MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 19412, 22 November 1926, Page 14

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[BY RADIATOR,]

LIGHTING-UP TIMES.

FIXTURE, November 27.—Motor Cycle Races, IlKaikoaaiti, ) 1 PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 1 The * Highway Magazine,’ for October, and, ‘The Radiator,’ for Novem- , ______ i HINTS AND TIPS, I I i-Driving Through Dust.— ' [When driving into a cloud of dust Soast as much as possible if your engine is nob ©quipped with an air cleaner. If possible switch off the engine Vhile you coast, provided that the road is level and that there would be no danger in depending entirely upon the brakes. An engine with a piston displacement of 300 cubic inches, running at the rate of 2,000 revolutions a minute, will draw in expel approximately 350 cubic feet of air and dirt in a minute’s running. This is equal to all the air displaced by a car measuring sft by 7ft by 10ft. i—When the Starter Sticks.— When the gears of the electric Starter become stuck turn off the ignition switch, put in high gear, aud 'then gently rock the car backward and forward. - This will release the starting motor gear from the flywheel gear, and the starter will then turn the engine easily. —A Fan Belt Tip.— In some cases where a fan belt persists in jumping off the pulley it can be made to stay on by removing it and replacing it with the side that was previously in front towards the rear. The trouble is caused by n defective belt stretching more at one side than at the other. THE POPULAR FORD. Wherever motor statistics are compiled, states ‘The Radiator,’the Ford is found to be in a class by itself, and this is the case in New Zealand. The number of Ford cars predominates in ©very district in New Zealand, and the dominion total is 30 per cent, of the total of all cars. The following figures show the number of the leading makes, of which 1,000 or over are in the dominion:—

f *! PREVENTING ACCIDENTS. Another by-law as a safeguard to (traffic and pedestrians is soon to be ' 'added to Auckland city’s already big Mst of safety measures (states the Auckland ‘Stir’). Upon the recommendation of. the chiot traffic inspector (Sir G. R. Hogan), the following [ proposed now by-law has been prepared by the city solicitor;— ‘‘No perj son shall drive a motor vehicle fitted with a windscreen made of gloss or jother like material unless he shall at oil times whilst such windscreen is in nse keep such windscreen in such a Condition of transparency that he shall have a clear and uninterrupted view in the direction in which he is travelling.” Regarding the matter, Mr Hogan submitted a newspaper cutting which contained the remarks of Mr pTK. Hunt, S.M., at-an inquest on a youthful cyclist who was knocked from his machine by a motor bus. The dirfTOT of the bus attributed the ftcciJonfc to his windscreen being blurred by rain, and the magistrate was of the opinion that the drivers of all vehicles should keep their windscreens, open, ns many accidents were caused through the vision being obscured by ram. On May 19 last Mr Hogan reported on the necessity of all motor vehicles being fitted with a windscreen cleaner as a preventive of accidents, and that there was bo by-law dealing with the matter j neither was_ there any _ provision jsn the motor vehicles regulations. AVERAGE LIFE OF A CAR IN NEW ZEALAND. Until New Zealand had instituted an efficient registration system, it was impossible to state accurately how many motor vehicles were in the dominion (states 'The Radiator’). It was possible to know the number which had been imported into the country, but there was no record of those which had ended their life of usefulness. When it was necessary to order number plates, when registration became oompulsoiy, til® department had to estimate the number of motor vehicles in the dominion. It was known that the average life of a car in the United States Of America is seven years, and the number of New Zealand cars was estimated on this basis. It was soon found Ihat this estimate was too low, and it 4 now known that the average Me of a oar in New Zealand is about eleven ■rears. This knowledge is important, as the rate of depreciation on motor vehicles may now he ascertained, instead of employing guesswork or rule of thumb methods as heretofore* FORDING STREAMS* Borne hints upon fording deepwater were tendered by the Auckland A.A. s service officer during his North Island tour. Ho advised a method of winding insulation tape around the plugs, completely covering the terminals, removing the fan if desired, covering the engine with a tarpaulin, and putting a sack over the radiator. If it was desired to cross a swiftly-running stream a tarpaulin should be wrapped well around the upper side of the .bonnet, By this method water 3ft deep could be crossed with ease, hut the es- . sential point was not to rush it. This also applied to driving m mud } a which many good city or town drivers Med. Once the wheels began to slip the driver should get out and put some tea tree or other material under tne Wheels for a grip. Don’t try to force through, as that only increases the difficulty* always carry chains when •going off the metal were other suggestoona* CLEANING THE WATER SYSTEM. Household whitening has absolutely no effect upon the rust and fur that Jjj deposited in the water jackets, so it is therefore of no use endeavoring to clean your system with such a. preparation, states the ‘Motor,’ in answer i® a correspondent. There _ are two methods. The first is to dissolve a few ounces of sal-ammoniac in the water, which will, after a couple or days, have dissolved away a considerable amount of the fnr and loosened the rust, so that it may he rinsed oat. Drain off the water and afterwards swill out thoroughly. During the proA..Majbbßl

