THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21989, 26 June 1933, Page 2

THE MOTOR WORLD.

By ACCELERATOR.

AIR-POWER STEERING. An air-power steering control, by means of which a heavy; truck or bus may be steered with even gredter ease than a light passenger car, has been developed in America, and demonstrated with success. The apparatus, which operates by air pressure, consists of a double-acting cylinder, controlled by a double-valve arrangement, which acts as a “booster’ on the regular steering mechanism._ The device is said to reduce steering “to a comparatively slight expenditure of effort on the part of the operator.” to minimise road shocks, and, prevent “ shimmying ” of the front wheels. The tests were conducted with a 7a-ton truck on which the device had been applied. In one of the tests in New York an observer was able without much effort to turn the truck’s front wheels while the vehicle was standing still. In another test, a girl steered the truck nimbly in and out among a number of barrels placed in the street. The mechanism is stated to be applicable to any vehicle. DEADENING NOISE. Here is on old hint for deadening trans-., mission noises in much-used cars. . ;.'i The idea consists simply of placing an extra layer of carpet underneath the existing floor mats. Any pieces of wornout carpet from the home will do quite well, and there is no need to take specijil care in cutting them absolutely accurately to shape or in binding the edges, because they will, of course, be quite out of sight. Motorists who carry out this plan will be surprised at the extent to which gearbox and similar noises are deadened. A further advantage of the plan is that the double layer of carpet makes the floor much more comfortable for the passengers’ feet. MORRIS IN SHANGHAI. . Statistics published in the Chinese press reveal that Morris is far and away the most popular British make in Shanghai. Morris were second in total International settlement registrations at the end of 1932, with 652 units —196 ahead of the next British make. _ Morris was also second in the total of international settlement and French Concession registrations at the same date, with 1094 units —tin's time 426 in excess of their nearest British competitors. RESTORING OLD FILES. Many motorists who do their own minor repair jobs have accumulated a large number of old files which have been discarded because their teeth have become closely clogged with metal. The usefulness of these files can be restored very quickly and cheaply. They should be left for a period of from 5 to 10 minutes completely submerged in a glass or porcelain vessel containing one part of nitric acid dissolved in six parts of water. They should be removed from the bath, and the cutting faces should be rubbed briskly over a board smoothly bound with several layers of cloth. The object of this operation is to remove acid from the cutting ends of the file teeth, while leaving a film of acid over the clogging material between the teeth. The files should then be left for about half an hour. In that time the clogging material will either be completely dissolved or so loosened that it can be dislodged with a hard brush. The files should then be thoroughly washed, first in water, to which a little carbonate of soda has been added, and then in clean water. They should then be oiled until they are required. The nitric acid is an extremely corrosive solution, and the utmost care should be exercised to ensure that it does not come in contact with the hands or clothing. ON PATCHED ROADS. “There is one'aspect of road-using which seems to be overlooked by motorists, 1 and that is sensible driving where road surfaces are b.eing patched with aspahlt,” says the Canterbury Automobile Association in its latest message to motorists. “In many parts of the city and suburbs the workmen have been busy filling in pot holes and patching the road-surface generally with asphalt, particularly along the tram-tracks. It is a matter of common experience that motorists, and other road-users show very little discrimination in the choice of road-surface, and that they drive over the freshly-laid asphalt, often at speed, so that the pot hole is gouged out again and the work of the roadmen is so much wasted effort. “This tendency to drive over the new asphalt destroys the roadway, throws the tarry patches about to the detriment of the paintwork of the car, increases the cost of upkeep, and also it is a form of wastage of ratepayers’ money. Motorists who are ratepayers are really penalising themselves in several ways. But at the same time as the association asks all road-users to respect road-patching with asphalt, it draws the attention of roadmending authorities to the fact that quite a lot of patching with asphalt is done in wet weather, a procedure which does not appear to be in the best interests of the roads, or econonmy. “ Another small but important detail is the failure to provide a protective covering of sand or grit on the asphalt patches. Such a covering would, in some measure, counteract the effect of tyres.” A BIG CLIMB. Some time ago two adventurous motorists conceived the idea of taking a Baby Austin car from Gangtok to Lhassa in Tibet. Mr C. E. Dudley describes the journey at length in Indian and Eastern .Motors. The car which we used (he says) had been on the roads for over five years and had done over 60,000 miles. It was not in any way specially prepared and tuned up, the only mechanical adjustment which was made being the removal of •the silencer from the exhaust.,in ordeCr'to get more power. Shortly after starting on the real journey ( they found the only possible route was over a kind of short cut which had been made for mtde and pony traffic to pass. The grade of tins track was about 1 in 2, and though it was only 50 yards long, it took nearly 40 minutes to negotiate it. Halfway up a huge bounder blocked up half the available space and bad to be shifted by the united efforts -of ourselves, our four coolies, and some warders from the Sikkim State gaol, who saw our predicament and came to our help. Many points of trouble were encountered. Hair-pin bonds were frequent:—there were 31 in two miles on one stretch. The running time of 23 hours to cover 27 miles at a speed of T.i®*niles per hour is sufficient to convince everybody that the party Vas not attempting a new speed record, but was determined to reach the Nathu-La Pass (altitude 14,780 feet). “IVe claim to have broken the existing altitude record for a car reaching this altitude by its own motive power,” concludes Mr Dudley. TRANSPORT IN RUSSIA. Transport in the Soviet Republic is one of the greatest of their problems, all the year round. Waterborne traffic is held up by ice and road traffic is hindered by snow, while railways are entirely inadequate. Yet from every angle efforts are being made to produce solutions best fitted to widely varying local conditions. The most recent success is the “ aero-sledge,” which is an ingenious adaptation of the old-time horse sledge, or troika. The acro-sledge is built of steel tubing and angle-iron, with a boat-shaped body covered in duralumin. It has front scats for two drivers, with an enclosed cabin sealing four persons, fitted with two “ unbreakable glass ” windows each , side and one in front. Behind the cabin is mounted the air-cooled engine and the propeller. Steel stays extend to the extreme width of the propeller blades. The driver’s cockpit is open, with en-gine-control equipment on a dashboard and a steering wheel, like those o'f a motor car. The wheel operates on the front skid, by which the sledge is adequately steered. The steel-shod skid is mounted with an eccentric bearing. Plenty of clearance is left under the body for avoiding broken ice or drifts of snow, while the wide gauge of the back skids operates against easy capsizing. A coiled spring or two help as shock-absorbers. There is a fixed headlight at the front, while another searchlight is movable in

