MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 21543, 16 October 1933, Page 13

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[BY RADIATOR.]

LIGHTING-UPTIMES To-day 7.30 Tuesday 7.37 Wednesday 7.3 S Thursday 7.4'J Friday ... 7.41 Saturday ... 7.43 Sunday ... 7.1.< OTAGO MOTO?! ?JJB LABOUR DAY m Entries for the Labour Day trial close to-night at 5.30 o’clock, with the secretary of the Otago Motor Club. The event is open to cars up to 1,300 c.e The route to be followed is from Dunedin to Pembroke via Palmerston. Kartigi Beach, Oamaru, Kurow, Oraarama. Lindis Pass,; and Tarras, returning to Dunedin via Cromwell, Roxburgh, and Milton. The trial will be run in easy stages, and the average speeds to be maintained ranging from 210 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h. TOURIST POSTERS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION Mis Majesty King Fuad of Egypt has had the happy thought of creating an annual competition for touring propaganda posters, and has endowed the competition with a magnificent gold challenge cup, and three prizes in the form of gold, silver, and bronze medals. The cup, which stands Ift Sin in height, is of British manufacture, and is an object of art of great value. This interesting competition is open to Governments, national organisations for the development of touring, as well as to commercial and industrial firms directly promoting touring. Posters which have been printed, and exhibited during the course of the year preceding the competition alone are eligible, and each competitor may present a maximum of three posters. The entrance fee' has beeil fixed at 100 francs for each poster, and the first competition will. be decided in the spring of 1934, The control of the competition has been entrusted , by. King Fuad to the Central Council of International Touring, which is an organisation representative of twenty-four Governments and fifty-eight national and international associations and groups. The headquarters are; 101 Avenue des ChampsElysees, Paris. The C.C.T.I. will, at its general assembly each year, select by secret ballot a jury to decide the order of merit. The British delegation to the,OC.T.I. comprises the Royal Automobile Club, the Cyclists’ Touring Club, and the Automobile Association. Inquiries for further details by intending ■ competitors should»-the*■ directed to the Automobile Association (touring,department), Fanum House, New Coventry street, London, W.l, Here is an excellent opportunity to obtain international recognition ‘for British poster art, and an enthusiastic response is desirable both in this interest and for the good of British touring. STREAMLINING ITS GREAT POSSIBILITIES Discussing streamlining recently a prominent British engineer said that little had been done in connection with cars sold to the public, probably because there has been more important improvements to be made than that of discovering the shape offering the least resistance to the air. The possibilities, however, were enormous. A normal typo of closed car, running at thirty-live miles per hour, required eight horsepower to overcome rolling resistance and another eight horse-power to overcome air resistance. At seventy miles per hour the figures became sixteen and sixty-four, while at eighty miles per hour less than nineteen horse-power was required for road resistance and 100 horse-power for air displacement. It is interesting to note that at the moderate cruising speed of thirty-five miles per hour half the power developed is being used to force a passage through the air, and at very frequent bursts of speed about two-thirds of the power is being wasted in overcoming air resistance. , FILTERING PETROL Often trouble is caused by the presence of oil or scale in the petrol supply system, and most motorists can recall occasions when it has been necessary to remove.either dirt or globules of water from the carburettor jets. As a rule, the fuel systems m modern cars include one or more filters, which must be cleaned *of accumulations of sediment from time to time. It is, too, a good plan to install a fine strainer of copper or brass t gauze in the main tank. Such a fitting can be made cheaply by a plumber, or the amateur mechanic can fashion one for himself. The important points to remember are that the strainer should be deep, reaching almost to the bottom of the tank, and that the mesh of the gauze should be fine enough to ob struct all foreign particles. The gauze can he rolled to size on a cylin drical wooden forme’r of suitable dia meter, its bottom ends then flattened and soldered together, and n close soldered joint made along the seam. The strainer must be attached by soldering to a flanged metal collar,

Brief accounts of holiday trips, roads, and places of interest are invited for this column.

