MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 21821, 10 September 1934, Page 15

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[BY RADIATOR.]

LIGHTING-UP TIMES To-day ... 6.18 Tuesday 6.20 Wednesday 6.21 Thursday 6.22 Friday ... 6.24 Saturday 6.26 Sunday ... 6.27 QUESTION OF NOISE Again the evergreen argument has arisen as to whether the blowing of motor horns at night should be prohibited, but it is hard to believe that the apostles of complete silence are practical drivers. While it is possible to drive in safety much less noisily than some drivers do, there are many circumstances in which a warning signal is the best insurance against, an accident. It must be ren/embered, also, that the question of whether a warning was sounded often comes up in court when the responsibility for an accident is being sifted, so that the driver is in the position of being under a semi* legal obligation ,td make himself heard. Especially at night the use of a horn can be reduced because one’s lights, if reasonably efficient, will ■ often serve as a warning at intersections and when about to pass another vehicle. . At one time much was heard of a suggestion to standardise horns, but the most that would be safe in this direction would be to make the use of an unduly loud signal an offence when circumstances did/hot justify it. For fast touring, or on roads with blind corners, the loudest is seldom powerful enough.. One practice which might be sup-. Sressed quite ruthlessly is the use of the orn to signal their friends by those who are too lazy to alight and use_ the door bell. Few noises are more irritating, whether by day or by night, as a series of hoots from a stationary car. NEW BRITISH MOTOR FACTORY 2,000 CARS PER 40-HOUR WEEK The vigour of Britain’s dramatic drive for dominance in the world automobile market is exemplified in the huge new eighty-two-acre Morris factory just completed at Cowley, England. The new plant, with a capacity of 2,000 cars per forty-hour week, took eight months to extend and equip. “ Business as usual ” was the engineers’ slogan dur ing expansion, and the regular production ot Morris cars proceeded without a day’s interruption. The hew Morris works introduce an entirely new system of motor car manufacture known as “ specialised production,” conceived by Lord Nuffield two years ago and now fully operative for the first time. Many leading authorities predjet that specialised production is destined to become, the system of the future. Its basic idea is not cheaper production through greater output per man, but rather improved quality by specialisation of manufacture. The various'units' of Morris cars are produced separately in a series of five specially equipped factories. The five Morris factories are: The Morris engines branch*, Morris foundry works, Morris radiator works,. Morris body works, and, finally, the new as--sernbly plant, where five assembly lines run side by side for half a mile. PANEL BEATING Considering the volume of motor traffic on the roads at present (remarks an Australian writer), the number of collisions which occur is not surprising. Frequently these collisions result in damaged bodywork and strained or twisted chassis. As a result a. highly-skilled trade has developed to do this class of repair work. Let us follow the stages of repairing a sedan which has been involved in an accident, as it passes through a large general repair and panel beating works in Melbourne.

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

After having been towed from the scene of the accident, the car is inspected by an expert, and an estimate of the cost of repair is made. The car is then taken to the first floor in an electric lift, and the body is removed from the chassis. Using cramps, some of which are six feet in length, and hydraulic jacks, workmen quickly restore the twisted chassis to its normal shape, and a careful inspection is made to detect any cracks or weaknesses. If any are found they are patched and reinforced by oxy-welding. In the meantime other workmen have removed the mudguards and upholstery from the body. .The mudguards are shaped out with hammers and dollies, which are rounded pieces of metal on to which the mudguards are beaten. They are then smoothed off in a wheeling machine, the mudguard being pulled backward and forward between twd wheels, which exert a pressure' of about 1501 b on to it,'after which any small irregularities in the metal are polished smooth by an electric buffing machine, worked from a flexible steel shaft. Tho body is reshaped with cramps and jacks, and panels, which are not too seriously damaged, are beaten out. Damaged woodwork . and seriously damaged panels are replaced. The body is then replaced on the chassis and the mudguards .are fixed on. The damaged parts are washed with petrol *to remove grease and dirt, and are covered with a coat of primer, which provides a surface on which the lacquer can grip. A special filling substance is rubbed over blemishes, and when it has dried the whole surface to be lacquered is rubbed over with a fine waterproof sandpaper and petrol. Three or four coats of coloured lacquer are next spra.yed on. When the last coat has dried it is polished with a very fine abrasive and then with a liquid polish. After a final examination, the car is ready for delivery. ENGLAND BUYS AMERICAN English imports of American cars for May were three times as great as in the same month last year. English manufacturers are alarmed at the increase. “ Within a year,” says the ‘ Evening Standard,’ London, “ the performance of the typical American car has been put up almost out of recognition. . . . Many of the lower priced models have » genuine hundred brake horse-power under the bonnet, and are able to offer remarkable acceleration on top gear, together with a very high cruising speed. “ Whereas a rating of 20 horse-power is as far as the majority of British manufacturers will go iu their programmes, about the same figure will apply to the smallest and -cheapest American model. “ It is tho fact that a considerable number of car owners iu this country believe and quite rightly that a handsome margin of power is a good investment. They also want plenty ot motor car for their money, and they demand a high standard of luxury; but the outlay has got to be a long way short of the four figures. “ It seems absurd that when enthusiasts discuss proved speeds, acceleration, and so forth, one should hear the names of quite cheap American cars mentioned in the same breath with the costliest of British products, but that is the fact that has to be faced.

