MOTORING AND MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 23350, 21 August 1939, Page 15

MOTORING AND MOTORISTS

LIGHTING*UP TIMES To-day .. 5.54 Tuesday 5.55 Wednesday 5.56 Thursday 5.57 Friday ... ... 5.58 Saturday 6.1 PUBLICATION RECEIVED * Vauxhall Motorist ’ for May, the * Radiator ’ for August. EFFICIENCY OF BRAKES POSSIBLE FAULTS As braking efficiency looms large in the list of points covered in the compulsory car. inspections it is essential that motor car-owners should give the subject, some attention. Ira’car has covered from’ls,ooo to 20,000 miles the linings should be examined, because although many vehicles will run far more than this distance without needing new linings many will not, especially if the brakes have been Used. hard and often on long country runs. Moreover, there is always the danger of the linings wearing down to the point where the countersunk rivets holding them to the shoes become flush with the surface of the linings, and thus make contact” with the drums. That means that the drums will soon be rather badly scored, which so affects their efficiency that they Require refacing. The next thing is to check the adjustments. That is a job .which perhaps should be left to. a service station, although the task is not so difficult, that an owner cannot attend to it himself. BRAKE .EQUALISATION. Those adjustments should not be touched unless the owner is familiar with the subject. Tt is not always good enough merely to set the main adjusting points so that the brakes, work well. In most designs provision is made' for the altering of the positions of both ends of the two shoes in the drums, the idea being to make sure that when the brakes are applied, the liningsfori both ■hoes come into hard contact with the drums along their entire lengths. Adjustments carelessly made may result in the linings only making contact over part of their length. The brakes will act, but the wear will bo concentrated on only a section of the linings, which means that they will wear rather rapidly, and only at isolated sections. It is impossible; to give definite instrucon “this .subject as fdiffereiit adi> justing arrangements are used in different cars, but it is decidedly important. If the brakes.'are operated by mech--anical means they will have to be adjusted in pairs so that careful tests can he made for equalisation. . It is a good plan to get a helper to sit in the car to partly apply the brakes so that each jacked' wheel can be tested in turn to make sure that the "force going to each is approximately the same. With hydraulics, of course, the system is self-compensating to a high degree. Therefore it is quite permissible to adjust each wheel separately, as any small errors made are allowed for by the hydraulic system. AIR IN PIPES. While trouble with hydraulic brakes is rare, a fault which can develop, after considerable use is a slight leak in the gland of the master cylinder, which admits air into the pipe lines leading to the brake drums. This condition can usually bo detected by a soongy feel when the pedal is pressed. When everything is as it should be the resistance to pressure on the pedal is fairly solid, and brake action is practically instantaneous. The great danger with this fault is that while the brakes may work fairly well at low speeds they may be practically useless when the car is travelling fast. The fault must be attended to at once. People sometimes do not suspect that the trouble exists until they take the car on a long'-country run, when the cruising speed-is fairly high. HAND BRAKE EFFICIENCY. Another point which must not he forgotten is the hand brake. Whore this brake works on a special drum just behind the 'gearbox its power is multiplied about; four times by the gearing in the back -axle. If it. is not adjusted very carefully it may grab the drum and even teat; the universal joints away, from the drive"; shaft.’ : As few people use this brake in service this trait may remain unsuspected until a test is made. WTiere the-brake works on the hack wheels this fault Will not arise, but even here particular care will have to be taken about equalisation, because even though the service brakes are worked hydraulically hand brakes never are, and their mechanical linkages need careful adjustment. NOT TO SMOKE GEMAN MOTORISTS Gen. Dalueze, chief of the German uniformed police, lias issued an order that motorists in Germany may not in future smoko while driving. The number of accidents in Germany, it is stated, .is so high that every effort must be made to improve the standard of driving A driver needs both hands on the wheel and cannot spare one of them to knock off his ash. In addition there is always danger of •drivers becoming partially blinded by particles of ash flying into their eyes.