which will .support it in the filler hole of the petrol tank. It will be found that such a fitting will trap an astonishing amount of dirt which otherwise would circulate with the fuel and clog the existing filters; and it can be quickly removed for the purpose of cleaning. THE A.A. MAKES HISTORY HALF-MILLION MEMBERSHIP On August 24 the membership of the Automobile Association passed the halfmillion mark. Side by side with the wonderful development of the British motor industry, the expansion of the A.A. stands out as a romance of modern times. Founded- in 1905 by a few enthusiasts to light prejudice against motorists and the unfair enforcement of the twenty-mile speed limit, the association has grown to its present magnitude in twenty-eight years. It is particularly interesting to record that throughout the A.A. has had only one secretary, Sir Stenson Cooke, on whom, appropriately enough, was conferred the honour of knighthood early in this, the half-million year. Tho A.A.’s origin was humble indeed, with less than ninety members and a few pounds in the bank. 'This is in striking contrast to the present vast organisation^ In quick succession the A.A. initiated the road patrol system (which remains unique), free legal defence (a bold experiment), signposting on national lines, a network of roadside telephone boxes, and an ideal of motoring service •which has since spread throughout the world. During the present season motorists have enrolled at tho rate of 10,000 per month—a new A.A. member for every two minutes of the working day. The association remains, as in 1905, a militant organisation pledged solely to the protection and advance ment of the interests of motorists. SOME FACTS AND FIGURES.

At the outbreak of the Great War the. A.A. membership had reached 83,000. . The first hundred thousand was obtained in February, 1920, followed by the quarter-million in 1926. More' than 1,300,000 A.A. badges have been issued. 30,000,000 miles were covered last year by A.A. patrols. Patrols assisted 877,192 members rn the road during the three Bank Holiday periods Easter, Whitsun, and August. Approximately 817,000 home and 12,500 foreign routes were issued last year. 6,200 hotels and garages hold the A.A. appointment. Over 500,000 A.A. handbooks were issued in 1933, weighing over 200 tons. A.A. engineers assisted over 24,000 members during the past year. Over 100,000 A.A. road signs have been erected. Annual, expenditure on. road service alone exceeds £600,000. 12,355 A.A. members supplied with Customs documents for taking their cars abroad during 1933. A.A. port officers and representatives are stationed at all important British and Continental ports. TWO-LIFE TAIL LAMP A tail light that is claimed never to let the driver down has just been patented in London. The scheme incorporates a neat cut-out which is fitted, to the dashboard and put in service with the tail-lamp wires; on this cut-out is fitted a spare tail lamp, and is similar to the bulb fitted in the tail lamp, both bulbs having two filaments of equal wattage. When the tail lamp is switched on the cut-out magnetically switches on one of the two filaments in the tail lamp bulb, but instantly one filament fails the second filament is brought into action automatically, thus lighting the tell-tale lamp on the dashboard. The lighted tell-tale notifies the driver that his tail lamp filament has failed and that the second has been brought into use, but there is, of course, no need to pull up and no occasion for concern, as the second light which has come into operation will last just as long as the driver desires to carry on. Of course, the sensible motorist, on arrival at his destination, will make arrangements for the original lamp to be replaced, thus again having a second filament in reserve. < 9 WHEEL-WOBBLE 7 METHODS OF CORRECTION Wheel-wobble is a trouble which is experienced by most motorists at some time during the lives of their cars, and is a fault which should be rectified without delay. Not only does it cause discomfort, but is also likely to strain the wheels, stub-axles, and steering gear, and perhaps to make the car unmanageable at a critical moment. It is not easy to diagnose the real source of wobble, since it may be caused by one serious fault, or the cumulative results of a number of minor defects. An erroneous argument is to assume that wobble must necessarily bo due to wrong tilting of tho front axle, and on that premise to assume that if wedges are inserted between the. springs and the axle in order to restore or exaggerate castor action, nothing else need be done. Loss of castor setting or axle tilt is a common cause of wobble, but other factors, too, should be considered. When it is found that a car vVhich previously has run well develops wheel-wobble, it is best to look for simple explanations before worrying about more complicated possibilities. The pressure of tho front tyres should bo checked, and if not correct the tyres should be inflated to the advised pressure, care being taken to see that the inflation of both tyres is uniform Looseness in the steering connections can also induce wobble at certain speeds, and the drag-link and steering tie-rod should be examined, and any excessive play in the steering gear removed by means of the adjustments provided. CHECKING TOE-IN. It is also desirable to check the toein of the front wheels. The right degree of foe-in is stated in tho instruction book of the car, and on modern vehicles there is always a simple adjustment by means of which the length of the tierod can be varied so ns to give the correct amount of forward “ gather ” of the wheels.

