THE MOTORIST

Northern Advocate, 7 November 1931, Page 13

THE MOTORIST

PROGRAMMES FOR 1932. NO SENSATIONS REVEALED. ORTHODOX METHODS FOLLOWED. The ears for 1932 have not altered very much from the products of a years ago. No radical changes have been noted, indeed in many instances only minor alterations in design are to be observed. Manufacturers for 1932 have not embarked on ambitious programmes of reconstruction, but have preferred to alter their automobiles in small details only, a plan at the present time of financial stress and strain that is eminently sound. Those who arc in the possession of cars that they purchased a year ago will undoubtedly be pleased with the makers’ programmes for 1932, for the cars that they now own will be comparatively modern, and not right out of date as is generally the case with cars that have been running on the roads for 12 months. The motorist mentioned aliove who has looked after his chr in a fit and proper mariner will have the satisfaction of knowing that his automobile is almost indistinguishable from the latest product. , The four cylinder engine appears to be still popular for the light car. This is a really remarkable fact, for this writer can remember quite well two or three years ago, when those wdio professed to know everything about the motor industry said that the four cylinder engine would in a comparatively short time be superseded by the light six and eight power Units. However, the four cylinder car still finds favour with the manufacturers, and continues to be purchased by a public fully conscious of its remarkable powers of speed and endurance. Manufacturers are realising that in almost every instance today it is the appearance of. a car that is responsible for its popularity. Thus it is fouud that for 1932 the automobiles have a wide range of colour schemes.' “Please the eye,” appears to be the slogan of more than one factory and so browns, blues, 'and all those other shades that are a delight to gaze'upon will be available for the critical purchaser.

A feature which those who turn out the ears from their factory seem to, have studied assiduously is the reduction qf Boise. All kinds of devices, it seems, have been invented to make the ear run quieter. These even include a special fan which it is claim* ed runs with -a noise approaching the hum of the engine.

The automobiles for 1932 are still of the orthodox type. No special streamline cars in addition to those models already on the market have made their appearance, and no radical changes in engine design have been seen. Programmes for the coming year are of a very nnsensational nature, manufacturers preferring to adhere to the old and tried methods, leaving severely alone ideas which the public have not as yet a complete and intelligent knowledge.'

CARE OF OIL. SAVING MONEY. The best way to clean the crankcase of old oil is to have the engine run for about .15 minutes or more, and then drain.

This will thin any congealed oil that may be present, and will permit the oil to drain more freely and completely. Be sure to let the crankcase drain thoroughly before replacing the drain plug. If the crankcase is drained when the engine is hot, any foreign matter present in the oil will be carried off. In removing contaminated oil, kerosene should never be used to flush the oil reservoir. Some of it is certain to be trapped in the splash troughs or other pockets in the crankcase, remaining there to dilute the fresh oil put in.

It is desirable to flush the crankcase with a. quart of fresh oil, if flushing is necessary. When the crankcase has been drained and the drain plug replaced, it should be filled Avith the proper grade of high quality oil, determined for the car from u reputable oil manufacturer’s chart of recommendation.

In this connection, it is important to remember that the effectiveness of lubrication, and consequently the safeguarding of the car, depends not on colour or body, but the methods employed in making the oil, A few pence saved in purchasing fugitive brand of oil of unknown lubricating qualities may cost pounds later in bearing and other troubles.

WATCH THE ACCUMULATOR. Don’t neglect your accumulator in summer time. Just because it lies neatly hidden away under its cover and seems a harmless straightforward component, many motorists give it little or no attention from year’s end to year’s end. Now if there is one thing more than another that does bring on premature senile deea} r in accumulators it is allowing the acid level in the cells to sink too low. On hot summer days evaporation takes its toll, and unless the cells are topped up every now and then the solution sinks below the level of the plates, which show their thirstiness by sulphating. As soon as sulphating sets in, the capacity of the accumulator begins to be reduced, and if neglect continues a time will when it won.’Jt,.]ioW its charge properly. Topping up must be done with distilled water, obtainable from any chemist. Don’t use, tap water, for this is invariably full of impurities which may give rise to local action on the plates with dire results. And remember that it is only the water part of the electrolyte that evaporates, so that there is no need to add acid. When topping up, remove the vent plug of each cell and pour in just enough distilled water to ensure that the plates are well covered.

BUYING THE NEW CAR. FIXE MODELS AVAILABLE. I know of no more exciting pastime connected with motors and motoring than the choosing of a new ear. Whether tin* automobile that the buyer wishes to possess is to be a 40-50 Rolls Koyce or an insignificant baby rar does not matter, for Hie pleasure experienced while searching through the different catalogues for one’s ideal is just the same. The gleaming products that are to be seen between the pages of the handsome brochures issued by the different companies, delight the heart and please the eye of every person who admires line colours and skilful lines and contours.

Those who are fortunate enough at this time to be thinking of purchasing a vehicle, will find the latest cars extremely pleasing to look upon. Many additional colour combinations are to be available on the .1932 models, while the interior appointments, that are included on the ears today being turned out from the factory, are very complete. These facts should make the choosing of the new car a very pleasant task, for who is the person who does not derive a great deal of joy from considering the creations of the many companies who cater for every class of buyer? There is very little advice .that can bo given to those who arc thinking about a new car at the present time. The competition among the different motor companies is so keen that the product of each factory may be said to be very little different from its rival. Brice alone decides the question of the better car, so that the person who is buying a 1932 model may purchase any one of them with confidence, knowing that it is for the money, the finest automobile that can be produced.

