NATURALISED.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20084, 13 November 1930, Page 27

NATURALISED.

iIOTOR DISPLAYS

CHEVROLET BECOMES BRITISH.

WORKS AT LUTON. 2ailj in an American car -a* a. Ereaeh name became a naturBriti«h subjeet. On the twelfth month, after a long experimental JVi VimxhaU Motors delivered to JJotors, Limited, the first BrijjjjZmgje Chevrolet from the manufacat Luton. ■ B ia May, 1929. that General tutors, Limited; and Vauxhall Motors ffiwpvc* instructions to proceed with they had prepared for Chevrolets in England. tar the new buildings were alJfjhrb band, and, with final approval, {tSftbegas a sudden transformation at Existing buildings were enlarg'J®pHTSßged, and improved. Girders flhowed where the new strucL 4jgit were to rise.

• ■ ■ Transformation, ; lfebuiMing work progressed, new arrived and was inijiaßM>fiigantic presses rose in the faclines took shape around shop; lorries and railway began to arrive from all over 14th, 1929, the first casting for original test cylinder **o placed upon the conveyor and -sent on its historic journey. L'jwLt pinniacture of Chevrolet in Bngirtarted. a filjliSfty'wra BO ceremony at Lnton, but 'M tine older General Motors Ik mhrt'fl' could not say farewell to J without Bentiment for When the last Chevrolet | assembled went down the lins— SaEt_Hia 43,863rd —the production per- >| sSm thought something should bo WSBjjk*" Tcpjr made their own arrangejgHjHi!, demrated the truck with gay fjßlilpfc &nd accompanied it in triumffll^aroeßsion' /mmnd Limited 'a. test Magjiptiia bnlldingau The load it carried own band, playing "Give Pat on the Back." ceremony took place SBjr'- 6th. Two weeks later, on ®BQ6igr,'llßEsreli 21st, the representatives Press wen invited to a lunch-

IWKvabowa the morable one to all V loxhall aadf Genfjrty Newspapers the moat valaabla » H«en«4 in Great t make of track in UMtfr better revolts

THREE-WHEEL VAN.

POPULAR GERMAN VEHICLE.

A motor-van with only three wheels, a familiar sight in Germany, may shortly to be seen on the streets of Britain. Negotiations are taking place between British engineers and the German patentee for the building in Britain of a khree-wit-eej. lOcwt -commercial motor vehicle which, to the small tradesman of Ge/many, is what the Austin Seven as to the British private car-owner. The three-wheeler, known as the Tempa in Germany, has in three years become so popular for light goods delivery work that yearly sales have risen to 15,000. If present' overtures are successful it will be placed on the British market at &75 complete. The car will not be made as a passenger model. It is of rather more than 5 h.p., with a most efficient two-stroke engine which has steam cooling. Its popular form in Germany is an open "van," with the driver and helper under a hood at the rear. It is so easy to drive that a youth of 16 can handle it, and maintain it. Its running costs work out at much less than Id a mile. In England it would be classed as a "motor-cycle," and liable to an annual tax of £4.

A PICNIC POINT. The little inconvenience- of picnic meals are perhaps part of their charm, but none will deny the difficulty of finding a safe place in the grass on which to stand the refreshments. With, a few minutes' work this trouble can be obviated. Two thin boards about 18in by I2in should be hinged along the short sides so that, when opened out, a flat table is obtained which will lie level on the ground. There is room for the food as well as for the cups and saucers, while If the board is covered with light-coloured American cloth taclted along the under sides, the surface can b« easily wiped clean. When v not in use the picnic table will fold up and lie snugly under the rear seat of the car.

ENGINE NOISES.

LOCATING THEM AT SOURCE.

It is a curious fact that while modern petrol engines have a much higher piston and crankshaft speed than formerly, and are that much more prone to pinking or pre-ignition, they are less prone to "knocking" or back-lash from wear. This is mainly due to such improvements as balancing the moving parts; use of lighter reciprocating parts such as piston and connecting rod assemblies; better and more dependable lubrication, and reliable electrical timing and firing gear. Nevertheless, users complain of f'fussiness" denoted by noises which are not connected with wear.

Observation at close range goes to show that a source of some of these new "noises" is the dissimilarity in the metals and alloys of the structure and components. For instance, different sorts of steel are used for inlet and exhaust valves, and almost all dissimilar metals and alloys have a "ring" more or less peculiar. Engines with aluminium pistons have a different, cylinder noise compared with those having iron pistons in both cases under normal working conditions.

. Elusive Sources. The noise factor may be traeed also to such sources as cam-shaft ring or "spring" from lack of support; from kick in reference to the shape of camprofile; the form or "lifter" (e.g., roller' or lever); and the resonance qualities of the cranlc-case. Further, some difference of ":ing" must be expected as between an insulated jointing of a set of cast-iron cylinders on an aluminium crank-case and a direct metal-to-metal contact of the two surfaces. There is also the well-known phenomenon of metallic sound conductivity in different types and shapes of gearftox, modes of suspension, and clas3es of materials used. Again, there is the effect of the viscosity and quantity of the oil in a casing to be considered in reference to metallic resonance. And, lastly, it is not unknown for a source of noise to be somewhat remote from the point where it becomes audible. Propeller-shaft couplings and axle drives and even a speedometer cable drive furnish examples of this phenomenon, which sometimes will explain the seeming lack of intelligence or experience in a mechanic who fails to "locate" the mystery at short notice.

GOODS VEHICLES.

BRITAIN AND U.S.A. COMPARED

f rc are some marked contrasts , m e commercial transport y o motor, when one compares the data available from England and rom the United States of America, n England the 2-3-ton pay-load vehicle, apparently, i s the most popular, and next conies the 6-ton; while in the JJnited States .of America 45 per cent, of the vehicles are 1 to liton capacity, followed by 35 per cent, of 1$ to 2-ton. The tendency in England is to use the "omnibus chassis" for long-distance haulage, while in the United States of America relatively small but fast-travelling trucks am favoured*

The two-axle commercial truck is allowed a total gross weight of 12 tons, and the three-axle type is allowed a gross weight of 19 tons in England; hence many of. the latter typo are operating with a pay-load of 12 tons. Vehicles of this capacity are not made in the United States of America.

In both England and the United States pneumatic tyres are fitted as standard equipment on practically all vehicles, except the heaviest classes, and in the United States the latter are offered with "pneumatics" •as optional equipment. In sevenal overseas countries solid tyres for motor-vehicles are prohibited because they RTe liable seriously t*> damage the roadway.

LEAKY HOODS. In the course of time holes or thin places are apt to wear in the hood fabric of open touring cars. Neat and effective patches can be made by obtaining a roll of rubber adhesive plaster from a chemist and cutting from it the necessary patches. These, after being placed In position, can be "stuck" by ironing with a fairly warm domestic iron. The patches can afterwards bo coloured to match the hood material by the use of brown or black hat dye. It is claimed that in this way they become almost invisible.