CHROMIUM PLATE PRESERVING THE FINISH « No motorist will deny that the chromium plate used on the bright parts of motor cars is open to considerable improvement. Though not nearly as vulnerable as the old nickel plate, this material is apt to become rusty in spots alarmingly early in a car’s life, and only the very greatest care will keep it in good condition. In this regard there is one slight gleam of hope on the horizon. Certain expensive English and European cars are fitted with bright parts made of a material known as “ stabrite,” a metal which itself takes a bright finish when polished, and is rustproof. It is something like the old German silver, but differs in not tarnishing as that material did, retaining its brightness indefinitely. Some day, perhaps, all cars will use that material or something like it, but in the meantime we must cope with chromium to the best of our ability. There is this to be said for chromium, that it offers a fairly tough resistance to rust when applied to broad expanses of metal; Only when it is used on narrow strips, such as the bars of a radiator grille or the framing of ventilating wind deflectors, does it rust, partly because water collects easily on these parts, and often is difficult to remove completely. ' GREASE COATING USEFUL. For this reason it is wise t ! o wipe all plated parts most carefully at the completion of a run’in the rain, and re.’move every vestige of‘water. It also is a good plan, when setting off on a long country trip, to give every plated part a light coating of grease. Certainly some dust will be collected which will not look particularly sightly, but the chromium will be protected. There are on the market certain preparations for cleaning chromium which are very successful in removing rust. If the deposits of rust are only light they may be cleaned off with this preparation with no other precautions, but when the rust has eaten well through the chromium, exposing the metal beneath, a coating of clear lacquer will give good protection. MODERN MOTOR COACHES COMFORT ON LONG DISTANCE JOURNEYS Long-distance transportation by modern motor coaches is being further popularised in U.S.A., where this form of travel has been brought to ■ a high standard, by ensuring passengers almost the comforts of their own homes. One ■ of the leading transport companies -in that country last month placed ’in operation 25 new motor coaches, each of which cost about £5,000. These up-to-the-minute coaches are now running between Chicago and San Francisco, and are scheduled to cove,r the 2,290 miles between these cities in ’59 hours, an average speed of narly 39 m.p.h.. including all stops en route. These vehicles are designed to provide de luxe comfort, the coaches, 33ft long, carrying only 28 pa&engers instead of the usual 37 carried previously by the company’s coaches operating on this long route. The extra room thus gained enables passengers to stretch their legs without touching the seats in front. There are seven rows of seats, four chairs to each row. No seats are situated over the rear wheels, this space being used as a baggage compartment. The chairs, cushioned with cellular rubber, are adjustable to five positions. There is enough space for passengers, if they so desire, to lower the chairs so that they can recline at about an 80deg angle without having their heads in their neighbour’s lap. The coaches are air-conditioned, with 35 per cent, fresh air being circulated every 1.3 minutes. Thermostatic control regulates the temperature and humidity within the body of the coach. The roof and walls arc insulated. Two-cycle six-cylinder Diesel engines are bein" used in these vehicles. The power plant is located in a chamber at the rear, which is sealed away and insulated from the passenger compartment of the coach, thus eliminating all possibility Of "fumes, heat, etc., causing discomfort to passengers during their long transcontinental journey. QUICK STOPPING ENGINE AS BRAKE One of the oldest motorists in New South Wales, Mr J. O. Hyde, who actually holds No. 1 driving license, recently put forward a suggestion which, he claims, he has put into effect and which enables any motor vehicle in good mechanical condition to stop in about half the time normally occupied. As most motorists are aware, there is an adjustment on the carburettor throttle which holds it partly open, so that, when the foot is lifted from the accelerator, sufficient mixture will continue to pass the throttle to allow the engine to idle. Mr Hyde’s modification is to eliminate the foot accelerator altogether and let its place bo taken by a hand lever placed conveniently beneath the wheel so that it can bo worked by the forefinger without lifting the hand from the wheels rim. This is connected with the carburettor in such a way that it will close the throttle completely. Mr Hyde claims that, with this arrangement, the throttle can be closed in a flash, and the vacuum that then occurs in the cylinders develops tremendous braking power, which is effective immediately, and that then just a slight touch on the brake is all that is necessary to bring the car to a full stop. He claims that the time lag involved in moving the foot from accelerator to brake, in which the car may travel 30ft or 40ft before the brake shoes even ! touchy the drums, is eliminated, and that if his idea were universal, many serious accidents which have occurred would have been avoided. He also claims that the braking effect of the engine with this arrangement is so powerful that it is not necessary to change into second gear on such hills as Bulli Pass and Camhowarra Mouu‘•’’ti. H>' (states further that, the mere fact of closing the throttle completely

by "Radiator"