fltem* of now* —short description*, of tours, the state of the rood*, •to., dominant, oi icqvinea will be welcomed by " Accelerator.’ J

tlie bands of the mechanic, who sits next the driver. Extra luggage can be carried on top as with a taxi. The aero-sledges had only to be seen in the Soviet Republic to attain immediate popularity. THE MOTOR CYCLE JOTTINGS. Last mouth set a new low-level record ' for motor cycle sales in New Zealand. Only 28 new machines were 1 registered, of which six were in Auckland, four in Christchurch, four in Hamilton, three in Timaru. and one in Wellington. * * s? Contrary to his expectations, Alf. Mattson could not get a transfer from the Coventry track, to which he was under contract when he went to England, and he is still riding for Coventry, according to his last letter. In a previous lettei he said that he was transferring to the Sheffield track to ride with “ Squib ” Burton. On the opening night of the Coventry track Mattson won two races and finished second in two, out of six starts. He was using a clutch start, which he considered very good. CLUB NOTES. The annual meeting of the cycle section of the Otago Motor Club was held in the club rooms, Mr C. H. Bingham presiding over an attendance of 55 members. The annual report was adopted. A discussion took place with reference to trade members being eligible for the committee. It was decided to allow trade members to stand for election, but that the number elected to the committee be restricted to two. Nominations were then called for officebearers for the ensuing year, and after ballots the following were elected:—Club captain, Mr A. Crighton; secretary, Mr A. Bingham; treasurer, Mr C. Bingham; press reporter, Mr J. Carson; committee —Messrs S. Bridget, J. Carson, R. Dickie, S, Morris, J. A. Robertson; Social Committee—Messrs A. Bingham, S. Bndger, R. Dickie, S. Morris, R. H. Stewart, R. Millis; handicapper, Mr J. L. Passmore. While further discussion was being carried on, Mr A. Bingham introduced the new jnembers to the intracacies of the urn, and tfie meeting being brought to a close, supper was partaken of. During supper Mr C. Bingham, on behalf of the members, presented Mr A. Watts (retiring secretary) with a leather attache case in recognition of his past' services to the club. The* thanks of the club are extended to Messrs E. W. G. H. Watts and W. F. Sutton for their services as scrutineers at the meeting. NEW ZEALANDER’S SUCCESS. News that Sid. Moses, New Zealand representative in the Isle of Man T.T. races, has received the Nisbet award suggests to a northern writer that the Junior Race, in which he came thirteenth and won a replica, was more eventful than cabled accounts mention) The Nisbet award is not awarded unless the stewards consider that a competitor has exhibited such pluck, endurance, or capacity to triumph over _ difficulties as warrants some special prize. To continue in a race suffering from some injury does not qualify a competitor v .for it. The award commemorates Mr J. R. Nisbet, a former chairman of the A.C.U., and one of the most popular officials that assisted at the earlier T.T. races. No rider has won the Nisbet award since 1927, so Moses’s feat, whatever it was, mitet be the outstanding effort in the T.T. history of the past six years. In his cable home Moses does not say why he had to retire in the first lap of the senior event, but presumably his machine failed him. On his arrival in England, Moses got somewhat tangled in the local red tape, the Customs officers insisting that he get a certificate from the manufacturers of his machine to prove that it was British-made before they would let him land it. He was delayed several days until he could furnish the requisite proof. Moses had not the benefit of experience in the Isle of Man races, although his was better that of any previous rider from New Zealand. In 1932, however, he was in England at the time the Tourist Trophy races were being held, and took the opportunity of practising over the course. Moses is