MOTORING WORLD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 175, 25 June 1932, Page 10

MOTORING WORLD

NOTES. Painting tho sides of tyres to match the colour schemes of the body is the latest idea in the- United States. 11l Spain the traffic code contains a special clause forbidding motorists to alight from the off side in tho traffic. The Manchester Guardian in a recent article said that statistics suggested that the motor-cycle was probably the safest thing on the road. On behalf of tre people of Detroit, the United States Ambassador in London, Mr. Andrew Mellon, has presented Mr. Kaye Don with a silver trophy. The British Medical Association is said to have made a suggestion for improved traffic signals based oil the many instances which have arisen of unsuspected colour blindness. A big motor-cycle rally in Berlin, organised by the German Motor Cycle Union, attracted the fine total of 755 machines. The whole affair, which has become an annual event, was run on informal lines, and ended in a big party and dance at one of Berlin’s principal amusement centres. According to an authority, the earnings of the United States car trade have fallen from £66,000.000 in 1929 to £31,000,000 in 1930, and to £13,000,000 for last year. These are exclusive of the Ford figures. The production in March was 115,000 cars ; as against an average of 323,600 during the last five years. CORRECT HORN MOUNTINGS. It is not generally realised that the performance of an electric horn on a car depends very largely on its mounting. If this is not absolutely tight, or if there are any fittings in the proximity that are liable to vibrate, then the note of tho honi may ho seriously affected. These points are rightly emphasised by an English firm, who also point out that it is very important, in the case of horns mounted. on the cross-bar in front of tho radiator, a very popular position nowadays, to see that the bar itself does not vibrate or that the wings or headlamps, which may be attached to the bar, do not rattle or drum. FILLING THE GREASE GUN. Filling a grease gun is usually a messy, tiresome job, and grease is often wasted. Try this plan: Get a straight piece of steel tubing that will fit insisde the gun barrel easily, although slightly longer; then cut a piece of wood, longer than the tubing, to fit inside it. To charge the gun, press the tube down into the grease until it is full- Then place the tube inside the grease gun and fill tho gun by forcing the grease out with the wooden rammer.

REPLACING A CONE CLUTCH. Replacing the leather on a clutch cone requires some knowledge and skill if it is to be carried out in the proper way. It is best to follow this plan: Strip off the old leather and get new leather of the necessary thickness, cutting it to the correct shape, using tho old leather as a template. Drill two holes in the end of the new leather, corresponding to those on the clutch cone, where the old leather started.

Screw the new leather. on, using set-screws and nuts, making sure to put a plain washer under the head of each screw to stop it pulling into the leather Stretch the leather round the cone to find the length needed to

reach tho other two end holes. If the clutch is a big one ,cut tho leather l}in shorter; if it is a small one, cut it only 1 inch shorter. Drill two! holes in the free end to correspond with tlio holes in tho clutch cone. Leaving tho fixed end in position, take tho leather off tho cone and secure tho free end to the cone with two more set-screws. Stretch tho leather over the cone, drill the necessary holes and rivet it in place, replacing tho four setscrews with rivets.

THE “SHAKE TEST” FOR BODIES. Few motorists realiso to what an extent automobile manufacturers carry out tests and research work, so that their products will stand up to tho j stresses incidental to present-day j motoring. For instance, ono of the largest motor car manufacturers in England submits the various types of I bodies made to what is known as the j “shake test.” Periodically, one of thel pressed steel bodies is taken at ran-) dom from the production line, and in | its finished state, upholstered and! fitted with safety-glass windows. It is mounted on a chassis frame and conveyed to tho “shaker,” an instrument' capable of imparting 100 earthquake shocks per minute. Diagonal comers of the body are fixed solid, and other diagonals are twisted different amounts at varying speeds. Thus one corner will be lifted three inches very quickly and the other four inches more slowly. Bodies are so tortured for 12 hours or more before they are released. One body was submitted to a million shakes and then fitted to a works chassis- Since then it has covered 30,000 miles without the semblance of a body squeak. Thus is ensured the silence that is a feature of the modern motor car. CURING A SLIPPING CLUTCH. On some makes of cars clutch slip is due to the six bolts which carry tho springs being rusty and so preventing the springs from sliding freely, thus seausing the clutch plate to engage unevenly. To remedy the trouble, removo the bolts and clean them, but before doing this check the amount of spring compression by setting a oair of callipers to the distance between the nut and the bolt head. Remove the bolts one at a time, and polish their stems with emery cloth. Grease the bolts before replacing them, and when fitted into position screw the nuts up to the setting given by the callipers. This will give an. even compression on all six springs. It is useful to know that a cake of common soap can be used to overcome clutch slip. Shave off thin slices of the soap and apply them to the face of the clutch. This makes a good temporary repair that can be used with both disc and cone types of clutch. Drivers of cars with leather cone clutches who are troubled with clutch slip will find the following cure effective. Secure an old hack-saw blade and break it into five or six pieces. Push these pieces teeth first between the leather and the cone. This small amount of packing enables the clutch to take up the drive smoothly. INSPECTION LAMP. An ordinary mirror can be used to illuminate some dark corner beneath the car. When you have no inspection lamp prop or hold the mirror so that it will reflect the light on to the part of tlie car needing attention. Ihe larger the mirror the better.