MOTORDOM

Southland Times, Issue 19279, 25 June 1924, Page 8

MOTORDOM

NOTES AND NEWS

(By

“ Self-Starter.”) v

ENGLISH MOTORING SEASON PREPARING FOR SPRING. During the long winter months all kinds of people have been preparing for the opening of the great motoring season of 1924, states an English writer. Factories throughout the country have never been so busy—working overtime in .some cases to meet the growing demand for care, motor-cycles, and commercial vehicles. Many to whom motoring, owing to reduced prices, has become a possibility for the first time, have been, studying catalogues, trying to make then final selection from a bewildering choice of models. Hosts of workmen have, during the'drab winter months, been repairing old roads and making new ones. Signpost writers have been overhauling the roadside signposts, and fixing them up with the new road number inscriptions provided by the Ministry of Transport to help the motorist in finding his way across country. One whole county has just completed an entire overhaul of its signposts and warning boards.

Inns and hotels have been spring-cleaned in readiness for what is anticipated will be the busiest open-road season in the history of the pastime. AU that we are awaiting now is The Day. This may come at any time. At the first real hint of spring, the open road will awaken into life and the motorist’s joytime will have begun. Easter usually heralds the beginning of the motorist’s new year. At this period the countryside is gay with new-born colour, and its early freshness is a delight to the eye. It is the beginning of long days and long journeys, when the whole varied defights of Britain are within reach of the owner of a motor-car —and there is no country in the world so delightful for the motor tourist as Britain when the spring is here, not the spring of the calendar, but the Real Thing which may turn up now at ' any odd day. CHEAPER MOTORING. Since last springtime many important motoring developments have taken place. The most important of all was the big cut in prices at the autumn motor show. At the time many thought that the reductions were merely a show manoeuvre, and that by the opening of the season, when 1924 models W’ere being delivered in large numbers, the.prices would be advanced. The show reductions were, as a matter of fact, almost too good to believe. But the season is here again, and there have been very few increases in price. One or two firms have had to advance their prices a few pounds or so owing to increased cost of materials, but the majority are adhering to the prices they fixed in the autumn. Whether this happy state of affairs is going to continue remains to be seen, but it is a fact that motoring at the present moment, when one considers the high cost of labour and material, is cheap, and as cheap as we can expect for some time to come. This year too, we have the fully equipped car, which means that the buyer has to spend practically nothing on extras. There are few cars to-day without a spare wheel and tyre complete, a full lighting set of five lamps, a complete set of dashboard instruments, including a speedometer, while many include windscreen wipers, luggage grids, driving mirrors, dashboard lamps, a clock, and a petrol gauge as standard fittings. How fortunate the modern motorist is in this respect can be judged when it is recalled that before the war it was jften necessary to spend £lOO in extras on a car before it was fit to take away on a tour.

While the very light family four-seater car still promises to maintain its popularity, reduced upkeep costs have increased the market for the slightly higher-powered five-seater car. The 10 and 11-h.p. light cars will be in very close iompetion this year for public favour with the 13 and 14-h.p. cars. Most makers are producing both types. The choice depends on one’s pocket. W’hile the smaller car is cheaper in its initial cost, its tax and its running costs, the model -with the bigger engine is more roomy and more comfortable, and if expense is no great consideration is well worth the extra money. NEW DEVELOPMENTS. Apart from price reductions, other important motoring developments have taken place since last spring. Four-wheel brakes have proved their value, and have come to stay. There have been hundreds of cars during the past winter, and none of the faults fitted with this type of braking on the road during the winter, and none of the alleged faults of the system has been revealed. Not only have they become almost standard on the large expensive cars, but -ome makers of moderate-priced cars are offering four-wheel brakes as an optional fitting. For a motorist keen on trying out the latest ideas they are well worth experimenting with. Another device is the balloon, or low pressure tyre, which is one of the latest aids to motoring comfort. These tyres have a much larger air space than the ordinary pneumatic tyre, which gives them a sort of cushion effect when they come into contact with the road. They damp out the effect of potholes on bad roads, help the springing, and generally lengthen the life of a motor-car. Like fourwheel brakes they have been thoroughly tested and found efficient. They are only fitted as standard at present on few care, but they can be obtained from most tyre makers. The 1924 motor-car itself is a much improved vehicle. Many small details incorporated since last vear have made it more reliable and easier for the owner-driver to look after. These are only a few of the reasons why the 1924 open-road season which is due to begin promises to be the greatest yet experienced. THE IGNITION SYSTEM. SOME FAULTS EXPLAINED. A sudden failure of power, accompanied by misfiring, but with no signs of an incorrect mixture, is almost certain to be due to faulty ignition, and if the engine stops altogether the magneto or coil will be the source of the trouble, and not the plugs. This is fairly obvious, because one can hardly conceive of four or six plugs failing simultaneously. However, before attempting to dismantle the magneto or coil unit the engine should be turned over by hand, and the plugs tested with a screwdriver to see whether any spark is being produced. If no spark is obtained, or if the spark is obviously extremely weak, the trouble may be in the wiring connected to the switch by means of which the magneto is earthed. To make sure of this point, ; the switch wire can be detached from the magneto, and the plugs tested again. Similarly, in the case of a coil unit, the swatch can be examined and shorted by means of wire behind the instrument board if suspected of being faulty. If the trouble persists. it will be necessary to examine the magneto or the coil unit.

