MOTORING NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 23380, 11 December 1937, Page 20

MOTORING NOTES

HINGES AND LOCKS WAYS OF ELIMINATING DOOR NOISE Door locks and catch plates are a common source of noise, as any distortion of the body, or wear or slackness a*, the hinges, may cause the tongue of the lock to rattle in the catch. Many of these catch plates are mounted in rubber to reduce this tendency while others are adjustable, to make provision for wear. Most door locks have an oil hole on the striking plate, and a squirt of thin oil will make the operation of the lock mechanism easier and quieter and a little graphite or vaseline on the tongue of the lock will help to prevent squeak or rattle when the door is closed.

The screws securing the hinges to the door frame or body pillar may have worked loose and should be tightened up solid. Any slackness of these screws is usually shown by cracking or flaking of the paint and filler over the screws and in bad cases round the hinges on the outside of the dour itself. Certain types of hinges have a self-aligning ball pivot which is adjustable by means of the centre bolt. The tab washer below the hinge should be bent back enough to clear the nut and the nut tightened up enough to stop any lifting motion in the door. The brass balls should be lubricated frequently with thin oil such as cycle oil. If adjustment and lubrication of the hinges and catch plates does not cure the rattle, rubber pads sold for the purpose should be fitted, though it must be remembered that the door can be made to fit too tightly and the necessary slamming is bad for the body and may easily break the windows. Due care must therefore be exercised in the selection and fitting of these pads. If the door appears to have sagged on its hinges, one pad should be fitted between the cheeks of the lower hinges only. Rubber blocks are fitted by the makers on the body for the door to close against. These may be worn or have become hard through time. In some cases they may be reversed to present an undamaged face at the point of contact, but it is usually more satisfactory to fit new ones of the same type.

ACCIDENTS—AND AGE OF VEHICLES

While many people believe that old cars in a questionable mechanical condition are responsible for a large proportion of the accidents which occur, a survey conducted in Washington recently shows that the reverse is th* case, in the United States at least. In. Washington there are 177,381 cars registered, and during the last LI months, 5321 accidents occurred. An analysis of these mishaps showed that relatively new cars, in their second year of service, were the worst offenders, being responsible for 21 per cent, of the accidents, although representing only 15 per cent, of the total registrations. Cars two years old wete involved in 13 per-cent, of the accidents and four-year-old cars were responsible for 10 per cent. Cars eight years old caused only 3| per cent, of the accidents. All of which seems to show an inability on the part of many driveis, to handle lively and fast modern cars although mechanically they are safer than their predecessors. PNEUMATICS ON TRACTORS

It was predicted at a recent conference of the U.S.A. Society of Automotive Engineers that in 1938 no less than 70 per cent, of the new tractors sold in that country would be shod with pneumatic tyres, owing to increased efficiency and economy of operation. The rapid adoption of these tyres for agricultural tractors In America is reflected in the fact that, in 1933, only 5 per cent, of the tractors sold were equipped with pneumatics, in 1934 7 per cent., and in 1935 10 per cent.; in 1936 30 per cent., and this year approximately 45 per cent. It is reported that in Australia there has been a rapid swing to pneumatics for tractors and other farm implements, and that the local plant has had to be enlarged to meet the added demand. SQUEAKY BONNET CLIPS Many cars are fitted with bonnet clips of the type in which tension on the bonnet is exerted by a springloaded plunger. When such a clip becomes dry and rusty through neglect a most annoying squeak, which is very hard to trace, may be produced. The noise may appear to be emanating from the mudguards or headlamp mountings, but as a rule these clips are the culprits. The remedy is a simple one, it being only necessary to apply a few drops of oil, which can be worked in by pulling the clip up and down. If this fails to effect a cure the squeak may be set up between the bonnet and the packing on which it is held down. In this case the remedy is to grease the packing. SAND-WHEEL PREVENTS SKIDDING A sand-wheel to prevent skidding on smooth and wet surfaces has been patented by Lieutenant-Commander G. Martin in England. Control of the sandspray is through a small trailing wL’el, caster-mounted on the rear axle of the car.

The Autocar states that, in taking a normal bend or corner, this wheel is not deflected through a great angle, and the apparatus does not operate, but the moment the car skids sideways the wheel pivots at right angles, and the sand is released by a system of wires or levers from nozzles immediately in front of the rear wheels. Arrangements are made for the wheel to pivot through 180 degrees to a trailing position when the car is reversed. A hand control can also be provided to put th. sand ejectment under the direct control of the driver for use, for example, on icy roads, where wheelgrip cannot be obtained. EQUIPMENT PROBLEM

Many smart cars are made to look like a cheap jewellery shop by an overload of badges, horns and lamps. Some sports car owners also find the fitting of a necessary extra lamp a problem if clean lines and symmetry are to be preserved. The problem has been neatly overcome by an overseas driver of a Riley Sprite without interfering with air-flow or lamp efficiency by fitting a dipping spotlight inside the radiator grille. A master-switch is placed on the dash, and dipping is effected from a switch on the steering column centre. Cleaning is effected quite simply by using a cloth wrapped round stiff wire.