Brid senate cf BoSflay trips, roaßs, and places ®f Merest a» invited for tkis column.

amount of ammonia will be evolved, but this is harmless. The other method is to add about a pound of ordin-. ary sugar to the water, which will dissolve some of the rust. Afterwards swill out thoroughly. To effect a more thorough cleansing, the car may bo run for a few days with a sugar solution in the cooling system, then drain off and run for a couple of days or so with a dilute sal-ammoniac solution in the radiator, finally flushing out well with clean water. THE PUBLIC’S FANCY. It goes without saying that the Ford car is most numerous in each particular district in the dominion (states the ‘Radiator’), but the public fancy varies concerning the other makes of cars, and without reckoning Ford, the order of preference in the various districts is:— Auckland—Chevrolet, Buick, Dodge. Blenheim—Dodge, Buick, Chevrolet. Christchurch—Overland, Studebakcr, Buick. Dunedin—Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge. Gisborne—Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge. Groymoulh—Dodge, Buick, Studebaker. Hamilton—Dodge, Buick, Chevrolet. Invercargill—Dodge, Buick, Chevrolet, Napier—Buick, Chevrolet, Studebaker. Nelson—Dodge, Chevrolet, Buick. New Plymouth—Dodge, Buick, Chevrolet. Oamaru—Buick, Oakland, Dodge. Palmerston North—Buick, Dodge,’ Chevrolet. Thames—Dodge, Buick, Chevrolet. Timaru—Buick, Chevrolet, Studebakcr, Wanganui—Buick, Dodge, Chevrolet. Wellington—Dodge, Buick, Chevrolet. Westport—Buick, Dodge, Chevrolet. THIRD PARTY RISK. The quaint position of motorists who, instead of being humbly thanked for “the buggy ride," become liable for claims on account of injuries should persons to whom they have given a lift meet with an accident while in the car, was reviewed by the executive of tbe Wanganui Automobile Association at its last meeting. “It does not seem right,” said a member, “ that a motorist who gives a man a lift, just to oblige him, should become liable if there happens to be an accident.” _ ~ , , The Chairman (Mr N. R. Bain) thought there was nothing that the association could do. _ They could not alter the law. Ho pointed out that if a man invited a guest to his house and the guest met with an accident througn negligence on the part of his host, toe latter immediately became liable for damages. , (T , r , . Another member said: If 1 tai^a man behind me on a horse and he gets hurt, am I liable?” The Chairman: Certainly you are. Dr E. E. Porritt observed than such laws exerted a damporing effect on human good nature. The Chairman: .We cannot alter the laws of England. MOTOR JUNK. The average American motor car, like the legendary cat, has becomes second-hand, tbjrd-naiid, and so on. But .there finally ccmos a time when the dilapidated auto must end its days on the road. When that time comes the auto is not buried, but cremated (says an American writer). Up to a certain point the worn-out motor car has a market value. When it reaches its : minimum value of £2 it becomes a candidate for the scrap heap, and sometimes the scrap heap_ is an edifice almost as tall as the Eiffel Tower, A million cars a year, it is estimated, go to the scrap heap after their days of usefulness are done. Before the cars are scrapped mechanics go over the metal cadavers, removing any parts which still have a market value, such ns radiators, universal joints, steering wheels, lights, and the like. A giant crane then begins the work of piling the defunct cars for their funeral pyre. When the autos have been all piled up a fire is started, and the woodwork is burned off. The sheet steel or aluminium is put through an alligator shear, or otherwise prepared for sale, and the rest is just metal junk. Three classes of cars figure in the operation of the largo wrecking yards. The first is the car that has been in a wreck and is deemed beyond repair. The second is the car that has been in a fire, and the third is the car that has become obsolete or worn-out. Such cars may usually be picked up by the men engaged in the business for a dollar or two. The stripping process is very thorough. If the car is a closed one the saleable glass is removed The instrument hoard is stripped, headlights taken off, and various engine parts removed. The leather in the cushions is also salvaged before the cars are piled up and burned. THE FIRST SPEEDOMETER. USED IN SIXTEENTH CENTURY. The history of the automobile dates back thirty years, but speedometers were in use in the sixteenth century. Strictly speaking, these crude instruments were odometers, since they merely recorded the distance run and took no account of the speed attained by the horse carriages to which they were attached. A device in use in 1521 is described as follows: w One of the wheels of a carriage is provided with a tooth which comes in contact with a trundle lantern and causes the latter to turn a notch every time the wheel makes an entire revolution. The lantern itself is furnished with a cam or spindle, which hits the spindles of a second lantern when the first has finished. The movement is thus communicated little by little to a drum, which turns and allows a pebble to fall into a bronze basin when the carriage has run a certain distance. The number of pebbles found at the end of the trip indicates the distance run.” HOW, MANY ENGLISH CARS IN NEW ZEALAND? It has been possible to ascertain from the import statistics the number of English motor vehicles coming into the country, and their proportion to those of other countries, but until the 1 Motor Register ’ was compiled it was not possible to know the actual number in the dominion, and the proportion of English cars to those of other makes (states the ‘Radiator’). It was generally believed that/ although the proportion of English cars coming into New Zealand was small, their lire was bo much longer than the American car that the proportion of cars in use would look more favorable from the English viewpoint. In this connection the following figures may prove interesting:— On September 30, 1926, there were in New Zealand 95,511 motor cars, not including commercial motor vehicles or motor cycles. Of these 8,416 were English, or 9 per cent, of the total. It should be noted that wo refer to English oars and not British car's, and <mrs