MOTOR CYCLE LIGHTING. WHICH METHOD TO USE. ' The existence of the lighting problem depends entirely on the need (or advisability) for more than one lamp. Before rear and side-car lamps were called for, few people felt the need for anything better than acetylene. With- extra lamps needed, the matter of choice became rather difficult, acetylene is just as reliable as ever it was, but the most methodical of us can be excused if we regard with horror the prospect ,of cleaning out. two or more generators every time we venture out after dark. Every sidecar machine must carry a head and rear lamp, while the advisability of a side lamp to show the full width of the vehicle needs no emphasis. The first question is to decide whether a considerable amount of night riding at a good speed is to be indulged in, or whether our lamps will merely be requisitioned for half an hour or so at odd intervals in perhaps well-lighted thoroughfares. If we want lamps to allow us to see, rather than be seen, it is clear that nothing short of a full-blooded electric lighting set, incorporating a dynamo and a large accumulator, the only installation that will be of any use is acetylene, which still remains the safest and best driving light. A large gas lamp, with a lens mirror reflector gives a wide, penetrating beam, unrivalled by any other system, as it shows up the sides of the road as well as the foreground. Of course, acetylene is a sad bother, so we must not overlook the claims of accumulator lighting. The first essentials are a large six-volt accumulator of reputable make and a set of first-class lamps, that for the sidecar to be of a type that actually does cast a good beam. This will illuminate the left-hand side of the road close by, which a properly focussed head lamp cannot do. THE DRAWBACKS OF ACETYLENE. If the acetylene head lamp be decided on, the side and tail lamps can be of the same kind, in which case two or three generators, or a large “gas works” capable of attending to the needs of all three lamps, or a D.A. cylinder will be necessary. Probably, however, electricity is the best illuminant for the side and tail lamps, as with a large acetylene head lamp, the only reason for the sidecar beacon is to let other people know that a sidecar, and not a solo machine is approaching. The current can be supplied from a small accumulator or from a dry battery; the former will, of course, require charging every month whether used or not, whereas the latter goes on doing its work until it is exhausted, and cannot be recharged. By using electric side and tail lamps we can use a system of wiring whereby one lamp acts as a “tell-tale” on the other, a failure of one causing the other to go cut. Thus, by mounting the sidecar lamp in such a position that it is under constant observation, we can tell without turning the head whether the tail lamp is alight or not. If the side lamp be burning, the tail lamp must be all right. This is called wiring up “in series,” and another advantage obtained is that only one switch is required. An important point to remember when using lamps wired up in series is that the bulbs must be precisely the same type, otherwise we shall probably get the effect of one bulb burning with intense brightness and the other just glowing. THE USE OF DRY BATTERIES. The question will naturally be asked “Why not use a dry battery for all three lamps?” So we can, with limitation. For instance, if a powerful light be not required, a dry battery will do the work splendidly, particularly if we make use of it only during short periods. The reason is that dry batteries will not stand a heavy discharge (about half an ampere, w'hich is equal to approximately three candle-power, can hardly be exceeded), and work best when used intermittently with lengthy intervals between during which they can recuperate. Some dry batteries are particularly suitable for use on motor-cycles, and will last six months or more, if used as recommended by the makers. It is best to use a separate battery for each lamp, or group of lamps, each of the same size and type. By this means we can change over the head lamp battery with that connected up to the side and tail lamps as coon as the former begins to show signs of exhaustion, which it will do before the other or others, as naturally the head-lamp bulb will be the largest and will consume the most current. We might with advantage use three batteries—one for the side and tail lamps, connected in series, and two for the head-lamp—with a two-way switch, so that we can use them alternately. Summed up, it will be seen that for serious night riding an acetylene-cum-dry battry installation is best, with accumulator lighting a good second. For short journeys at irregular intervals dry batteries can be used, and represent the very essence of convenience and cleanliness. YOUR MOTOR CAR. SOME USEFUL TIPS. The rear axle should not be neglected. Adjust and repack the bearings, refill the differential case and clean it, the wheel hub bolts should be tightened and the spring clips tightened. The clutch should be looked after. Lubricate the clutch collar, and adjust the clutch collar. The transmission is an important factor. Drain, clean, and refill it. Tighten the transmission support nuts. The brakes represent a major consideration. They should be relined if necessary. At any rate adjust the service and emergency brakes. It is well to give the battery a careful once-over. Have it examined by a local service station expert. The wiring—what condition is it in? Test for grounds and 'intermittent shorts, the worn or broken parts should be replaced and the wiring should be tested for loose connections. The b>. ly, besides needing >4 bath, may require other attention to make it look like a car one would be proud to own. Revarnish it to renew the finish and protect undercoats if it is needed. Tighten the body bolts. CHOKED JETS. HOW TO CLEAR THEM. In the case of choked jets, they should be removed and blown through, and, if they still appear to be choked, they can be cleared by means of a fine needle or piece of catgut. Care should be taken not to enlarge the hole of the jet, as it. is usually constructed of fairly soft brass, which is easily damaged. A somewhat similar trouble may be met with in w’hich the engine lacks power and develops popping back, and will not run evenly when the throttle is opened, but turns over steadily even at a small throttle opening. This indicates a partial stoppage of jets, and in some cases it may be remedied by flooding the carburettor, and at the same time opening and closing the throttle. The combined effects of flooding and engine suction very often suffice to remove the obstruction; but, in the event of failure, it will be necessary to take out the jets.

