THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19500, 8 June 1925, Page 4

THE MOTOR WORLD.

ey ACCELERATOR.

Motorists desiring information with re- , gard to mechanical or other car troubles, 1 or on any matter coming within the scope of the sport, pastime, or business of motoring are invited to send inquiries to " Accelerator.” Special eflorta will be made to give the most reliable advice on ail topic* of interest. AOKNO W LED GHENT'S. Ihe Bis- Tree Bulletin and Calendar for June are to hand from Messrs A. S. Paterson and Co. BOA DING ENTERPRISE. The United States of America have ) scheduled between them to construct 24,000 miles of highway during the present year, in addition they have to maintain a total of 217,794 miles of existing roads. The huge sum of £81.000,000 has been set apart by the State Departments for construction and £27,000,000 for maintenance of present highways, whilst the various States between them will spend approximately £92,600,000 in construction and maintenance work. American motorists are now the moat favoured in the world as regards road surfaces. A BIG DEAL. One of the biggest deals in the automobile world is announced from New York. Dodge Bros., thousands of whoso cars are running on Australasian roads to-day, has been sold to Messrs Dillon, Read, and 00., who acted on behalf of the banking syndicate, for the huge sum of £25,000,000. The new owners have assured the management that, the business will be continued and conducted as an independent corporation, and that any rumours of consolidation with other companies are unfounded. The policy, standards, and ideals of the present organisation are recognised and approved, and there is no intention of changing them. The present management and organisation will remain as they are, TYRE PRICES. The cabled announcement from London that the price of motor tyros had been increased to 10 per cent, has been followed by another from New York stating that already the price of motor tubes and some covers'had been raised. A further increase is anticipated throughout the American tyre trade early this month, if the present high price of rubber holds. The cost of crude rubber in June, 1924, was in the region of lOd per lb, while during the past few weeks it has been well about 2s a lb, touching 2s 9d. Present indications point to rubber remaining for some time in the region of 2s per lb. The probabilities are that the Australian manufacturers of motor tyres will have to announce at an early date an increase of t-her prices to cover tlio of dearer rubber as it comes into consumption. OTAGO CENTRAL ROADS. The travels of Mr L. Churchill, of Dunedin, took him through Otago Centra! last, week. lie sends the following notes to “Chassis” of Christchurch Sun Mosgiel to Outram.—Good, Outrnin lo Middlemarch. After recent dry weather, this road is in beautiful order. Middlemarch to Kokonga Mostly fair, though slightly rough in places. Kokonga to Waipiala,—l" air Wa.ipiat-a to Hanfurly.—C*<)oa. Kokonga to Kanfurly, via Kycbum. ’Palmerston to Kyeburn.—Fairly good all through; though Pig Route still slightly rough. . Ranfurlv to Wodderbnrn. Good. Wcdderbiirn to Clyde.—A ia Ida Valley fair; via Blackstono Hill or St. Bathans, good. . Clyde to Cromwell. —Fair. Clyde to Alexandra.— bandy good. Alexandra to Roxburgh. Slightly rough in places, though generally fair. Roxburgh to Rao’s Junction.—b airly good all through, since recent repairs. Rao’s Junction to Beaumont —Meetly tair. but some rough patches, particularly Beaumont end. . , Beaumont to Lawrence. Mostly good. Lawrence to Manuka.—Good to Round Hill thence fairly rough; Manuka to Mount Stuart (Manuka Gorge,, very rough, repairs being effected. Mount Stuart to Clarksville.—Potholes. Being repaired. AN AUSTRALIAN INNOVATION. Under the now Main Roads Act of Now Soutn Wales the board is empowered to make regulations enabling councils to permit ‘‘road lighthouses” to bo erected on main roads, as a warning to motorists, in exchange for advertising concessions. Ihrse structures are surmounted by a circular disc, in the centre of which is a light, distinguishable from railway signals or other lights that might bo met on the road, and surrounded by (lie words, in illuminated letters, “Cautidn.” “Curve,” or whatever warning is necessary at that particular spot. On the structures are advertisoixients. which enable the light to be erected and maintained either at no cost to the council or at a nominal cost. These lighthouses are few in number at present in the State. Seven or eight have been installed in the Blue Mountains. Upon the success of these warnings, the usefulness of which has been amply demonstrated in this great mountain stretch, whore the traffic is often heavy, and where the mists often make an almost _ impenetrable curtain, largely depends their use in some of the other States, notably Queensland. it is understood. In Victoria, at the instance of the National Roads and Motorists’ Association, great use is already being made of them. HIGHWAYS BOARD AND ROADS. The South Island Motor Union recently wrote to Mr M. H. Wynyard, motorists’ representative on the Main Highways Board, suggesting that ho should make a tour of the South Island with a view to acquainting himself with motorist’s requirements in respect of roads. Mr Wynyard has replied as follows; “I am interested in what you say and may mention that members of the board have given contemplation to a tour of the South Island. It will not bo possible for mo to go further south, but I will ascertain at the board meeting this week when the South Island tcur can be arranged, and 1 will let you know what has been settled. I recognise the need for familiarising oneself with the reading conditions in all parts of the dominion. “As to the interests of motorists generally, you may be assured that they are by no means neglected. Regarding the conditions of individual roads, the board is taking up the, question of the proper maintenance with those local bodies, both in the North and South Islands, who are not carrying it out in a satisfactory manner. It is not possible, of course, to know, unless complaints are made, of all such cases, and I would suggest that your union, or any motor association should advise the board of any instances where you consider that the roads are being neglected. . In such case the board will obtain a report from its local representatives, and if the circumstances justify the complaint action would bo taken in the direction of requiring more adequate maintenance." ANOTHER USE FOR THE MOTOR CYCLE. Many service stations and garages to-day have a towing or wrecking truck which can he sent to assist customers or to tow in cripples or wrecks. It has been found that the sending of the truck to answer all emergency calls is not economy. The reason is that the majority of calk for help are found to be lack of gasoline, electrical trouble, carburettor trouble, or some oilier class of trouble which can be fixed right on the road. A number of service stations which handle a lot of emergency calls have found it to their advantage to maintain a motor-cycle and side-car in addition to the wrecking truck, and when an emergency call comes in, the nature of the trouble is ascertained over the ’phone. Then, if it is not a towing case, the motor-cycle goes out instead of the truck. It costs less to run the lighter vehicle out. and the wrecking truck is held in reserve for more serious work that may come in in the meantime. LUBRICATION. A subject which is always of interest to motorists is that of lubrication. Manufacturers continually stress ihe vitally important part correct lubrication plays in the successful operation and life of the units manufactured by them, so that owners should give this important detail every attention. When it is considered that the amount required to take care of l>v far the most important, item of 'the annual up-keep of a car represents in the vicinity of 2 tier cent, of the total outlay; it will ho appreciated that wtiiinjf UiA a ,«jpqtahie brand of tba (