If the wobbling of the wheels is onl\ noticeable at fast speeds it is possible that lack of wheel balance is the cause. That mav be due either to tho wheel itself or to the tyro, but more usually might he attributed to an ill-balanced tyre, which has not a tread of uniform thickness, or in which a heavy blow-out sleeve has been inserted. Accumulations of mud on the rims of the wheel might also induce a similar effect. DISCOVERING CAUSES. Although it is often hard for an expert to determine what precisely is the origin of wobble, tho car owner can discover its source by certain hints. If the tyro inflation is correct there is no undue play in the steering, and tho front wheels have the right amount of toe-in, then wheel-wobble at both slow and fast speeds might be caused cither by loss of axle tilt, incorrect alignment of tho steering drag-link, or, in extreme cases, loss of front wheel camber due to excessive wearing of the kingpins and their bushings. If the wobble only occurs at very high speeds lack of wheel balance might be tho sole cause. The road springs tend to settle after the car has seen long service, particularly if it is overloaded, and settling of the rear springs can aggravate the effect and intensify the loss of tho right degree of front axle tilt. But before resorting to the conventional remedy of giving the front axle a more pronounced castor setting by inserting wedges between it and tho springs, it is best to investigate all the other conditions which have been suggested, and if possible to have the car tested at a service station where instruments _of precision are available for the checking of axle-tilt, toe-in, wheel alignment, and front wheel camber. AMAZING ENDURANCE TEST The durability of modern cars, has been demonstrated in many gruelling trials ot speed and endurance, but it might fairly be claimed that the performance recently achieved by a French model, a Citroen, is one of outstanding merit. The object of the test was to ascertain for bow long a standard type of vehicle could defy serious wear and tear and continue to run at a fast speed without major repairs or replacements. The trial, which began on March 15, and lasted until July 17, was conducted on the Montlliery _ track, France, and was under the strict official control of the Automobile Club de France. Tho model selected for tho test was a 10 h.p., four-cylinder type, and during the period stated it covered 186,420 miles, at an average speed of about fifty-eight miles per hour. In a report supplied it is pointed out that this trial was the longest and most strenuous in tho history of motoring, and that previously the opinion of experts was that the maximum which might be expected would not exceed 100,000 miles. The average speed stated is calculated on tho full time of tho test, including halts for refuelling, lubricating, decarbonising of the engine, tyro changing, and a compulsory stop of seven hours in control, during tho time the track was required for competitors in tho French Grand Prix. The permissible repairs and adjustments wero restricted to those which might reasonably be expected in normal service, and it is said that tho total cost of replacements over this long mileage was only about £27, the principal items being spark plugs, valves, fan belts, dynamo brushes, and other . minor spares. Tho car which established this remarkable record was named “Petite Rosalie,’’ and M. Andre Citroen, tho French manufacturer, is reported to have offered to pay a sum of more than ,£35,000 to the manufacturers of any car which eclipses tho performance of “ Petite Rosalie ” before the end of 1934. The car is to bo dismantled, under the supervision of a body of experts, who will make a comparison of its working parts with those of a similar new model, and it is expected that much valuable data will be thus obtained. CARE OF BODIES Much skilled workmanship and design go into tho production of a modern car body, -but adequate care and attention to maintenance by the owner are necessary to ensure that it will retain the silence and good looks originally built into it. When a body is mounted strips ol non-squeak material are interspersed between its bottom rails and tho chassis side members. This substance being of a spongy nature, it will soon settle down, so that an essential part of after sales service is to have the holding down bolts tightened that the body may continue to rido firmly on the chassis. Similar attention should be given every few months. Even with rigid designs of chassis frames now usual, the doors aro in a state of constant, though slight, movement all the time the car is travelling. For this reason it is necessary to keep door hinges, lock tongues, and antirattlo plungers lubricated with a monthly smear of grease. Use oil for tho hinges, and occasionally tighten hingo and loci: screws. Heavy slamming of doors to dose them should bo avoided, though a light slam is necessary to compress tho rubber blocks mounted on tho door posts to ensure silence. Another form of abuse of doors in the case of open cars is loaning on them when entering or quitting the car. Tho leverage which is exerted puts a severe strain on the hinges. Modern lacquer finishes should lie washed only when they are muddy. At other times a soft wool duster should be used to remove dust, followed by a wipe over with a sof 1 cloth. Many lacquempohshes depend on an abrasive action for cleaning, and the more abrasive the cleaner, tho thinner the lacquer coating will wear in time, so that its life may bo shortened materially, For this reason polishes should bo carefully chosen, and not used unnecessarily. When lacquer has been neglected and has gone dull, a thorough polishing will often work wonders. Polishing will also often remove scratches, and in obstinate cases brass polish may bo useful, as it has a comparatively strong cutting action.