FORD’S GENIUS. THE HIGHLAND PARK PLANT. Covering a total of nearly three hundred acres, of which 123 are under roof, the Highland Park plant of the Ford Motor Company is the largest individual automobile plant in the world. Here the Ford Motors are built. The Highland Park unit includes the general offices of. the company, power plant, the. Detroit sales branch, the photographic and motion picture department, the Boys’ Trade school, and the numerous manufacturing units. Included under the latter heads are the great machine shops where lord parts are machined to the utmost accuracy, an artificial leather plant, a glass factory, a wiremaking plant, the Forth te plant, where all Ford and Fordson tractor steering wheels are made, the electrical division, where batteries, generators and other ignition system parts are manufactured, the drop forge plant, top and upholstery departments, stock rooms, smaller producing units, and the motor and car assembly departments. The manufacture of more than 7,500 Ford motors daily presents staggering production figures, and calls for the highest degree of accuracy in each manufacturing operation, a most essential element in quantity output. • These great machine shops, where rough forgings and castings are transformed into highly finished products, and where everything is continuously on the move along extensive conveyor systems, are at first a maze to the visitor. But soon he realises the orderliness of it all, and a full upprcciation of how high quality comes automatically in quantity production. He sees each unit or division completing its particular work, and sending on its product to the assemoly departments. . Along the motor assembly bne the visitor sees the motor block start at one end and grow, piece by piece, until at the other end it emerges a complete Ford motor. These Ford motors undergo the most exacting tests. No human agency is permitted to pass upon the final fitness of the individual motor. Each is operated by electricity, and under the supervision of an expert, while in a room separate and apart from this, the delicate dynanometer records the test to the utmost fineness, and it is upon the verdict of this instrument that each motor receives the final stamp of approval. With these tests completed, the finished motors move out, some to the final assemoly division of the Highland Park plant, and the remainder to the shipping station, where they are despatched to the twenty-eight other assembly plants throughout the country, and to foreign branches. The final assembly line is where the cars and truclcs take form, and it presents another highly interesting phase of Ford production. As the motor comes to the line it goes into the chassis, which is built on a moving