“ So far as running costs are concerned the British car is out and away ahead of anything of its kind in the world, but it must not be frogotten that with the return of greater prosperity there are more motorists than ever who can now afford, to regard such outgoings as merely incidental. “ There- is only one-way in which this threat of a renewed American invasion can be met, and that is by a greater boldness in design on the part of our own industry.” WOMEN TESTERS KEENNESS OF HEARING A firm of Continental motor engineers employs women to test its cars because experience has shown that a woman has a far better ear, mechanically, than a man. A director of the concern stated recently . that, whilst a woman could drive equally as well as a man, she could generally hear any irregular noises, caused by inefficient parts—such, for example, as faulty transmission bearings—far sooner and could trace them by their sound with much less trouble. I recently had an opportunity ot seeing some of these women at their eevrydav job, writes an English correspondent, and I considered them to be the hardiest set of women drivers 1 have encountered. ' The driver’s seat was a kind of glorified soapbox strapped on to the car frame, and the only protection was a leather coat and helmet. Each woman had to see that the engine entrusted to her was capable of reaching and maintaining the speed claimed for it by the makers. If it failed the fault had to be traced and a report given. This experience led me to think that women in general pay far more attention to the sound of their engines than do men drivers. When a woman is negotiating a stiff hill, for instance, it is seldom that one will hear her engine knocking, for, unlike most men, she doesn’t suffer from the wish to take every gradient on top gear. She will change down to a lower ratio whilst

many a man hangs blissfully on to top, deaf to the labouring sounds of his engine. Those grinding and crashing sounds, resulting from a misjudged attempt at gear changing, are seldom produced by women. It is the man who employs brute strength to push the gear in who is the culprit. In these days of athletic women the fair sex undoubtedly has the requisite strength of arm to do likewise, but most women, it must in fairness bo admitted, have more sense than to use such force stupidly. If you take a man and a woman, neither of whom has ever driven before, and place them at the wheel of new cars, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the woman will get the “ feel ” ot her engine long before tho man; Just as she has the keener perception in the matter of clothes, so does she view her engine from a more personal standpoint. As a result of this perception she can “ feel ” for her engine, and this, when all is said and done, is the basic quality that characterises every good driver. GARS OF 1936 Speculation is rife as to the developments in car design whicli are likely to be witnessed within the next two years. Already many notable changes have been made in the layout of popular standard models, and numbers of freakish cars are in their experimental stages. Some oversea authorities are of the opinion that if the public shows signs of a readiness to purchase uncon-

veutional vehicles a revolution in policy might sweep through the motor trade. It has been predicted that as early as 1935 some well-known manufacturers might alter their plans entirely and produce roar-eugined streamlined cars in large numbers. Not only have many experts declared that such a type of engine mounting is the ideal one from the point of view of efficiency, but now that streamlining has apparently won popular favour and some factories are marketing fully streamlined models, the facilities afforded by rear engine suspension are an important factor. Then, again, should the public be ready to buy such vehicles, minor producers might be placed in an enviable competitive position, for the larger manufacturers would be involved in colossal costs if they had suddenly to scrap much of their existing plant and instal new machinery for the mass production of streamlined, rear-engined cars.