regarded as one of the finest road-racing motor cyclists in the Dominion, and in the past three years he has twice won the New Zealand Tourist trophy race, finishing second on the other occasion. TOURIST TROPHY RACES. The motor cycle notes in the Christchurch Sun contain some interesting references to these classic fixtures. In 1928 C. J. P. Dodson won the Senior Tourist Trophy race in the Isle of Man, and in the same race the following year repeated his victory. In 1930 Percy Hunt won both Junior and Senior events. Last year Stanley Woods had similar wins in both races, and now the cable tells «s that he has carried off another double this year. Truly, the most amazing performance in the history of the races. Woods, an Irishman, made his first visit to the Isle of Man in 1921, when he made the journey in order to see the T. races of that year. When he was there he had a ride_ on a motor cycle which he was not driving and on which he was not the pillion passenger. He was one of three men on the bike, and he formed the “ meat ” in the “ sandwich.” It was this way in which he made his first acquaintance with the T.T. course. While over there he promised himself that he would ride in the next year’s events. He did, and finished fifth in the Junior. Mounted on a Cotton, he won the Junior in 1923. In 1926, ridina Nortons for the first time, he won the same race in the following year. He led from the start to the middle of the fifth lap, when a slipping clutch sent him down to fifth place in the next lap and ultimately resulted in his retirement. He was third in the Senior and fourth in the Junior races of 1931, and then came his magnificent doubles of 1932 and 1933. Woods’s brilliancy, however, does not stop at road-racing. He is undoubtedly the most versatile of the first-class riders of to-day. He has taken a hand in every branch of the sport—even including broadsiding—and in most of them he is a “ top-notcher.”

SPARKS . Horseless vehicles should be rim with horse sense., , , Corrugated stainless steel with a cork covering is a new material for vehicle flooring. Teacher: What is the matter with your singing? You are simply screeching! Student; Only hittin’ on one tonsil. * ' * Synthetic resin is being used, in connection with a textile reinforcement, for bearings in America. At an unreserved sale - of a farm and effects near Springfontein, Grange Free State, recently, two motor cars and a lorry were sold for two shillings each. ’Elpfnl ’Erbcrt (to motorist whose baby car has had a breakdown, and who has the various parts of the engine spread on the road in the pelting rain); “Would it not be wiser to play with your Meccano indoors during such weather as this? ” > * * An American oil firm lias developed => process by which a motor spirit of good quality may" be obtained from cottonseed oil by means of a cracking process, similar to that used in the refining ■ some of the petrols at present available. Just over half a gallon of this petrol can be obtained from one gallon o { oil. One of the latest accessories offered in England is a windscreen consisting of two thin sheets of glass having a 'in-hi between them and a device which will automatically change the colour of the liquid, and so prevent the driver from being dazzled when driving cither towards a setting sun or a very powerful headlamp.

The rich father promised his, son a car if he passed his final examination, bub to his disgust the latter failed. “Why on earth didn’t you persevere with your studies?” he demanded. “ I was learning to drive, Dad, ana didn’t have much time to spare, ’ was the frank admission.

Dry ice, well known as a refrigerant for foodstuffs during transportation and storage, now is being emploj'ed for contracting metal parts to facilitate their assembly into other pieces, for keeping aluminium alloy rivets in an annealed state until ustld, and for appreciably hardening certain steels by cooling them to abnormally low temperatures. One important use is the shrink-fitting of motor car cylinder-liners.