Many lacquer experts do not advise tlio use of wax polish, while others say that a suitabb polish with a wax base prolongs the life of lacquer, and can be removed satisfactorily when the car is duo for repainting. 3f wax is used it should bo applied ,as sparingly as possible, One advantage which it certainly

possesses is that it prevents formation of water spots which occur when water is allowed to dry on lacquer, particularly where it is hot, as on the bonnet, for this reason a car should never be washed when it is hot or while handing in the sun. Fabric bodie; are more hardy than those finished in lacquer, since there is no highly polished surface to show slight scratches. Castile soap or benzine, neither of which is permissible with lacquer, may be used to remove grease. Wax or linoleum polish will give an excellent lustre. Shabby fabric bodies may be given a coat of a special sprayed reviver, or may even be painted with black hood reviver of a kind giving a good flexible coating and smooth -airfare.;

Closed-car interiors of I a lines such as moqnctte and mohair velvet, are treated similarly to furniture. They should he vacuum-cleaned or well brushed at monthly intervals, and grease stains removed with any good cleaning fluid. After this has dried a steaming cloth placed over the spot for a few minutes will raise the nap and restore the finish. The fabric used for hoods is treated differently from body' fabric, often being proofed with rubber. For this reason ■ petrol must not be used in cleaning it. Canvas hoods should be brushed' thoroughly to remove dust, and either canvas or coated fabrics can bo washed with Castile soap to remove grease marks. Black-eonted fabrics aro best dressed with black shoe polish, hut when very old or porous will be improved by the use of one of the liquid dressings. CALIBRATING SPEEDOMETER TO RECORD R.P.M. Revolution counters as supplied for fitting to cars are rather expensive accessories, and sometimes their installation presents many difficulties. Some modern sports models aro provided with speedometers, which are .also calibrated to register the equivalent r.p.m. of the engine. The usefulness of a “ rev ” counter is not restricted to contest work and engine testing, and owners who take an interest in the good performance of their cars might find such instruments instructive and helpful. With a little ingenuity any ordinary dial typo of speedometer can bo calibrated to indicate also the revolutions of the engine. The following directions, which are given in. a British motoring journal, will enable the amateur to carry out the work easily, but it must he understood that the method is applicable only to speedometers which have a full dial and a needle indicator.