It was slated that when Henry Ford decided to cease manufacturing the Ford model “ T ” and substitute the new “ A ” type the change-over cost many millions of pounds. 'that circumstance may probably delay the coming of revolutionary types which are now exciting so much interest, but there are some critics who believe that the present marketing of what might ho described as ultrastreamlined models is a deliberate step towards the introduction of rearengined streamlined cars whose lines will conform to the vehicle produced in England some years ago by Sir Dennistoun Burney.

Many rapid changes arc taking place in ear design, and he would be a rash prophet who ventured to forecast what the next two years hold in store, but a point which is often overlooked is that the s|)eeds of present-day cars arc already in many cases too fast for existing roads. Unless the leading carusing countries are prepared to lay down special highways, as has been done in Jtaly and Germany, the practical value of superfast, streamlined cars might be problematical. No market, however, could depend on the provision of such costly roads, and so it would seem that if_ the rear-engine streamlined model is to be the ear of the future, there will be an excellent field for small high-efficiency engines, a type widen has been perfected since the war by British and European manufacturers. ERRATIC ENGINES Occasionally it happens that when the ignition is switched off at the concln,sion of a run during which the cylinders have become well heated the engine will not stop immediately, but will continue to run erratically for some time. Such behaviour should not be regarded with puzzled tolerance, for it is a clear indication that some part of tho mechanism is in need of attention.

An obvious possible explanation is that tho ignition switch is defective and does not always break tho circuit when it is switched off. if it is certain that no ignition spark is occurring in the combustion chamber, it is clear that this continued firing must be due to tho presence of some incandescent object which ignites the incoming

charge. If the engine has not been decarbonised for a considerable time, it is most likely that deposits of carbon are to be blamed, but if that theory is untenable because of the -known cleanness of the combustion chambers, there is left the inevitable probability that the electrodes of the spark plugs are the cause. The good running of an engine depends largely upon tho right type of plug, and if plugs intended for relatively low compression and “ cool units are used in fast, high-compression machines, their electrodes might get so heated that the}’ became incandescent, and so produce an effect similar to that of particles of glowing carbon. Conversely, it might he noted that pings which are meant for high compression work in hot engines arc generally unsuitable for engines in which such combustion temperatures are not reached. The motorist should be guided by the recommendations published by the spark plug manufacturers, in which the type of plug appropriate to each make and model of engine is named. REAL HORN In the ‘ Automobile Trade Journal,’ an American publication, appears an advertisement for an electrical horn which can bo heard from three to twelve miles away. Buyers may carry out any distance tests that they like and can return the instrument if not satisfied. DOWNDRAFT CARBURETTERS RESULTS OFTEN DISAPPOINTING

Tho now general use of the downdraught typo of carburetter is probably the most important development in the carburetion system of the modern car engine. Many are the advantages claimed for the down-draught instrument. Accessibility, from a service point of view,

