MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 21519, 18 September 1933, Page 13

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[BY RADIATOR.]

LICHTIHG-UP TIMES

To-day ... ...-'. ... G. 29 Tuesday ... "... ... ... ... 6.30 Wednesday ■ : : ",„ ... 6.31 Thursday ..,/...; ... ; C'33 Friday .... ... .' ... 6.34 Saturday ... 6.35 Sunday G. 37

ALUMINIUM HEADS

At a. recent session of'the American Society of Automotive Engineers, Mr F. F. Kishline, of the Graham-Paige engineering staff, outlined reasons for the adoption of aluminium heads for power'plants. Ho is. among those who favour increase in compression and expansion ratios of engines as a logical means of creating better engine results. Citing results of research work, Mr Kishline quoted gains in performance in figures based upon observed dynamometer trials of the same engines under identical conditions of air, water, arid mixture temperatures, and with the same manifold sizes, carburettor sizes, valve sizes, and timing, with nothing changed except the heads. In addition to the performance gains* Mr Kishline Hated advantages for the aluminium construction that included better, idling, better starting, lower exhaust gas temperature, slightly better cooling with the same radiator capacity, less connecting-rod bearing load at high engine speeds, less ill-effects from carbon accumulation, and smoothness that could be compared with that of iron cylinder heads one ratio lower. He found, too, that the aluminium gave better throttle responsiveness at speeds above thirty-five miles an hour. Exploitation of high compression aH a factor in improved engine performance dates back to 1927. when Walter V Chrysler pioneered the idea of using optional cylinder "heads of the conventional cast iron engine block material. High compression then was effected by " shaving" the lower surface of the head so that when it was bolted and gasketted to the block, the cubic inch displacement underwent reduction, which added fast "pep " to an engine and speeded up crankshaft "revolutions a minute. WHAT PIONEERS CARRIED

A pioneer motorist of Dukinfield, England, Alderman J. W. Underwood, has been recording some of his early motoring experiences. As showing how the drivers in- those days had to be 'prepared for the worst, he suys that nearly fifty separate articles were required to make up the perfect outfit in the event of. the motorist being stranded; In the' tool and accessory bos it was essential to carry a piece -of-.asbestos for use inupaeking- joints, some powdered ; resin in a ■•■ Keating's powder tin (which allows the resin to be strongly ejected). A tun-dish, with gauze strainer- for petrol, a similar dish for water, tins of oil with lamp wicks and spare burners, a few feet of insulated wire, and a length of half-inch rubber.tubing. After repairing the tyres, the instructions of those days read: "The car should not be driven for about twelve hours so a£ to give the solution time to set."

NO MORE TRAMS IN NICE Trams are shortly to- be abolished in Nice. For many years they have been the cause of serious congestion in the streets of this town, for in France a motorist is not allowed to pass a stationary trnracar. As these vehicles ; stop every few yards, motorists are now. frequently compelled to crawl along behind them for a mile or more, i Last year saw the end of trams at Cannes. .Gradually the entire tramway system of the Riviera is being abolished. OBSOLETE CARS PRICES FWr WteCKIHC ~ “We were very surprised to read the claim of the promoters of the motor car wrecking scheme that ‘ at present wrecking companies are thriving by buying for between £2 10s and £5 cars which cost dealers from £ls to £35, and selling the parts,’ ” said Mr H. M. v Betting, of Auto Parts Limited. “We certainly would lilfe to buy cars for - wrecking at such ah average price. If the figures are multiplied by four they would be much neater the math, ahd, incidentally, they would represent accurately the value of the cars.”

STOPPING GAP LEAKS

Most American and many English cars are ilow fitted with tank and radiator caps having a spring-loaded bayonet joint instead of screwing into place. These caps are very, convenient, and usually give no trouble through leakage unless a low spot, such as a dent, occurs on the filler neck. The usual practice to remedy this i»' to file down the rest of the neck level with the low spot. A more satisfactory treatment is to fill, up the low snot with solder until it is slightly above the level of the neck, and then file down the solder until it is level.

Drie! accounts of holiday trips, roads, and places of interest are invited lor this column.

FASHIONS IN COLOUR

Most of the fashions in car colour schemes originate in Paris, where the annual concours d’olegance, hold in the Champs Elyseos, is eagerly watched by the world’s leading designers of ,coach-work. Prizes are awarded for the most effective creations, and many of the finest cars produced through the year are shown. Colour stylists from the factories take a census of the colour schemes, and when the now season’s modes are definitely decided, colour index cards arc issued to the motor industry. . < At present, black'is'a slight favourite in France, blue haying receded to fourth place. Greys and yellows, which have been in the background, have displaced it, and light grey seems definitely to he the coming colour basis. Disc wheels finished in the body colour, brightened with wide bands of contrasting hue, are fitted to many of the latest cars.