on hills and during braking has a big effect on fuel consumption. To the objection that changing gear with a hand throttle was a rather cumbersome process, Mr Hyde stated that he had never found it so. DANGERS FROM LAZINESS Laziness in motoring often affects safety. Many accidents arc caused, for instance, by drivers who cut corners,, so bringing themselves on the wrong side of the road at a point where it is most dangerous because of restricted forward vision. Another example is parking with the car facing in the wrong direction. There is very little trouble involved in turning thp car round, or in stopping on the correct side and walking a few yards extra to cross the road on foot. Accidents have occurred through an approaching driver having tried to pass on the left of a car parked on its wrong side. The danger is much greater when the parked car is left with headlights full on. Then there is that pest the driver who is too lazy to get out of his car to ring a friend’s door bell, but sits in the car and hoots impatiently. It is this type of public nuisance who has been mainly responsible for legislation in many places restricting the use of hooters. COLD MAY AFFECT CARS Motorists living in or visiting the cooler areas of the country are advised to guard against damage to engines by water freezing. Where the car cannot bo stored in a warm place the cooling system should be drained completely, or the water replaced by an anti-freezing solution. Such solutions are usually composed of water mixed with either pure distilled glycerine or methylated spirit. When a glycerine solution is used two parts of water and one of glycerine make a mixture with a freezing point of 12deg Fahr. A solution in the proportion of 5} pints of water to pints of methylated spirit has a freezing point of lOdeg above zero. The solution should be strengthened at intervals of about a fortnignt by the addition of a pint of the spirit. As it tends to loosen scale and rust, the cooling system should- be cleaned out thoroughly before the solution is put in. BUMPER BAR DANGER Jf the large front bumper bar of a modern car falls off while the vehicle i is in motion the result is likely to bo serious. Such a case recently came under notice —the front assembly of the vehicle concerned being biadly damaged. In this instance, an examination of the bolts which had held the bumper bar to the front brackets showed that the bolts had been damaged, apparently, by impacts on the bar at various times, until the fastenings failed. Bumper bars, as is their function, are frequently called upon to take slight knocks, and each bump may tend to damage or weaken the holding bolts. Car owners should, therefore, make a regular inspection of the bumper bar fastenings and renew any that show signs of damage. MOTOR CYCLING FIXTURES To-night.—Monthly meeting. August 26.—Mystery run. September 9.—Paper chase. September 18.—Monthly meeting. September 23.—Scramble. October 7.—Slow hill climb. October 16.—Monthly meeting . October 21-23.—Labour Day trial. N'ovember 4.—Field day. November 12.—Social run. November 20.—Monthly meeting. November 25.—Hi1l climb. December 9.—Mystery run. December 17.—Social run, December 18.—Monthly meeting. These fixtures are subject to alteration.

CLUB NOTES Trials of any description have always proved popular functions, drawing large entries, the sporting trial which was held on Saturday, August 12, being no exception. More than 30 riders left the club rooms in Moray Place, and proceeded to the outskirts of Brighton, here they turned up a side road and followed this for over a mile to the beginning of the course, which was a new one to everybody. Owing to the recent rain and snow the ground was very greasy, and expert riding was required to negotiate some of the sections without the rider parting company with his machine. The course lay oyer a clay road, the first portion beiug slightly down hill, then coining upon the first observed section the competitor’s path lay through deep ridges of mud, causing some to foot more than once. From there the road wound in and out, bringing them to the next section, which was approached down an incline, then up a fairly steep hill, which was extremely greasy, resulting in most of the riders meeting their downfall. As each competitor went through, the surface became more and more cut up, due to their strenuous efforts to surmount the hill, and making it more difficult' for those following. Each rider lost marks on this section, but this did not dishearten them, and so they continued on to the top, where they entered another observed section, this time being down hill, but quite a number came through with’ clean sheets, and so onwards to the final section, which was through a small water splash and up another slight incline which caused some quite a bit of bother. From here the riders had to coyer tile same ground on the return trip, only a lot of it was down hill, the result being that a number approached the muddy patches too fast, with consequent results, but from the spectators’ point of view it was very thrilling, and those who brought their cameras with them were richly rewarded. The winners were:—T. Hely (lost 28 marks, Royal Enfield)' 1, ’A. Schofield (lost 32 marks, Ariel) 2, H. Lindley (lost 38 marks, Triumph) 3. Judging by several English motor, cycling journals, the new Triumph twin has been making a name for itself on various race circuits, the most creditable performance being in winning the Dutch National T.T. with an average speed of slightly over 74 ra.p.h., as against standard B.M.W.’s and Norton machines. Members are reminded of the monthly meeting which is to be held to-night in the club rooms, Moray Place, at 8 o’clock. TOLD AT THE WHEEL Following a garden party in Barnsley Park, Gios., an announcement appeared in a local paper: “Will the ladv or gentleman who took away the dartboard in mistake for their spare who elf please return the board to Barnsley Park now that they have discovered their mistake.” They must have had several doubles!