is perhaps the most important. Moreover, by placing the carburetter on top of the cylinder block the space left below the manifold can be occupied by other accessories, such as the generator, water pump, or self-starter. It must bo admitted that many vertical type carburetters are situated in inaccessible places, usually close to the exhaust pipe, behind the steering gear box, or even between the frame and the crankcase. IMPROVED POWER. Improved power is another claim of the down-draught, but this applies mainly to maximum revolutions when volumetric efficiency must be the first consideration. With this type of carburetter a large choke tube may be employed advantageously, on account of the improved breathing capacity of this carburetter. In the vertical or updraught instrument it is necessary to choose a choke bore tube which will provide a certain limiting air velocity so that the air stream is enabled to draw fuel from the jets and carry it to the manifold and thence to the cylinders as a fireablc mixture. Insufficient velocity in the mixture produces irregular idling, bad get-away from low speeds, and absence of flexibility. However, in the down-draught, because the flow of the mixture from the carbureter to the manifold is downwards, and since gravity plays an important part, there is not the need for high velocity in the mixture, consequently the choke tube can be larger and thus beneficial for full throttle work at maximum revs. Acceleration is improved by the use of a down draught, particularly from low speeds, since the cylinders are charging more at atmospheric pressure because the “drag” found in vertical systems is necessarily absent. It is not perhaps correct to say that down draught improves acceleration, for the absence of tlie higher velocity of the vortical instrument does not encourage vaporisation of the fuel. In a downdraught system we often find that the fuel leaves the jet in a liquid state, and simply falls on to the bottom of the manifold, where simple surface carburetion takes place. It is really necessary for a down-draught carburetter to have some sort of starting auxiliary device. RISK OE OIL DILUTION. The danger of down-draught carburetter is the risk of damage to the engine by oil dilution caused by leakage of petrol down the induction pipe, along the manifold, and into the cylinders of the engine. Most manufacturers now give the manlifohl a slight upward slope toward the ends, and incorporate a small draining sump immediately below the down pipe from the carburettor. Usually a .small bole is drilled in the sump, and surplus fuel is drained away by a small pipe, and discharged under the car. Dad idling is sometimes associated with down-draught, but this is notdue to air leakage through the hole in the flooding sump, but probably to lower ratio between fuel and air velocities; in an up-dranght instrument there is a certain amount of “ slip ” in the mixture, and this really assists atomisation of the fuel.

Cars fitted with down-draught carburetters often give disappointing performances. The manufacturer can readily ho blamed for tin's slate of

affairs, for in many cases the adoption of the down-draught instrument has merely meant inversion of tire manifold. Down-draught carburetion is a new science as far as automobile engineering is concerned, and researches during the last few years have shown that it is necessary to redesign the whole layout, including valve disposition, manifolding, and air velocity. It is essential in a true down-draught system that there are no upward passages—all induction pipes and intake manifolds should be continuously downward right into the cylinders, since gravity plays such an important part as regards mixture, velocity, and flow. LEAVING THE KERB A large number of motorists persist in the dangerous habit of pulling out from the side of the road, where the car has been parked, without indicating their intention of doing so by signal. This has been the cause of several minor accidents in tho city recently. It is selfish and unfair for a driver to swerve out suddenly into a traffic stream and throw upon those behind him the responsibility of avoiding an accident. Under all circumstances signals should be given freely, and in such a manner that other drivers cannot mistake them. A hand hung limply over the car door is frequently seen indicating a right-band turn or a stop. Such signals are likely to be misunderstood, with serious consequences. MYSTERIOUS “SWISH" ECHO OF GAR How many motorists have been puzzled—and sometimes perturbed —by a peculiar “ swishing ” noise when passing a certain kind of fence? The phenomenon occurs only when the car is travelling past those fences made of stoutish posts separated by a few feet from one another—as commonly found

on seaside esplanades or beside sheets of water. As the car passes each post there is a light but marked “ swish ” which, making itself heard with such regularity, causes the inexperienced driver to suspect his vehicle. In fact, cases have been known of drivers stopping their cars and examining the road wheels, thinking either that one of them was loose or that some foreign object had been picked up from the road and was brushing against the body. 'finding nothing amiss, they have driven away still puzzled, and have only tumbled to the solution of the mystery after realising that it occurs always on those stretches of road where posts appear. The noise, presumably, is an echo effort caused in the same way as the more pronounced “ swish ” heard when a car passes between the walls of a narrow bridge or along a cutting. MOTOR CYCLING FIXTURES September 18.—Monthly meeting. September 22.—Mystery run. October (s.—Social run. October IC.—Monthly meeting. October 20-22.—Labour Day trial. November 4.—Whole-day run to Waipori. November 17.—Treasure Hunt. November 20.—Monthly meeting. December I.—Sports at Brighton. December 9.—Run to Buckland’a ford. CLUB NOTES PAPER CHASE. On Saturday, September 3, the Cycle Section, 0.M.C., held its paper chase, which had been postponed from the previous week. Rather wintry weather conditions prevailed, but fifteen riders left the clubrooms to follow the trail laid by the three bares—R. H. Stewart (Harley), H. 1 i’erguson (Triumph), and J. Bevin (Ariel). Picking up the trail at the St. Clair tram terminus, the competitors were led up the hill, then past the golf links and by devious trails down into Green Island. On the way down A. Homer (J.A.P.) found occasion to use both hands fin rescuing a straying headlamp, and bis machine, not fitted with automatic steering, deposited him in .the ditch. From Green Island the trails, both main ami blind, led the riders along the Brighton road, back to Abbotsford, and again on to the Mam road to the Coach and Horses, By this time the paper strips were invisible on the bitumen road owing to the rain and passing traffic, so C. Bingham (Rudge) and J. Carson (Rudge) took a road each, and finding no trail, met at the top of Saddle Hill. From there_ the riders rode down to East laien, and then through a network of side roads to the foot of Scrogg’s Hill. C. Bingham was first to start the climb, using his foot change to advantage, to bo followed by J, Carson, who, failing to get through a muddy stretch the first attempt, bad In back down and start Jrom the bottom again. Un-

