MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 19795, 20 February 1928, Page 12

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[BY RADIATOR.]

To-day 8.44 Tuesday 8.42 Wednesday 8.40 Thursday 8.38 Friday 8.36 Saturday 8.34 Sunday 8.33 HINTS AND TIPS. —Break of Universal Joint.— Should you bo hold up with the rather rare occurrence of a breakage of the fabric of the flexible disc coupling you can mako a repair by twisting steel wire into four links with loops at each end. The bolts attaching the fabric to the arms of the universal joint should then be removed, and each wire link placed so that the bolts, on replacement, would pass through the loops at each end. When the bolts are once Ynore tightened up a sound repair will be the result, and one strong enough to enable the car to be driven homo. —ltain Curtain Comfort.— If you want to ride with the rain curtains up, yet find it too hot for comfort, attach them so that the second one from the front overlaps the first. Plenty of air will come through the openings without letting in the rain, unless one is driving in a downpour. In the customary way of attaching the curtains the overlapping points become airtight as the car travels faster. —Removing Tight Caps.— Hub caps are often very hard to remove from wheels owing to the rusting of threads, but if you lift the car by placing a jack under the wrench the weight of the car will loosen the cap. Tnis method can be used in other places where similar difficulties are encountered, provided the jack can bo placed under the wrench. —Graphit- For Rust on Tyres.— Sticking tyres are caused by rusted rims To‘ remove the cause paint the rims with flake graphite mixed to a creamy paste with petrol. The theory of this is that the petrol evaporates, leaving the graphite, which prevents the formation of rust. STIFF STEERING. IT BLOCKS TRAFFIC. Discussing why many drivers cling so persistently to the crown of the road, thus blocking following traffic, Mr S. F. Edge had some interesting things to say recently in the ‘Motor.’ “ Very often,” he remarked “you will note that their cars are old or of pomclass. I have been so impressed with these circumstances that more than once 1 have asked the driver who has been holding to the centre of the road why he did so. I was surprised to find, on the first occasion I put this question, that the driver found a (difficulty m going to the side of the road and getting back to the centre again without a big swerve. I thought this was a matter to be followed up, and asked if I might try the car while the driver took the wheel of mine. I found the source of the trouble in a few yards, and I realised at once why he drove in such a dangerous manner. The steering heads of his car were so stiff that, no matter in what way you turned the front wheel, there they remained, and you,hful to pull them back again to the straight with the steering wheel.

“He in turn found my car quite different from his, and the steering perfectly free; in fact, as ho put it, “you seem only to have to think the way you want to go, and the car goes that way.” Truly, that is how a good modern car should steer; it should hardly require more effort than thought of the way you wish to go. “ However, I was not satisfied that this was all the trouble, so I tightened up the steering heads on my own car to such an extent that the front wheels stuck in whatever direction one turned them. It is possible to do this on some cars, and it will ho found that the difference it makes is_ appalling. My own car, which previously had been a delight to drive, became a really dangerous road instrument. To steer it was to make a succession of drives, while passing or meeting another car was a most unpleasant performance. 1 “ The ease with which a beautiful car can become a most abominable and dangerous one must be tried to bo understood, and in future 1 shall, -whenever I get the chance, explain this to people who say that driving tires them, or who feel nervous on a steeply cambered road; or, again, when passing or meeting other cars I shall look or ask them to look at their steering. It may, of course, be bad, but stiffness alone will create the likelihood of accident more than anything else I know in connection with a car.” THE AMERICAN FACTORY. “ The secrets of the American automobile industry are shown in a glass box,” said Mr Alfred Reeves, general manager of the American Automobile Chamber of Commerce, in an address to the British Institute of Motor Traders. Mr Reeves said manufacturers in America took the view that it was impossible to keep secrets from competitors. If official visits from rivals were not allowed, everybody would get to work to find employees who would supply the desired information. The result was that the keenest rivals were welcome in one another’s plants. Mr Reeves related how the representative of a motor factory had asked for permission to visit the plant of a competitor. He icceived the invitation ; “We will be glad to have you. We will give you a factory luncheon and a factory cigar. If you survive those w© will take you through the factory.” SUMMER RAINS. POSSIBILITY OF SKIDDING. At this time of year when the roads are very frequently wet, it is well to remember that a skid may occur in spite of all precautions, but if the speed has been kept down it is not likely to prove dangerous. One may be driving comfortably enough, say, at twenty-five miles per hour, on a road which, though wet, is not slippery, and run unexpectedly on to a piece of new surface; and the car may become suddenly unmanageable and slide about in any direction. A violent application of rear brakes will only make matters worse, and the best thing is to slow up gradually. Front wheel brakes, if fitted, will sometimes steady a car, but the best advice is to keep the speed down. When a skid does occur, it is well to release the clutch, for when the engine is disconnected from the road wheel it cannot accentuate the skid by driving the wheels round and causing them to slip in the direction of rotation. Suppose, therefore, that the rear wheels skid to the left, the car will then be pointing to the right-hand side, and if the wheels quickly regain their rolling motion, which is likely when the clutch is released, the car will head for the right-hand side of the road, unless the front wheels are immediately turnod_ to the left. This is known as steering into the skid, and it will do much to maintain the proper line of travel. Remember, it is easier to avoid a skid by careful driving than to correct one, jvtthout hitting anything.