of nowa—short description* of tours, the etots of ths etc., comment, ox inquiries wvU be welcomed by “Accelerate*. #

very boat quality' oil of the correct body and" character to meet fundamental requirements should find its way into the cian case. This in itself means economy, as by its use the maximum _ factor of salety is obtained, while the principal causes ot increased cost of running— i.e., depreciation and repairs, are kept down to the absolute minimum. ' , With t.ho advent of the cold weather, another very important undertaking is regular periodic draining of the crankcase. Motorists must realise that the tendency for* choking is more often resorted to < I urine the winter months, with its attendant evils—dilution of the crankcase oik it is, therefore, essential to have the crankcase drained and refilled with the correct grade of oil every 600 miles during the winter. When draining of the crankcase oil is neglected in winter weather serious trouble may also result from accumulation of sludge, which mav cover up the screens or stop up the oil line or drillings, thus cutting down the supply and causing burnt out bearings. Finally, the best time to drain the crankcase is when the engine is hot just after a run when the oil is in n state of agitation. This will carry off most of the sediment all that you can reasonably expect to get rid of without dropping the oil pom CHASSIS SPRING TREATMENT. Judging from my own experience of Ferodo fabric interleaving for road springs (writes Mr P. S. Jimenez.), it is remarkable that its advantage is not more universally known. , ■ , * I have fust returned from a trip to Australasia and South Africa. I shipped my old 12-16 h.p. 1914 Sunbeam direct to Now Zealand and motored some 5000 miles there, visiting all the places of interest accessible by car. From the consistent reliability of my Sunbeam I judged it would stand up to colonial conditions, for during the 60,000 miles of its English domicile I never had occasion to sleep elsewhere than at my destination. In fact, it had only one real fault, and that was its propensity to break springs. . Up to 1922 it broke 11 front springs and two back ones. I became expert in the use of tyre levers as spring splints, and rolled up air tubes as buffers. I then fitted Ferodo interleaving to the front springs, and had no more trouble for 10,000 miles in England. I did not altogether associate the W of the interleaving with this fact until after my New Zealand experience. The roads there are guaranteed to break any ordinary springing, and 1 very soon smashed some of the leaves in the back springs, and also sheared off the ©haAsis anchoring plat© of one of the quarter-elliptic springs. At the time I had this repaired I got a supply of the interleaving from the (local Ferodo agents, and had this fitted in all the rear springs. Afterwards 1 was able to ignore, more or less, the conditions of the ordinary roads, driving nt twice the speed of local cars, straight ahead over the craters and chasms which they were picking their way round. During the rest of the trip my springs receiver! no attention whatever. On an average they were thoroughly soaked fording rivers at least twice a day (one river was forded 27 times m 19 miles). I did stunts before all my friends to prove the superiority of British car springing o%or that of American cars, and finally, when carryinn- seven grown-ups, one child, and a Jonah (three punctures, a blow-out, and a staved-in tyre rim), I succeeded in smashing three leaves of one of the front springs. fTh© condition of these showed how the interleaving had functioned, which, to my mind, is essential to ideal springing. AYhcre the leaves in flexing rubbed on the interleaving they were quite bright, but nt the some time the steel was slightly worn, and also curiously marked bv an impression of the grain of the fabric. Now I have always understood tin. theoretically perfect springs should be run dry and unluhricatcd, but unfortunately iii practice rust prevents this being accomplished. The idea is that every leaf should respond to the sudden Mow caused by the obstruction in the road, but further movement damped out by friction between these leaves. Snubbers net much in this wav, but to my mind the interleaving is equal!v efficient, nt the same time obviating the necessity of greasing, eliminating all spring squeaks; moreover, the springs are always under observation, so that a