Motors and Motoring.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11293, 19 August 1922, Page 11

Motors and Motoring.

i Trade and Other Jottings.

9 (By iottßmM

“Torque-Rod.”)

THE CAR AS A STATIONARY ENGINE UTILISED FOB VARIOUS PURPOSES. Since the advent of the motor-car it has been put to many other,uses than that for which it was originally aeeigned. Up to a fe>v years ago it was comparatively common to seo a motorcar outside a hall in a country town generating the power required to drive a motor in connection with a motion picture entertainment. Until recently the owner of a cinema plant travelled round the districts in close proximity to Wellington by motor-car, ana gave entertainments by utilising power derived from bis car engine. It did not give the beet results, however, as the light was anything "but steady. On farms motor-car engines are often made use of to drive a circular saw for cutting firewood, sometimes for churning butter* and an instance was brought to notice where a punt was being drawn across a river by a motor-car. Most devices for using the motor-car as a stationary engine require either the jacking up of the rear or the removal of one or both rear wheels. The latest style adopted in America ,1s free from ]both these necessities. The car is simply backed up an inclined runway until the rear wheels* drop intp a cradle formed by two small driven wheels with the auxiliary mechanism at each 6ide. These little wheels are formed from heavy pressed metal, each half being made separately, and the two then rivet ted together in the centre. The reason for the curious construction. is, of course, the desire that the wheel shall form a cradle for the rear wheels of the caT, without possessing itself the excessive weight that it would have if solid. NEWLY-PAINTED VEHICLES HOSING BENEFICIAL. "Acids in fruit causes a sheen, or bloom to appear on the outside," stated a carriage painter to “Torque Rod," and varnishes act somewhat similarly. Therefore newly-painted, cars are much benefited by a good hosing down, but not with a great force of water, and afterwards sponged. Many motorists when washing their Cara find that a little kerosene added to the water greatly assists in getting the body clean and bright. Nothing can beat it for making the best of really old paint or enamel, on which any amount of work and polish will never he tepaid by a corresponding improvement in appearance, but it is a shame to use it on a brand new car, which, with the aid of plenty of water and soap, will be able to do without paraffin for a couple of seasons. Some motorists use wax preparations for polishing the body work. Kerosene should not be used where this is the practice, for it will quickly remove the skin of the polish. SHELL £5; 500,000 DIVIDEND 27J PER CENT FREE OF STAX. More than .£5,500,000 profit for the past year, is shown by the report of the Snell Transport and Trading Company, and this, with the balance of .£2,007,588, brought forward from last year, makes an available profit of .£7,634,261. As already announced, the directors propose paying a further dividend of 3s 6d per share, making 27J per cent., free of tax, for the year. This leaves a balance of .£2,069,595 to be carried forward to the current year. , A year ago the profit reported was A 7,627,421 and a dividend of 35 per cent, free of tax, was paid. The balance carried forward was .62,007,588. The price of petrol at present is 2s sid per gallon.

OILING UP PERIODICAL INSPECTION. Many oar owners do not pay sufficient attention to the oiling of their cars once often wonder why they squeak when travelling along the road. Squeaking is most annoying to the average driver and they are sometimes exceptionally hard to locate, hut by experience it is not very difficult to distinguish the sound made by the woodwork of a car and that set up by dry or loose metal. In the majority of casos the squeaking of care is traceable to springs which have been allowed to become dry, although tho exact spot may not be easily discovered. A drop or two of oil usually does the "trick" and saves the owner of the vehicle using cuss words. Want of knowledge of a car’s mechanism by tho owner often causes him expense and trouble. A case in point was brought to notice recently -whore the owner of an expensive English car found that the engine was knocking and on taking it to an expert he was shocked to discover that it waa necessary occasionally to replenish the oil in the crank-case. The car had been on the road for twelve months and during that period it never occurred to the owner to oil or replenish tho grease in tho caps. To ensure the procuring of the best from a motor-car a periodical inspection is essential; in fact, a good practice is to go round the grease caps almost daily, when the car is in constant daily use, and give each a half-turn. By this means it is soon discovered when a cap is becoming devoid of grease, in addition to ensuring that the parte are being lubricated. In cases -where oil reservoirs are not provided with gauges, the placing of a mark on the tank and seeing that tho oil is kept up to that mark is a good plan and a simple one. Ferhaps the part of a car which receives the least attention is the brake which is a very important part. The oiling of the brake mechanism should on no account be overlooked. The pin* supporting the brake shoes, the bearing points of the cams or toggle mechanism which actuates the brakes, the break lever, and every point of the rods should bo regularly oiled. It is a mistake to smother the parts with oil in order to save a moment or two’s "work. Over-oiling is a good means of collecting dust, which is difficult to remove ana detracts from tho appearance of the vehicle. The placing of oil and grease in the gear box and. deferential is simple, but a messy job. It docs not reqnire to be dohe often and the work will he done at a garage for a few shillings, including the material. SCREEN CLEANER AN ELECTRICAL DEVICE. For many years the motorist rubbed the mist and rain from his wind screen with his hand or a rag. To-day no end of devices have been provided to clean the screen. The ordinary screen wiper, taking the form of a strip of rubber in a metal clamp, and l fitted to the outside of the screen, is daily being improved upon. The latest is an electric-allyf-heated screen cleaner. A polish plate-glass panel about 15Jin long, and of varying depths, is inserted in the wind screen opposite the driver, and heated by electricity from the car’s installation. The panel is framed in the glass; the framing serves as a means of attachment, forms part of the electrio service, and provides an anchorage for about half a dozen resistance wires. These wires are held taut across the panel by the spring-held edge of the 'frame, and of such fine gauge that they are practically invisible. When they are' switched into oirouit their heat effectively clears fog mist from both the front and hack of the panel. The switch gear and automatic out-out aro designed to meet all electrical requirements without risk of injury to the main installation.