in these figures. Individual makes of English cars with over 300 on the ‘ Register ’ are: —

Wellington district baa the highest proportion of English curs with 11J per cent. Palmerston North and Napier are second with' 11 per cent. Wanganui is next with 10 per cent. Christchurch has 91 per cent., and Auckland, tho dominion average of 9 per cent. ' All the other parts of the dominion are below tho average, the lowest percentages being Thames and Hamilton with 2$ per cent.

MORE HASTE-MORE PETROL. ' From the standpoint of petrol consumption every motor vehicle has its most economical speed. Above that speed the consumption increases rapidly. Sometimes it is not realised that more petrol is consumed at high speeds than at a moderate rate of travel. This is an elementary fact, hut occasionally one hears a car owner express the view that in travelling a given distance at thirty miles an hour a motor uses less petrol than in covering tho same distance at eighteen or twenty miles an hour, because it is running a shorter time. ’ A MOTORIST’S VOCABULARY. The part which foreign engineers have taken in the improvement of automobiles is indicated by the survival of some familiar terms. _ There was a time when the motorist’s vocabulary was dominated by French terms, and even American ingenuity has failed to find substitutes for some. “ Garage,” “chassis,” and “‘chauffeur” are indispensables. Chauffeur possesses an entirely meaning to-day. Thirty years ago it signified an engineer in charge of tho firing of one of the remarkable steam, cars and steam tricycles which were then making their appearance. /■ The disappearance of the term “tonneau” dates from the abolition of the typo of body with a rear entrance to the seats. In American catalogues and specifications tho gearbox becomes the gear set, and mudguards are termed “fenders.” The English motorist still calls the bumper a “ buffer,” and cranks are still “ starting handle.” , ... Perhaps no word used in connection with motoring is more ambiguous than “service.” Every garage seems to have a different interpretation_ of the term. It may mean everything, or very little. SHACKLE BOLTS. Because of their exposed position shackle holts frequently become clogged with dirt aud hard grease. This is particularly the case when grease-cup lubrication is employed. It is not always necessary to remove a shackle bolt to dear it. One of the best ways is to remove the greaso cup and take a small twist drill and work it into tho hole with the fingers. As this is turned tho dirt will collect in the grooves of the drill and he drawn out with it. The drill should be removed several times, so that the dirt may bo removed from it. The next stop is to force oil or paraffin through the holo, so that the small hole which leads from the main duct to tho outside of the pin is cleaned, AVOID TINKERING, Avoid tinkering with the car. It’s a groat sensation certainly to poke round the car with a King Dick undoing this nut and tightening 'that. Nothing but trouble will result from the novice interfering' with things mechanical on the car. If you will use a spanner, get to work on the body work, and see that all tho nuts are kept tight. The owner who dismantles, say, his magneto merely to find out what causes tho spark will have