known to the riders, the trail ended at the top, and C. Bingham was fortunate in that he kept on riding hard up the rough hill to win by about twenty yards from J. Carson. L. M'Farlane (Ariel) was third. Others to finish were A. Scofield (New Hudson), J. Smith (Rudge), J. Chisholme (Indian), A. Foster (Ariel), J. Cunningham (Ariel), B. Buchanan (Francis-Barnett) ,'and A. Homer (J.A.P.). Afternoon tea was enjoyed at Brighton, after which some of the riders tried to conquer the hill which had defied riders the previous Saturday. No one reached the top, but R. H. Stewart, on his thirteen-year-old mount, climbed further up than any of the others. With the weather behind them on the run home, everyone agreed that it was much better than had been the case on the ride out. LABOUR DAY TRIAL. The speeds to bo maintained throughout the trial are as follows; —O.M.C. to Green Island south boundary (5.8 miles), 20 m.p.h.; from above boundary to Roxburgh, 30 ni.p.li.; Roxburgh to Cromwell, 25 m.p.h.; Cromwell to Pern-, broke, 30 m.p.h. On the return trip Pembroke to Tarras via Hawea, 30 m.p.h.; Tarras to Cromwell railway station, 20 m.p.h.; Cromwell to Middlemarch, 30 m.p.h.; Middlemarch to Green Island boundary, 25 m.p.h.; and from there to the O.M.C. rooms, 20 m.p.h. .Mileages are as follows :—Dunedin to Lawrence, 58.4; Lawrence to Roxburgh, 36.6; Roxburgh to Cromwell, 46.5; Cromwell to Pembroke, 36.8 (making 178.3 miles to be covered on the trip up). Pembroke to Tarras, 31.6; Tarras to Cromwell, 22; Cromwell, to Clyde, 13; Clyde to Ranfurly, 61; Ranfurly to Middlemarch, 39.3; Middlemarch to Dunedin, 51.5. The total mileage for the trial is 218.3. Entry forms are now available at all garage's and at the 0.M.C., Moray place. NOISY MOTOR CYCLES Only in rare instances is there now any excuse for the oar-splitting exhausts emitted by a comparatively few motor cycles, for which the inoffensive majority are blamed by a large section. Research work by British manufacturers within the last few years has resulted in these machines now often being as silent as the average car. while no modern machine is offensively noisy. Further, this desirable end has been achieved without the sacrifice of efficiency, as is shown by the fact that even the “hottest” sports arc now among the silent ones. Invariably the noisy machine, if it is of recent manufacture, has had the silencing system interfered with, and therefore is fair game for the police. In the case of old models, a little more latitude might be allowed, as the owner is scarce|y to be held responsible for shortcomings in factory design, and in any case such machines are now becoming rare. Some cars and more trucks are unnecessarily noisy, usually old models on which the silencer has burst or rusted through.

TOLD AT THE WHEEL EXPERT ADVICE “My husband wived m§ from Paris on ray birthday asking whether ho should buy me a Rembrandt or a Titian. Now, which would you have?” “ Well, as far as that goes, most of those French cars arc very good.”