Brief accounts of holiday trips, roads, and places of Interest are invited lor this column.

MAINTENANCE DAY BY DAY. As soon as a’ motor vehicle is put to work wear in some form or another begins, the extent of the wear depending upon the corrective measures taken, lu cases where machines in daily use arc allowed to run month in and month out, with spasmodic attention, wear on certain parts becomes abnormal and expensive to eliminate, but maintenance on the “ day-by-day ” method keeps it in check on the easy instalment plan of work, which, taking up very little time from road duties, eventually becomes a habit Suppose Monday to be “ brake day,” every driver knows ho must adjust his brakes for the satisfaction of the foreman before he goes out. The foreman knows there are so many brakes to look at, and need worry about nothing else, except any emergency reported by a driver. Tuesday may bo ‘‘steering day,” for example, and the same simple procedure is followed, and this one definite job occupies the attention of each individual driver on given days until, when Saturday comes round, all adjustments have been completed, and the virtuous circle .goes on for all time. USE OF COMMON TOOLS. There are right and wrong ways of holding tools, and I know that there are very many people who, although they frequently use them, do not handle even simple tools in the correct manner (states a writer in the ‘Motor’). It seems a pity, because, properly used, so much can he t done with them. A hammer should always be used with a loose wrist. The arm may bo swung down with all' one’s might for a really heavy blow, but the wrist must be loose throughout. -The hammer falls with the impetus imparted by the swing, and not by a stiff, pushing stroke at the end. Moreover, it should fall squarely on the work. A test blow on soft wood ought to show an even cylindrical depression, not deeper in one spot than in another. For light blows the rule is the same—always a loose wrist, and, in fact, for quite light blows only the wrist works, A hammer should be held with the whole hand, the fingers round it and the thumb at the side—the thumb partly round a heavy hammer and along the side of a light one. —Art of Filing.— Whta shall we say of the file? It is among tools, as the violin is among musical instruments, a thing anyone can use, but which only an artist uses perfectly. The filing of a precision worker is pure artistry. When ho files flat it is as flat as the straight edge by which one tests it. Ours is—well, let us hope it is better than wo think! After all, it is the precision workers trade, and he has, like the violinist, been years at it.

Tho coarse file of half-round section found in the tool kit has its uses for roughly shaping out a piece of stout metal; but it leaves tho prints of its teeth too plainly for any finished job. It is generally too big or too small, too coarse or not coarse enough—a compromise, a half-measure, a combination tool, and like all such, suffering from all the drawbacks of all if is supposed to embody. One wants several files, preferably flat ones, for 97 per cent, of filing is on surfaces. Little files are tho most useful for car work, because the fitting of big and heavy parts will not be attempted. Tho outfit might include two big files 12in size, oue coarse and one smooth, for roughing out work; small ones, medium and smooth in grade of teeth, Gin and Sin sizes, for finishingand 1 have found half a dozen assorted jewellers’ files immensely useful for very fine work. Two round files, one Jin and one 2in, practically complete the set to start with;' tho whole lot need not be bought at once.

The great difficulty lies in filing flat. The beginner rocks the file up and down; his work is high in the middle and low in front and behind. It may bo overcome by filing first across and then from side to side, changing one’s position at the vice; but for many jobs a little inaccuracy does not matter. If one watches carefully _ what the file does things will soon improve. The important thing to bear in mind is that the file is definitely cutting off metal at each stroke, as a saw does; it is like a very wide saw. And to get the best results it should be held with the thumb on top and the end of the handle in the palm of one hand. The other end is held by the left hand, gripped in the palm if a big file, whilst a small one is held between the thumb and forefinger, with the thumb on top. A heavy file should be pressed into the metal with nearly the whole weight of the body behind it to make it out; it should actually be felt to cut. Files cut on the forward stroke only, so that no pressure is needed on the return; small files need less weight on them than heavy ones, of course. One soon finds out the right pressure for the maximum cut. Brass needs a very sharp file—a new one preferably. It is best to keep one or two especially for brass work; when they cut less well they will do excellently for steel or iron work. After that they come in for solder, for solder clogs tho teeth of a file so much that a good one should never he used, and an old one works nearly as well. TESTS FOR DOUBTFUL PLUGS. A section of a disused but sound 1 ord coil which can be bought for a few shillings, can be made to serve very efhcientlv as a plug tester. It is not easy to test plugs by the magneto, as the current is intermittent and the connecting up presents some difficulty. Tho Ford coil section can be clamped down to a baseboard and wires soldered to tho contact plates, a switch being placed in the primary circuit, which has a pair of terminals provided so that a four or six-volt accumulator can bo connected up A piece of high-tension cable from tho coil H.T. contact plate is taken to the plug terminal under test. This can ho supported in a bracket or pair or clips made from sheet brass. A wire should connect from the clips to either of the low-tension terminals to form the return circuit for the high tension. When the coil is switched on to the battery it will supply a practically continuous flow of high-tension current, assuming that the trembler is in order. A useful test which can be applied in the case of detachable plugs is to remove the insulator and secure it to the brass dips by the terminal. By then passing the end of the hightension cable all over the surface of the porcelain any leakage through cracks or due to a deteriorated surface can at once be detected. In the case of carboned plugs suspected of internal short-circuiting it will readily be seen if the current is sparking through internally.’ln this case the plug should not be taken apart. By using an eight or twelve-volt battery on tho coil an extra powerful testing voltage can be applied to plugs. , A test for possibly defective hightension cable is to connect one end of it to the brass clips and then search the insulation for cracks or holes by passing the coil cable along it. At any detective place the current will spark through vigorously. A test set as described should be in every motorist’s workshop. The clips for the plug need nob necessarily be of brass, as tin or zinc will serve.