broken leaf is spotted at onco. A NEW KACBR. Something every new and original in racing ears lias been produced by Ihe Alvis Car and Engineering Company, Ltd.. England. This is a super-charged front wheel-driven MOO e.c. racer, which is intended primarily for hill climbs and shore races. The engine is n standard sports Alvis with four ejiclindors, 65 x 103 mm bore and stroke, fitted with a Roots blower-type of super-charger which enables it to develop about 100 h.p. The chassis is the design of Captain G. Smith Clarke, and the front wheel drive is very simply and cleverly arranged. Naturally, as the drive is in front, the flywheel is also in front, and this brings the starting handle to the roar. The crankcase is stiffened and the engine attached to the frame by stout tubular bearers. The flywheel, in which is a single-plate clutch, is contained in a bell housing, and to this is attached a four-speed gearbox, the whole forming a single unit, in front of this again is the differential and spiral bevel. The differential shafts terminate in brake drums containing universal joints: there are also universal joints in the hub of each front wheel, which lie in the same centre line as the steering points, so that the drive is unaffected by the steering action, and two short propeller shafts lie between the wheels and the differential. The. front axle is composed of two tubes, and upon this the car is supported by' twin quarter-elliptic springs. It is something of an achievement to make the ‘front wheels drive, and take the braking strains through the propeller shafts. There are many other unusual points about this ear. For instance, it is very light, about »Jcwt, the weight to power ratio being 10Mb per horse power; this is partly brought about by the use of duralumin for the frame—the first ‘time the frame of a British racing car has been made of this metal, which combines the strength of mild steel with the lightness of aluminium. There is rather less unsprung weight than usual in this car, for the bevel drive, differential, and front brakes are all sprung. All four brakes are operated together through cahle connections by pedal or lever. The rear axle consists of a steel tube attached to the frame by quarter-elliptic springs. Hartford shock absorbers are fitted to both axles. The driver and his mechanic sit on very low- seats at the extreme rear of the car, and the gearbox is in front; therefore special control rods have to be fitted as in the usual type of car when the gearbox is placed in the car. The Roots supercharger is situated behind the engine in a ribbed aluminium casting and driven at engine, speed; between the super-charger and the engine a safety valve is fitted, so that in the event of a backfire the gas may escape harmlessly, and there is also a regulator to determine the maximum pressure at which the super-charger shall work. The performance of this car during the present English racing season will be watched by motorists with great interest. MOTOR CYCLE NOTES. The 1904 J.A.P. engine was one of the first overhead valve engines produced in England. A number of State police constables in Saxony have recently been equipped with side-car outfits to assist them in dealing with an ever-increasing volume of motor traffic. The opening meeting of the Brooklands 1925 racing season was well patronised, the majority of the wins going to Douglas and Zenith machines. 'lhe following telegram gives further evidence of the successes of British motor cycles-“B.S.A. overhead valve combination wins 350 c.c. (2% h.p.) class of Grand Prix de Lyon, averaging 75 kilometres an hour and making best time of side-oars irrespective of class.” Every magneto should be oiled every 1000 miles with magneto oil or 3-in-one. The contact-breaker points should be examined once a month and cleaned and dressed if necessary. Use sandpaper 00 - grade for dressing points. Do not use emery cloth; it; leaves small particles on the points, which cause trouble. The Tourist Trophy Races, the premier motor cycle road contests of the world, will ho held on the Isle of Man, off the English coast, on Juno IS, 17, and 19. There are five, races to be decided—the Senior, Junior, Light-weight, Ultra-light-weight, and Side-car, This year’s races promise to bo particularly interesting, as most of the European countries, including Germany, will be represented, whilst Australian and South African riders will also compete.