conveyor as it passes between rows of workmen, each attaching some part of the car. The body is swung into position from a chain hoist moving on an overhead track. Radiator, wheels, fenders, everything, coming to the line at just the right time and at the appointed place soon become part of the car, and almost before the visitor realises it a complete Ford has been built, and is being driven off the line under its own power. Inspectors at work through all operations pass on every feature. Fully sixty thousand men are employed in the Highland Park plant, and they enjoy many advantages. Through the safety and hygiene department there is a constant watch to see that every safety precaution is taken, and every safety device is installed and maintained. The hospital staff looks after the physical welfare of the workers, and a wide range of domestic conditions are cared for by the sociological department. Living costs of the Ford employees are I kept at a minimum through the operation in the plant of a shoe store, drug store, grocery store, and meat market, and fuel coal and coke is supplied by the company at reasonable costs. Employees may invest up to one-third of their salaries in Ford saving certificates, which bear a guaranteed rate of 6 per cent interest, but which have always exceeded that rate. BRAKING OF SIDE-CARS. HOW TO IMPROVE IT. The importance of the provision of adequate and effective brakes on all types of self-propelled road vehicles is so selfevident as to need no demonstration. The difficulty arises when it is sought to define what is adequate braking power. Ob- • viously, all braking effort depends on the i adhesion between the tyres and the road, | and the maximum braking effort is obtained only when all the available adhesion is made use of, that is to say, when all wheels are braked. The average car has brakes on the rear wheels only, and, as these wheels usually carry about 60 per cent of the total weight, the braking effort available is 60 per cent of the maximum possible. Modern cars fitted with brakes on all four wheels are obviously braked as thoroughly as possible. The solo motor-cycle with an inefficient front brake of the old stirrup pattern can rely on a rear wheel adhesion only, and is thus in the same position as most cars, with about 60 per cent of the maximum. When an effective internal-expanding or belt-rim type of front brake is fitted, the braking effort is again at .the maximum point. Many machines are now so fitted, and such machines can pull up in a very short distance, even when travelling at high speeds. The side-car combination is in a less favourable position, and it is in this connection that improvement is desirable. In an average case the rear wheel carries approximately 42 per cent of the total load, the front wheel 33 per cent, and the side-car wheel the remaining 25 per cent. Now, even when a modern type of front brake is fitted, it is seldom sufficiently powerful to exert much braking effort on the wheel, so that the rider is left with the rear wheel as his only effective method of retarding the outfit, and thus he has only about 50 per cent of the theoretical maximum braking effort at his call. Brakes on the side-car wheel present certain difficulties which need not be enumerated, and, in any case, the front wheel, carrying the greater load, is the point at which the braking effort should be applied. The attention which has been given to front-wheel brakes on solo machines during the past should now be transferred to the provision of adequate and efficient brakes for the front wheels of all combinations. If this is done, the side-car driver will have at call some 75 per cent of the will thus be able to pull up in a much maximum possible retarding effort, and shorter distance than is now possible. SPEED LIMITS. THE SANE VIEW. •If they (the police) are still obsessed with the idea of preventing every motorist on every road from exceeding the 20-miles-an hour legal limit, it is pretty certain that the really reckless driver will be slipping through the net more often than not—and we 'hall have a bad crop of accidents. The important thing the police have to bear in mind is thnt c— M motorists, who fortunately are in tue great majority, are themselves anxious to see reckless driving put down with a firm hand. What is needed, in fact, is to stop not fast driving when such driving is safe, but bed driving, which is always dangerous.— The Daily Mail. DISTILLING PETROLEUM. THE PROCESS EXPLAINED. Petrol, as is well known, is obtained by the distillation of petroleum, which occurs widely distributed in nature. The crude oil varies in colour, odour, density, and chemical composition with its source. Generally it is dark brown to black in colour, is lighter than water, and is agreeable or offensive in odour according to its low or high content of impurities containing sulphur or nitrogen. Excepting for these undesirable constituents, petroleum oils consist entirely of hydrocarbons, though actually very few individual hydrocarbons have been isolated from them. Oils from Borneo and Persia contain appreciable quantities of aromatic compounds, and were employed during the war period as a source of benzol and toluol, from which considerable quantities of explosives were manufactured. The crude oil as obtained from the oilfields is rarely employed as such, finding only a limited use as fuel and as a road dressing. In practically all cases it is transferred through pipe-lines or in tankers to the refinery, where it is distilled from large cylindrical steel vessels and thus separated into such products as the demands of industry determine. Modern refinery methods by this process of distillation divide the crude oil into four main products, the proportions of which depend upon the nature of the raw material. These fractions are respectively: (1) petrol, gasoline, or benzine; (2) kerosene or burning oil; (3) gas oil; and (4) heavy oil, the densities and average boiling points increasing from the first to i the last-named. The first three products I are then subjected to purifying processes whereby sulphur, oxygen, and nitrogen compounds are removed, and the refined liquid is then ready for disposal. Petrol, of course, finds universal application as a motor pro- , pellant and as a medium for dry-cleaning purposes, kerosene is used as an ifiuminant, while gas oil, until recently, was a drug on the market, being too light for employment as a lubricant, and too heavy to be burned satisfactorily in lamps. The heavy oil remaining in the still is subjected to still further treatment to separate it into lubricating oil, heavy fuel oil, vaseline, paraffin wax, and asphalt. Of these petroleum distillation products, petrol is now the most valuable. Thirty years ago, however, before the utility of the internal-combustion engine had been established, it was regarded as a waste product. In Russia, for instance, many refineries disposed of their unwanted petrol by diverting it into open spaces, where .it was burnt. The reverse is the case to-day, the main object of the refiner being the extraction of the maximum amount of low-boiling liquids which the crude oil will provide. The centre of gravity of both consumption and production of petroleum lies in the United States. The American Petroleum Institute has estimated that whereas the world’s gross output of crude mineral oils in 1913 was 55 million tons, this figure was more than doubled in the succeeding ten years, giving a total production in 1922 of 121 million tons. The greater part has consistently been produced by North America, the United States and Mexico together contributing in 1922 over 86 per cent of the total. Other countries, however, such as lndia, the Dutch East Indies, and especially Persia, are assisting materially in satisfying industrial requirements in Europe and Asia.