The first process is to remove the existing faro from the speedometer. While doing this care should be taken not to damage the indicator hand. It is now necessary to mark three concentric circles on the face. These should be coloured differently, say. the outer one red, the next one" blue, and the third one yellow. They can be drawn with thin enamel paint, using an artist’s drawing compass, or else circles can be traced in pencil beforehand and carefully painted in with a thin brush. The engine r.p.m. at different speeds in the various gears can be calculated from the formula R.P.M.-M x G x 330 over D; where M = speed in m.p.h.; G-gear ratio; and l) = tlie diameter of the tyres in inches. It is, therefore.- a simple matter to mark these newly-drawn circles at the requisite points. For example, in a car having a three-speed gearbox, there would be three concentric circles on the speedometer face. Then, if the r.p.m. at 15 m.p.h. in second gear were 3.000, a mark on the third circle from the outside would bo made to correspond with tho marking for 15 m.p.h. on the original calibration. It is advisable to mark the r.p.m. by two figures only, the hundreds being assumed, thus 3,000 r.p.m. would bo shown as thirty. TRAINING A MOTORING DOG A question is being debated in many motorist’s families at this time of the year: “Shall the dog come, too?” It seems a shame to leave him behind, when going on holiday in the country, where he could enjoy long walks. In camp, or with a caravan, a dog can be very useful to bark at intruders, animal or human, and to eat up one’s less successful cookery. The difficulty is, in many cases, the journey of a hundred miles or more to tho chosen holiday spot (writes “ H.K.8.,” in tho ‘Motor’). DOGS ARE SENSITIVE TO FUMES. If there is a week or two before the holiday is due to begin, however, the dog can be easily motor-trained so as to be no trouble on tho journey. First of all, if motoring makes poor Bonze sick, make sure it is not the fault of your car. Possibly fumes from the exhaust are leaking through the floor. Dogs are much more sensitive to gaseous poisoning than human beings; for one thing, their nokes are nearer the floor. Quite recently twenty-s ven greyhounds died of suffocation while travelling in a closed van; the boy who was with them did not feel any ill-effccts. It should be mentioned, however, that a later theory attributes tho cause to heat stroke. Anyway, test the exhaust sys tern before you start training the dog. If the car is all right, the fault probably lies with whoever took Bonzo for his first ride. Tho poor creature has learnt to connect motoring with fuss, fear, and feeling ill. To euro him it is only necessary to overcome these fears and to link up motoring with more pleasant ideas in tho doggy brain. Here is a method which worked most successfully in tho case of an Airedale. Even a short drive was worse than a Channel crossing to him a few weeks ago, but nowadays ho enjoys motoring; in fact, he jumps into the car whenever a door is opened in the hope of a ride. The first thing is to overcome the dog’s distrust of tho car at home, while it is being cleaned or adjusted. When you are working on tho car, leave tho doors open, and let a few plain, dry biscuits miraculously appear on tho floor from time to time. The dog will soon find his way in, and can then be taught to jump in and out at words of command, to sit or lie down, and so on, until he accepts the stationary car as part of his ordinary training, even when the engine is running. AUTO-SUGGESTION. Next comes tho dog’s first ride. Diive s'owly to the nearest footpath through fields or woods. Then park the car and go for a really good, long walk. If this excursion is repeated three or four times, the dog will gradually realise.that motoring always leads to much nicer walks than he gets on tho roads near home. The car comes to stand for “off the lead.” chasing rabbits,'and all kinds of fun. Once this connection has been established in the dog’s brain he will beg to be taken in tho car wherever you go; quite forget to bo unwell. Half a dozen fine evenings before the holidays begin will afford time to put this training plan into practice. Try it; it may make a great deal of difference to the comfort of your journey to the mountains or seaside.

MOTOR CYCLING FIXTURES October 17.—Monthly meeting. October 22-23.—Labour Day trial. November s.—Social run. November 21,—Monthly meeting. November 25.—Beach races at \yaikouaiti. December 9.—Paper chase. GLOB KOTES On Saturday, October 7, the cycle i-ec-tion of the Otago Motor Club held an enjoyable run to Evansdale. Under threatening weather conditions, thirteen riders left the club rooms, led by the club captain (A. Crigbton). The weather improved over Mount Cargill. Arriving at Evansdale. the party decided to inspect the ford. The bed of the stream was stony and rough, while the uorf hern approach was deemed Uliclimhable. A. Crighton (Douglas) and G. Dadsou (Ariel) tried it out. Dadson finally coming to a standstill halfway up the slope. R. H. Stewart (Ariel) and J. Cunningham (Ariel) followed, and surmounted the bank with a scries of bounces and bumps. The sky again became overcast, and the homeward trip was commenced. All went well until coming down Mount Cargill, when heavy rain was encountered, and it was a very bedraggled party which arrived at the club rooms. LABOUR DAY TRIAL. Prospective entrants for tho Labour Day trial are reminded that entries close to-night at 5.30 at the Otago Motor Club. Several’ entries have already been received, and the trial promises to be the event of the year. The route to bo followed is from Dunedin to Pembroke via Palmerston, Kartigi Beach, Oamaru, Kurow, Omarama, Lindis Pass, and Tairas, returning to Dunedin via Cromwell, Roxburgh, and Milton—a distance of 402 miles. MONTHLY MEETING. All members and friends are invited to attend tho monthly meeting in the club rooms to-morrow night, at 8. The starting times and numbers of entrants in the Labour • Day trial will bo announced, as well the general business. TOLD AT THE WHEEL “ What did that man say when you nearly knocked him down with your car?” “ What did he say? Well, a ser-geant-major was passing at the time, and ho blushed and hurried by!”