CARE WITH CAR JACKS

Now and again accidents caused by the slipping of a car jack are reported. Even when changing wheels because of a puncture proper precaution *against mishaps should be observed. Not only should the handbrake be applied tightly, hut one or more wheels should be chocked and particular care should bo taken if the car is standing on a steep gradient. In fact, in such cases it is best to allow the vehicle to roll backwards or forwards for. a short distance so that the. wheels are pressed against the chocks. The head of the jack should rest firmly and evenly on the part of the spring or chassis to which it is applied, and care should be taken Hot to push or jolt the car after it is jacked-np and one or more wheels have been detached. If the motorist finds it necessary to work underneath the chassis after a wheel has been taken off, still greater care should be exercised. Build up a support of pieces of heavy wood or stone as an extra safeguard, and do not place reliance in “crumbly” bricks or sandstone. In all cases it should be assumed that either the jack or other support might slip or break, and for that reason it is prudent to provide a second support on to which the oar will subside ill the event of such an accident.

MOTORING AND HEALTH

A MEDICAL DISCUSSION At the meeting of the British Medical Association, held in Dublin at the end of July, Sir William. Whcoler read a paper on * The Effects of Motoring on Health.’ '"Nowadays,' he said, everything in life was so tangled up with motoring and the motorist that it was difficult to know where to begin. After thirty years he had'had probably the same experience as others long at the game. His cal- had been stolen. He had been fined for breaking the law, in a skid the car had cut a lamp-post in two, he had been rUn down and injured by fellow craftsmen,- and his car had been smashed beyond repair by two clergymen motoring to their devotions without brakes. Like others in the motoring fraternity, he had been rendered inert by the exhaust fumes in the congested traffic of London and elsewhere. But, on the other hand, as a motorist he could find relaxation and relief from, professional turmoil and weariness within half an hour’s run of those buildings, nmonp the moors and the lochs of the Dublin and Wicklow Hills. In weighing the blessings against the drawbacks of motoring, he would pass over the suggestion on the agenda that the motorist was discouraged from walking exercise. Any drawback in that respect was more than counterbalanced. The motor car brought the golf course within easy reach, and it was the quick and sometimes the only approach to hunting and shooting and other snorts. Again, there was ready access to the. hillside scenery, jvhich made walking too tempting to resist. Doctors realised how serious illness was mitigated and death defeated by having a means of rapid com- ,imc» to the bedside, and a nieans of rapid transport of the patient to hospital. Compare, he said, a case of acute appendicitis far away from the city tbirtv vears ago to the lot of a patient similarly stricken at the present time. It was the difference between life and death. With the means of swift and easy travel the distress signal from those acutely ill could be answered without delay. FATIGUE AND EYE STRAIN. Again, it was necessary to consider the cost in bodily wear and tear of rapid and prolonged travelling by. motor car. There was fatigue, vibration, eye strain; there was the fear of accidents, the anxiety to try and keep within the bounds of ceaseless additions to traffic regulations. It was axiomatic that no surgeon should drive his car any considerable distance if operation was contemplated at the end of the journey. There was unescapable fatigue at a time when mental and bodily alertness was demanded. It was true that when actually driving the fatigue was masked by the vigilance requited on tho road, but there was a reaction revealed by an unsteady hand and tired eyes, followed by digestive disturbance and broken sleep. All these_ drawbacks could be easily met; they did not arise when a driver was employed for tho more serious errands of professional life. It was interesting to read the records of medical owner-drivers, who recounted occasions when they were so overpowered by fatigue that, after many - hairbreadth escapes; they were obliged to pull up by the roadside and sleep before the journey could bo continued. In 1930 in America there were about 91 fatal accidents each day, compared with 70 a day killed in action during the war. Every year the nlimber of casualties resulting in death from motor accidents in America corresponded to the entire population of a large town. In the same year there were approximately 157,000 accidents in England and Wales. It was not surprising that the motorist and the pedestrian did not view traffic with the same eye;-yet the different points of view could be sometimes rapidly reconciled, for there was a many-sidedness to truth. Discussing exhaust fumes, the speaker said motorists, mechanics, and pedestrians alike shared the peril. The

damage to health had not been scientifically assessed, nor had it been considered by the authorities with sufficient care. The permeation of the atmosphere with these gases was accountable foi* an uuestiinated annual rise in the death rate. The seriousness of this aspect of motoring .revolved round the absence of remedy. Vertical exhaust pipes and many other palliations had been put forward in a voluminous literature, but the evil persisted arid became intensified. DEATHS IN GARAGES. Spoiler or later the question must, in the interests of the whole community, bo dealt with by the authorities responsible for tho public health. Every year brought a list of deaths from exposure in ill-ventilated garages. In tho streets the trucks and the buses, starting and stopping and changing gear, polluted the air at the respiratory level. The occupants of a car coming behind wore submitted to an atmosphere of poison gas which would .bo deadly but for the interval of ventilation as tho traffic moved on. Tho fumes wore cumulative in action and predisposed to pulmonary and other diseases. Mild degrees of poisoning were difficult to detect, but tho responsibility for poor appetite, lack of colour, .and susceptibility to infection in many children must lie laid at the door of prolonged inhalation of the products of motor fuel.

