CAR PARTS NAMED

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31058, 13 May 1966, Page 11

CAR PARTS NAMED

VOU have “spaghetti” in 1 your car. It is not really spaghetti, of course, but electrical wiring—persons working on wiring harnesses were reminded of spaghetti, so they applied the nickname.

There is a similar stoi-y behind many of the other parts which make up the modern car. The nicknames were given in whimsical moments for simplicity’s sake by designers, engineers, and others connected with the car industry. Without the nicknames it would take a paragraph to describe some of the Items.

A vacuum-operated electrical master switch in Chevrolet air-conditioning control is an example the switch is called a “tugboat” because it looks like one. “Greenhouse” became another name for all the vehicle glass, and a radiator support is called a “horse collar.” Other nicknames include: Plumbing: fuel and brake pipes. Elkhorn: defroster tubes. Heater pants: heater ducts beside the floor console. Tumble home: the part of the car body surface above the widest part of the body that sweeps up and towards the body centre line. Wheelhouse: inner body housing over the rear wheel to provide clearance. Dog leg: portion of rear body pillar formed by the wheelhouse projecting into the door opening. Four on the floor: four-speed floor gear change. Three on the tree: threespeed column gear change.