........but do you agree that before 1963 the one and only factory ratio available was 5.38 which would apply to Kevin's 1955? When was the T90C first available?

 

Thanks for the answers and prompt response guys. I am going to try the photos just to see if they will upload. I'm sure the rear axle has never been touched, still had the paper gasket. I just went the T90 and transfer case, it had never been molested!

 

All CJ differential ratios from 1945 to early 1963 were 43/8. or 5.38 (technically it is 5.375)
The standard CJ ratio became 4.27 early in the 1963 model year with 5.38 remaining as an option on all 4 cylinder CJ's built through 1971.

 

So, this leads to another question, did the differentials have a paper gasket between then and the cover from the factory?