The blood of traffic policemen had been found to be charged with carbon monoxide at a high concentration—the blood of those who constantly motored in the city must he similarly polluted. Anoxaemia and mild subjective symptoms were the immediate result. The smoke from factories was far less toxic than tho fumes from motors; it was carried away by chimneys of great height out of reach of the air we breathed. 'ln tho great cities the pedestrians and the motorists alike were exposed to a veritable gas attack, which, if intensified, would require tho wearing of masks in self-defence. In the subsequent discussion Lieuten-ant-colonel J. A. A. Pickard, of tho Safety First Association, said half of those killed in road accidents .in Great Britain were pedestrians, one-quarter motor cyclists, and one-eighth to onesixth pedal cyclists. Most of the children killed were under six years of age, and most of the adult pedestrians were over 45. Youthful motorists were the worst sufferers. Human failure accounted for 85 per cent, of accidents, road or vehicle defects for comparatively few. Thoughtlessness caused more accidents than ignorance, and over-confidence more than inexperience. Dr Zachary Cope, of London, said that accidents were much more common in cities and congested parts, but the proportion of accidents resulting in death was only half as great in congested parts and cities as it was in tho country surrounding them. Ho stated that ho himself had given up driving because he found that one could not do justice to an operation after it. Dr MacErloan, Dublin City Coroner, said that his experience went to show that most accidents to pedestrians occurred near the kerb and when cars were going slowly. The majority occurred when the pedestrian was stepping off the path.

MOTOR CYCLING

FIXTURES September 19.—Monthly meeting. October 22, 23.—Labour Day trial. CLUB NOTES In order to assist the Sports Queen Committee with its carnival at Tahuna Park on Saturday, September 9, the cycle section of the Otago Motor Club staged an exhibition football match played on motor cycles. Tho teams were A. Crighton (Scott), captain, A. Bingham (Rudge), H. Ferguson (Triumph), J. Cunningham (Ariel), Russell (Triumph), Murray (Harley); S. Bridger (Ariel), captain, R. Stewart (Ariel), J. Bevin (Ariel), R. Millis (A.. 1.5.). W. Bowman (A.J.S.), B. Rosson (Indian); referee, J. Carson. This was a very spectacular and thrilling match from start to finish. A pass to A. Bingham connected with his headlamp, with splintering results, while R. Stewart contracted a twisted silencer. A. Bingham scored the only goal of the match, resulting in Crighton’s team winning, 1-0. TREASURE HUNT. Later in the afternoon twenty riders followed the club captain (A. Crighton) to the Brighton Beach, where the secretary (A. Bingham) had carefully buried two tins representing the first and second prizes. The competitors loft their cycles on tho road and went on to the beach, where they were told to search in the sand between four pegs marking Out a plot about ten yards square. After several minutes of digging K. Brown unearthed the first prize. The search for the second tin continued for some considerable time, without success until A. Crighton and W. Bowman decided that it would bo much easier to turn over the sand by broadsiding through tho plot. Tiring of this Crighton took to tho stream to wash tho sand off his bike, but had the misfortune to ride out of his depth, and 'his Scott disappeared under the water. Willing hands were soon tugging at the front wheel, and the soaked machine was soon dragged to dry land. After tipping the water out of the pipes and filling the radiator the engine fired with the aid of a helpful push. Giving up the search for the lost treasure tho competitors remounted their cycles and returned to the club rooms. MONTHLY MEETING. All members are invited to attend the monthly mooting to-morrow night, when particulars will bo given of the Labour Day trial, beach races, and the remainder of this year’s programme. INTERESTING FEATURES OF AH UNORTHODOX MOTOR CYCLE Some entirely new and interesting features are embodied in an, unorthodox motor cycle which has been produced by the Triumph Company. This is a two-cylinder model, and in distinction from ordinary motor cycle practice, both cylinders arc vertical. The capacity is GoO c.c. (and a high-power output at low speeds, combined with

smooth running is claimed. As in motor car practice, the crankshaft is of onepioco construction, and is fitted with split big-ends. A four-speed gearbox is used, built as a unit with the engine, from which it is driven by helical gears. Prolonged tests preceded the announcement of this new model, including thousands of miles on the road and 100 laps of Brooklands track, with loaded sidecar, at an average speed of 60 m.p.h. MOTOR CYCLISTS MAKE THE BEST CAR DRIVERS A well-known car manufacturer once said that if he was running a team in an important event he would choose drivers'that had gained their experience as motor cyclists. There is something to be said for his argument, for the only 1 two to complete the course in tho Mannin Beg—Freddy Dixon and D. K. Mansell—are motor cyclists of repute. Then there is Kayo Don and A. Denly, who have been taking a hand in record-breaking, and was riding mechanic to George Ej'ston in the Manmn Moar. Turning to the Continent, we find Nuvolari, Varzi, and Ghersi, only to mention a few. All their experience wa gained astride two wheels, Nuvolari, for example, having won fourteen races between 1923 and 1930, in addition to his numerous car successes.

TOLD AT THE WHEEL

Friend; “ You did 60,000 miles this summer. You have travelled a long way.” Motorist: ‘‘Not at all—l have just come backwards and forwards to the shops to fetch the food my wife has forgotten.”