MOTORS AND MOTORING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 27 July 1927, Page 9

MOTORS AND MOTORING

NOTES OF INTEREST There is room tor (wo bands on a wheel no more and no less. t « * * That- "the brake is mightier than the. born" is tin. contention of the pohen trallic chief of Seattle, U.S.A. Many accidents occur because of failure to use the emergency brakes when the foot brakes are not sufficient to make an emergency stop.

Nearly 10,000 motor ey.-nsts <un', motorists were pii'.seeuted for using insiilticicnl.ly silenced \chicles in the. London metropolitan area- in 1020.

Service means; or should mean, thai »-!)■• manufacturer looks upon the sale of a single motor \ehielo to a customer as the beginning rather than the end of a business deal.

Salesman: And what kind of a motor ear horn would you like sir? Do you care for a good, loud blast? Haughty Customer: No I want somolbing that just sneers.

A petrol fire on a car can often be smothered with a coat or a rug. In the absence of an extingnuisher, sand, earth or Hour is useful, but water only aggravates burning benzine.

FIGHTING THE FROST COVER THE CAR BONNET If your garage is stoutly constructed the risk of damage to the water jacket by frost is infinitesimal provided the radiator and bonnet are well wrapped up for the, night. If a. radiator- muff is fitted ft is unwise to leave that as the only protection. A wise plan is to cover the whole length of the bonnet with a thick blanket. If the garage is constructed of brick that ia about all tho safeguard that Is required, but if it is of wood and sheet iron and similar materials, it is as well to take extra procautkms against the ravages of Jack Frost. There are on the market types of safety lamps which may be placed without apprehension under the bonnet of the car, away from all petrol connections as an additional precaution. Even a gas jet wiihin the garage often gives enough heat to guard against damage by frost.

While on tho subject of cold weather it, ought perhaps to' bo emphasised that a radiator muff makes a remarkable difference to easy and economical running on a cold day. A substitute for a radiator muff may not commend itself on the ground of neatness and appoaranec, but the covering of about a third of the surface of the radiator with a sheet of brown paper forms an excel'lent stopgap for keeping tho cngino warm on a cold day's run.

USEFUL HINTS RUST PROTECTION A thin coating of shellac is an effective anti-rust protection for bolts a.nd nuts. The Substance will also reduce the annoyance of loose and rattling parts. Both' nut and bolt should be dipped in thin shellac. After being put in place with the nut tightened the bolt should have a little additional shellac applied to its end. This treatment will not only prevent rusting, but will allow the nut to be taken off moro easily. As a general rule it is very hard to rustproof small parts. Sometimes they are coated with grease or graphite, but this soon wears off, and the rust continues to accumulate. Some forms of paint are frequently used, but these, too, are not permanent protection. The shellac coating is expected to overcome this.

THE HORN When tlio horn of his car goca dumb the average motorist usually starts to pull it to pieces or takes it along to the garage man. Next time you strike trouble of this sort try this action first: Get someone- to bold the button down while you lightly tap the horn with a spanner. More often than not this slight shock will give the. horn its lost voice. Ofttn, too, the armature sprndlc may need a little oil. CLEANING RADIATORS Very often scalo deposits in the radiator of old standing are exceedingly difficult to deal with, and only running for many hundreds of miles with strong caustic will shift them. The process is at the best a slow one. Try running with lib caustic per gallon of water, and thoroughly hose out and replace this solution every 100 miles. for 500 miles. If the scale will not yield to alkali, try acid—a 5 per cent, muriatic acid solution (spirits of salt) may be left in for five minutes (no longer) and the entire system must then be flushed through thoroughly with water.

AESOP UP TO DATE There was ,onCc ft. mule who lived in the same field all his life. One day the spirit of adventure seized him, and leaping the gate he wandered down the hign road taking in all the new and unaccustomed s'.enes. Presently along came an aged, vehicle shod with rubber and breathing heavily'' from the single cylinder which'was its moving force. It stopped painfully as it met the mule. "Hello,'' said the latter- "What are you called?" ''Why, I am a motor car, of course. What are you?" "Then l r m a horse," said the mule. And they both laughed immoderately.

SIDE VALVES CONVERTED Overhead valve attachment for side valve engines are being sold in America and Great Britain. Sometimes the change is effected by merely changing the cylinder head and using the existing valves. The device, winTTT is sold for a popular British 11.9 horse-power ear, costs £25. It is surprising what virtues art" expected from overhead valves. Motorists go to the expense of altering a perfectly efficient side-valve engine for a makeshift overhead valve design in anticipation of a huge power increase. Needless to say, the overhtiad valve attachment makes no appreciable difference to a touring car, although it may improve the running of a. well-tuned super sports engine.

DECEPTIVE APPEARANCES A Chinaman called on a motor car salesman in Hamilton and asked for a car which he must have that particular night. The salesman took appearances into account, and told the Celestial to call in the moaning. He did, but drove up in a £7OO car, for which he paid cash on the nail to a.nother salesman, who gave him a bus right aV/ay. An instance of appearances belying financial strength was given in Christchurch not .many days ago (says "Chassis") when an unkempt, looking man drove, up to a. garage in a, 20-year-old machine with a death-rattle. He wauled to buy •) car, the salesman looked over the car and man, recoiled, and sold a brand new £SOO car. It was a cash deal, and it wasn't necessary to fake the old car, ""V! there.