NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19956, 26 May 1928, Page 10 (Supplement)

NOTES.

Another example of the hazy geography of American advertising appears in a recent trade publication from the United States, which classifies under " Australian Records" a speed dash from Cliristchurch to Bluff. Driving a British car under 2000 c.c. Kaye Don established a new international 100 mile record on Brooklands track in April. His average was 113£ m.p.h. The previous record in the 2000 c.c. class was 109£ m.p.h. The usual seasonal slips are occurring in the Motu Gorge. The possession of a shovel has saved many motorists from long hold-ups on this road. Many of the falls of earth ean be cleared within a reasonable time if the car crew is energetic. Novice: "Been trying for ten minutes and can't got a solitary explosion. Whatever can be the matter?" "The fact is, old chap, you've literally been trying to explode a fallacy. I seo you have the ignition switch 'off'." ' , Pictro Bordino, tho famous Italian racing driver, was killed while testing a car early in April. * The accident was caused by a dog running under the wheels. Bordino was considered the "acc" of Italy's drivers and was the winner of the Italian Grand Prix in 1922. Like many masters of the wheel he survived the countless risks of competitions and tracks only to meet his death when performing what was merely daily routine speed work. On his return to Great Britain, Mr. W. R. Morris, who visited New Zealand a few months ago, stated that he was satisfied that much unfounded criticism of the clearance of British cars had been advanced overseas. This point so often advanced in the favour of American cars was best answered 'by putting a foot rule on representative cars of both types. Tho measurements would reveal that much argument had been based on a fallacy. DETAILS IN CLEANING. The modern car is now so furnished that the owner can, with the least expenditure of time and trouble, keep it in fairly presentable condition as regards the bodywork and general exterior appearance. But cleaning for appearance sake is not the whole matter as it effects car maintenance and attention. Cleaning means the freeing of important, and perhaps unseen, parts from the mud and dust and dirt picked up in ordinary everyday use of tho vehicle. The under parts of the car do not catch the eye of the user or even of the ordinary passerby. But if one were to go down into the pit below the car one would undoubtedly be considerably surprised to find tho amount of dirt and foreign matter plastered over everything, including articulative members of tho car's mechanism aqd control equipment. Wet mud is driven up with force and penetrates every crevice of the underwork of the vehicle, causing rust of important mechanical members and a genera] inefficiency and tending to rapid and expensive wear of the car "in small but most important details. In some cases this rust causes considerable difficulty when making adjustments. Thus we have the threaded adjustments of brake and other rods rusted up. In some cases the camshafts of the brakes get so rusted in their bearings as to become operative only with the greatest difficulty. When once these parts have become freed from mud, which may be done by a liberal soaking and then swilling with water projected with violence from a hose, they should be worked free and dried and then should be liberally treated with paraffin oil squirted into the bearings. The paraffin squirting should bo continued until the oil comes out with no trace of rust. Then the whole should be dried up and good, thick lubricant applied. MOTOR " GADGETS." , There are a great many things offered to the motorist which are in the nature of experiments so far as he is concerned. All kinds of subsidiary appliances and substances are constantly being put on the market which may or may not be an advantage. The craze for experiment lies deep in the make up of a surprisingly large number of people, and it is exploited by all kinds of shrewd and sharp business men with a view to turning a more or less honest penny. A great many of the things which are put before motorists are good things, although not necessarily good for many individual cases. The motorist of an experimental turn of mind may buy a multitude of appliances and gadgets for his car. He may find things offered him which" are useful and helpful to him individually on account of his own particular idiosyncracies or the necessities of his business or sport. The motor can be used for so many purposes that it becomes the centre of a great deal of inventive activity on tho part of those whose interest it is to bo always introducing new things. At the present time inventions in connection with automobiles outnumber by many times those applied to any other single piece of mechanical engineering. There are things which are introduced by the old-established firms with big interests in the industry, who may be relied upon to refrain from introducing anything of the catch-penny, type. The owner-driver shou'd always take it as an axiom that the manufacturer of his car, who has spent much time, money, and research in perfecting its design and manufacture, will have carefully canvassed everything which may have suggested an improvement. There are quacks in every trade, and the motor trade is not immune. The trouble with all these things is that the motorist may be induced to start experimenting with his car. Nothing can so surely lead to his undoing—unless he is gifted with a wide knowledge and has an engineering training.