THE DEMAND FOR PETROL. Notwithstanding thia huge increase in production, the demand for motor spirit still exceeds the supply, and again U3A. is the controlling factor. The reason for this is, of course, the popularity of the motor vehicle. During 1923 there were manufactured in the United States over four million cars, with the result that about 14 million motor vehicles are in commission there, averaging one per seven of population. Consequently, the demand for gasoline has advanced at an almost incredible rate. In 1910, 700 million gallons of motor spirit were consumed in the United States,whereas in 1923 the figure had risen to 5400 million gallons, representing an eight-fold increase in a period of thirteen years. Further, the consumption of oil in U.S.A, has for several years been greater than the amount produced; from 1916 to 1922 the country was compelled to import almost 50 million tons of oil, chiefly from Mexico, to replace her annual deficits. Expressed in other words, the United States during 1922 produced 64.7 per cent, but herself consumed almost 70 per cent of the world’s total output of crude oils. The situation is still further complicated by the fact that production in North America is declining somewhat seriously, while the output of motor vehicles is still increasing.

The results of this enormous demand for petrol are many. Oil prospecting during recent years has proceeded feverishly in many parts of the world where oil is known or suspected to exist. New fields have been developed in North America, especially California, but whereas the crude oil originating from Pennsylvania, now almost exhausted, contained up to 35 per cent of light spirit, that from Mexico and California cannot be made to yield more than 10 per cent, and generally only 5 per cent of refined gasoline. This fact has inevitably led to serious over-production of heavy fuel oils, which constitute the bulk of the lattermentioned crudes, so that in addition to having to meet increased demands for light fuels, the industry is being saddled with large stocks of heavy oils, for which ihere is a comparatively small demand. Furthermore, the removal of the large amount of sulphur compounds from these distillates is not without difficulty. There is every indication that the future of the petroleum industry is now regarded with grave concern, and serious consideration is being given to the utilisation of other possible sources of oil. In particular there may be mentioned the low-temperature carbonisation of coal, the exploitation of the immense deposits of oil shale which exist in many parts of the world, and the utilisation of tropical vegetation for the production of alcohol, ether, acetone, etc. Petrol substitutes are now being introduced, and are receiving a certain amount of favour. Many tests with alcohol, benzol, ether, acetone, etc., have been carried out, and the subsequent employment of these materials as motor spirits is only a matter of time. Germany is using an artificial spirit, the basis of which is tetralin, a colourless liquid derived from naphthalene, while “Natalite,” a South African product, is composed of approximately 60 per cent alcohol and 40 per cent ether, together with small additions of benzol, wood spirit, and pyridine as denaturants.

In “Small Car Talk,” by “Runabout,” in a recent number of the Autocar was the following, which is but one of the many articles which have appeared during the last two years emphasising the importance of following the manufacturer’s recommendation in regard to lubrication. “A little further information is to hand about some of the extremely bijou four-cylinders now on the market, of which I reported the plugsooting propensities. It has transpired that in each case a non-recommended lubricant was being used. Users are advised to rely on the exact grade and make of oil specified by the factory of origin, or, if they insist on making experiments, not to do so at random, but to get precise instructions from the purveyors of the lubricant they prefer. Many large engines are undoubtedly careless which oil they are fed with, but some of the lilliputian breed appear to be much more particular.”