UNDER-] RELATION DANGER. The trouble with modern balloon tyres, which hold a considerable volume of air at a relatively low pressure, is that a minor puncture may remain undetected for many miles until the tyro has reached a pressure of, perhaps, only 101 b per square inch. The driver may notice a slight pull on the steering, if it be a front tyre, but being, shall we say, in a hurry, he puts it down to the road camber, and takes no notice. Then if the conditions are such as to call for a sudden swerve against camber he may hnd it almost impossible to pull the car round against the drag sot up by the deflated tyre. It will be clear that the rolling resistance of a deflated cover of largo section is considerably greater than that set up by the same cover running at the correct pressure, so that when a puncture occurs in one of the front tyres the car tends to steer towards the side on which the deflated tyre is placed. If a slow puncture of this kind is suspected, mving to steering drag, it is a good plan to drive the car first on one side of the camber and then on the other in order to see whother_ this causes any noticeable difference in the steering. If the drag persists, always in the same direction, then the only safe course is to stop the car and correct the fault. PEDESTRIANS “ MUST CROSS HERE.” ’ The London traffic authorities (writes a correspondent to an English paper) might, look at Munich in their attempt to "solve the problem of making pedestrians cross the bigger traffic centres in fixed places. Munich has substituted a “ Must Cross Here ” for the London “ P.lease Cross Here,” by railing off the pavement with chains, leaving gaps only tn a direct line with the street refuges. In this way, not only are pedestrians compelled to cross in the recognised places, but also the motor driver is relieved of that worst of evils, the pedestrian who steps into the road while passing a lamp post or another pedestrian. This method also prevents the pedestrian from crossing in a contrary direction to the movement of the traffic, since the policeman on point duty has equal control of motor and pedestrian traffic.

MOTOR CYCLING

FIXTURE. February 28.—Club run. WORLD’S RECORDS. On September 20, 1927, N. Anderson and J. P. Arrowsmith, riding a 249 c.c. Dunelt, broke the following long-dis-tance records in class A at Brooklands. These records were previously held by E. Prestwick and P. Brewster (24b Coventry Eagle-Jap) : . Previous

Ou the same day G. C. Cobbold and P. Brewster (493 Sunbeam) broke the following records in classes C, D, and E. Tho previous twelve-hour record in class C was held by Flinterraann and Lavinfosse (346 F.N.), the class D record. by Mnnetti, Self, and Sbaiz (348 Garelli), and the class K rccord by Baldwin, Brewster, and Wright (9tt» Zenith-Jap) : „ Previous records. Class D. M.p.b. Km.p.h. M.p.h. llh (s.s.) ... 75.20 = 117.80 71.71 12b (s.s.) ... 73.92 = 117.92 71.22 J. J. Hall (750 Morgan) also broke the following records in class J: the two and three hour and the 200-mile; in addition, these three are records in class K: _ Previous records. Class J.

The three-hour and 200-milo are new records in class J. The previous records in class K were held by H. Heart (1,096 Morgan-Blackburn), J. J- Hau (1,097 Morgan-Jap), and J. J. hl all (1,097 Omega-Jap).

M.p.h. Km.p.h. records. M.p.h. 7h (s.s.) ... ... 64.65 = 104.05 61.95 8h (s.s.) ... ... 64.16 = 103-25 61.80 500m (s.s.) ... 64.22 = 103.35 61.80

M.p.h. Km.p.h. M.p.h, Ih (s.s.) ... ... 68.54 = 110.30 67.71 2h (s.s.) ... ... 67.82 = 109.15 55.34 3h (s.s.) ... ... 67.86 = 109.21 None lOOrn (s.s.) ... 69.40 = 111.69 67.48 200m (s.s.) ... 67.87 = 109.23 None