quite a picnic of it before he has found out the information ho requires! Care should be taken to see that the radiator is kept full; that the oil supply is kept to the proper level; and that the petrol used is .properly filtered. The saying “ A stitch in time-” is particularly true used in reference to motoring. These remarks deal only with advice to the owner during the “run-ning-in ” period. Further articles dealing with tho first overhaul and troubles likely to bo experienced with the car will appear later. TO MEET THE MASSES. 1 Waverley Cara, Ltd., announce that the production ox a car to sell in England at £IOO is commencing. The car will be a four-seater of orthodox body typo. The engine ia to bo a watercooled twin of 7 h.p. The car will have four speeds and four wheel brakes. Experimental models have achieved forty-five miles per gallon. British Ensign Motors, Ltd., are also ready to introduce a £IOO car. It is to bo known as the Gillett. Tho engine will be a four-cylinder overhead valve type of 8 h.p. The bore is 56 m.m., and the capacity 985 c.c. There are three speeds and four wheel brakes. Electric lighting and starting are included for the £IOO. The body is of tho “ chummy ” type, with accommodation for two adults and two children. NEW METHOD OP VALVE COOLING. Recently a new type of poppet valve with special facilities for the quick dissipation of the heat has been introduced by an American concern, which is producing the valves in large quantities. The material employed in the manufacture is an alloy steel known as Ni-chro-loy, the alloying elements of which are nickel and chromium. A hollow cooling chamber is formed in the head by coring in the process of casting, and from this chamber there are three outlets opening into the radius below the head. One of the claims made for the valve is that the exhaust gases circulate through this chamber, and so produce a cooling actionwhilst, moreover, the chamber at this junction tends to reduce the heat flow to tho stem, and thus minimises the expansion of the latter, thereby permitting finer limits of tappet clearance. Reduction in weight, and consequent reduction in the noise of operation, together with freedom from warping, pitting, and scaling at temperatures up to B,ooodeg Fahr., are other claims made. Experimental work with these selfcooling valves has been conducted for some five years, during which tests have boon made on over 2,000 different cars. MOTOR LICENSES. FIGURES FOR DUNEDIN. The number of licenses issued in Dunedin for various classes of motor and horse-drawn vehicles are set on* in Hie animal report of the traffic inepco-* (tor (Mr H. S. M'Niooll) for thp saai; I ;

To-day ... ... ... 7.59 Tuesday „. ... 8 (Wednesday ... ... 8.1 Thursday w ... ... 8.2 Friday ... ... ... 8.3 Saturday •... .„ >.„• ... 8.5 Sunday s.* •... ... ... 8.6

Ford -i -.w >|U ,. w ... 27,670 Buick v.. W ... 7,965 JDodge ...• W •«« W 7,628 Chevrolet lahJ ■.«■ 7,035 Overland w m. 4,6.39 Studebaker ’**4. w •.m' 4,370 Essex Mid V.. 2,442 Oakland m *** 2,397 Rugby M m. 1,830 Hudson UMi w V*. •m. 1,673 •Austin r..d r„,' i.< 1,421 Morris ■,,, 1,3/0 Chrysler ... ... ■... ... 1,046

Austin ... 1,421 Morris 1,370 Standard ... ... 624 Rover ... ... 611 Wolsley ... ... 602 Humber ... 420 Cro&slcy ... 305