ENGINEERING PROGRESS. NEW MAGNESIUM ALLOY. It seems only a short time since aluminium alloys were hailed as the final triumph of the metallurgist in the direction of providing a maximum of strength with a minimum of weight, states “The Motor." Already, however, a powerful competitor lias arisen in the form of a magnesium alloy which is equally strong aiid 40 percent. lighter. And no one connected with the twin subjects of engineering and metallugy believes for one moment that the end is in sight. The search for new materials of construction is more active, and is coveting a wider .field than over before. Engineers must always limit the scope of their inventive efforts in strict accordance with the properties of the ■metallic and non-metallic materials that are available. The discovery of new alloys and oilier substances at once widens the path of progress and makes practicable methods which were previously set aside as unworkable, On the other hand, it is equally true that the inventive skill and ever* increasing theoretical knowledge of automobile engineers have enabled them to bring about many improvements in design without departing from the existing range of materials, fhe list of post-war improvements of this nature is, indeed, of imposing length and includes many notable desuch as front-wheel brakes, low-pressure tyres, steel coachwork, free wheels, self-changing gearboxes, the fluid flywheel and highspeed multi-cylinder engines. As H.B.H. the Prince of Wales so rightly pointed out in his recent -speeches in Birmingham and Manchester, progress, in the design and construction of mechanisms is now so rapid that owners change their ma-chine-s, long before they are worn out, in order to obtain the latest and best designs. ■ ■

STOP LIGHT ADJUSTMENT. When the stoplight fails to function as the brake pedal'is depressed, it will bo found almost invariable that the wire connecting the brake gear to the switch operating the stop light has cither broken or stretched and this may be remedied accordingly. Motor cars in Paris are being equipped with strong wire cowcatchers.

TRAFFIC CHAOS. CONDITIONS’ I.N LONDON. There is only one solution for traffic problems, whether it be in London or any other great centre. That is: Give the traffic room to circulate. One cannot pour a gallon of water into a pint pot without making a mess. But in London we are pouring thousands of vehicles into streets which are barely capable of handling hundreds, says an English writer.

The number of vehicles on the Lon

don streets is certain to go on increasing. It is plain common sense that the. exigencies of the traffic will increase in the same proportion as the number of road conveyances. If the situation is allowed to develop the day will come when all progress will be impossible in the crowded business centres of our great metropolis. Modern commerce depends on mobility of transport for its successful exploitation. Therefore absolution of our traffic problem must be found at all costs and found quickly. London can only be saved as a firstclass city if it is given wider streets and higher buildings. If these are not supplied London will inevitably become a second-rate city filled with interesting museums and relics of the. past but totally unsuited for modern commercial life.

There- is a tendency on the part of business men to concentrate all their activities into one building. It is better for organisation and efficiency. This means big buildings. But the ground values in London are so high that in many cases it has become impossible to erect buildings with a hope of obtaining a reasonable return on the capital outlay. Restrictions in heights entail smaller cuDic accommodation and so restrict annual rentals. Building Held Up. If the building regulations were relaxed and architects were allowed to design buildings half as high again as the average existing in London building, economic construction would be possible and a great relief would be given to unemployment. As it is, a vast amount of building is being held up in London, because no one can afford to build under present conditions.

The officials of the County Hall arc bound by their regulations, and, however sympathetic they may bo towards a new project, their' hands arc tied. I venture to suggest- that many of the experts of the L.C.C. are not opposed to wider streets and higher buildings.

London was never properly planned. It grow up quite by accident, and as it spread the main streets followed the of the old cart tracks. It is plainly , ridiculous to expect a modern community to exist in' such old-fash-ioned surroundings. With the best will hr the world it is obviously impossible for, any body of police to hope to solve the traffic problem by introducing a few one-way street and “circus" systems. These systems may relieve the pressure of traffic but they do'not .supply an ultimate solution.

So we conic bade to the necessity for wider streets and the concomitant factor which ‘-frill make wider streets possible—higher buildings.

WIRE WHEELS. Wire wheels are definitely the safest and most efficient of all typos. Unlike all other wheels, the spokes in this construction are in. tension, those furthest from the point of contact sup-, porting the weight. This feature ensures an inherent flexibility—a verydesirable feature in a built-up wheel. Further, as modern practice tends toward designing these wheels with wider bosses, so setting the spokes at an acute angle from the central plane, resistance to lateral stresses is very high and, as a consequence, danger of collapse reduced to a. minimum. Another advantageous feature seldom realised by motorists is in assuring longer life for tyre. equipment, first by reason of the natural elasticity of the wheel, and secondly .due to the fact that heat generated by- friction of the tyre against the road surface is rapidly dissipated, the metal spokes act in the nature of radiators, and as a consequence the running temperature of a tyre which, incidently, has a very great bearing upon tyre life, is much lower than would *be the case with artillery type wheels.