BY ACCELERATOR.

Ten minutes on the road with a modem motor cycle leaves a lasting impression of efficiency. Always a little more power than you anticipate, always that little extra turn of speed that satisfies, and, above all, the deeper satisfaction of knowing that the new mount, with all its extras, costs less than ils predecessor of pre-war days. While the winter overhaul is under way is the time to consider converting the oldfashioned “semi-automatic” oiling system to the now automatic pump feed. The conversion is a simple matter, and the satisfaction it will give is enormous. Mechanical lubrication is as great an advance on the “drip feed” as thus latter was over the plunger pump type. Assuming the compression of the engine is good and the ignition sufficiently advanced, it is possible that wastage of petrol may be caused (a) by flooding of the carburettor, (b) by the use of too big a jet, and (c) by leakage at one or more of the unions. There should bo no trace of wetness below the jot chamber when the machine, is stationary. If there is, it is (1) because the level of the petrol in the jet is set too high, or (2) because the needle valve is defective. With many types of modern carburettors it is impossible to discover the exact level of the petrol in the jet, which should l>o just not running oyer, and more frequenltv the cause of flooding lies in a particle of grit having lodged on the seating. Keep the chain at the proper tension at all times. This can be determined by lifting the bottom of the chain at its centre. It should only lift about one. inch if .properly adjusted. A loose chain may jump the sprockets and damage spokes and chainguard. Tight chains cause extra wear on the hearings, and result in chain breakages. About every 500 miles, disconnect and remove the chain. Clean it with kerosene thoroughly, then wine it dry and dip in a mixture of light cylinder oil and graphite. After an hour in the piixture hang the chain up to drip. When fill dripping ceases, wipe off excess mixture and oil and put the chain on its sprockets. Be sure that the clip of the detachable link snaps into proper position. SPARKS. As soon as a man learns to operate a car safely, he’s dangerous. When an apprentice doubts, he stops. After a little experience, he does neither. Nobody ever becomes reckless until confidence pushes caution away from the steering wheel. “Big Tree” Motor Spirit is becoming more popular every day. Why? Pre-war quality. —Advt. That trail along the highway left by dripping gas is known as the lautomobile s waste-line. An engineering firm in Tokio is preparing lo manufacture a light car with an intention to sell it at about £l6O. Beginners take it slow and uneasy. They do their speeding in low and drive most of tlie time with emergency brake on. A parking hole is a space between two cars, generally found on the opposite side of the street from the one you arc on. In one day locontly at Now York no fewer than 592 motorists wore fined at the traffic courts, leaving behind them a sum of money equal to about £3OO. “Crack” performers everywhere are winning on pre-war quality “Big Tree” Motor Spirit.—Advt. During the first nine months of 1924, 27 fatalities resulted in America because of too strong lights on vehicles, and 14 owing to confusion in dimming. The French Government, in recognition of the valuable work done by M. I»uis Dclago in connection with the development of the motor industry in France, has appointed him a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. In view of the forthcoming introduction of the taxi-meter to Auckland, a set of by-laws has been drafted relating to their operation, and the control of taxi-cabs carrying those devices. Six taxi-cabs fitted with meters are expected to operate in Auckland in about throe weeks’ time. The rule of the road in Rome is in future to keep to the right. Previous attempts to enforce this have failed, but special guards mounted on bicycles are on this occasion to be used. Your car responds like a thoroughbred when you use pre-war “Big Tree” Motor Spirit.—Advt. Speaking at a Safety First banquet, the Homo Secretary, Sir William JoynsonHicks, remarked that there wore many who would like to see Lie speed limit removed, but first of all motorists must got the confidence of the public by following out the principles of Safety First. The Main Highways Board’s laboratory for the testing of stones, rocks, etc., has boon completed, and will be available as soon as the necessary power can be obtained from the Wellington City Corporation. Neal, transfers, showing the letter A.A.A. in red, white, and blue, are being ordered by the Auckland Automobile Association for supplying to members on tour. They can be adhered to the windscreen of a car, I and are intended to servo the purpose, I formerly played by the old number plates, i of indicating the homo town of the motoVist on tour.