More New Hints

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 610, 12 March 1929, Page 6

More New Hints

The Care of The Car Hints on Cleaning Leather Leather upholstery may be cleaned by wiping with a soft woollen cloth (cotton or flannel lint) saturated with a weak solution of water and ammonia. Castile soap is equally effective in the cleaning of leather, but petrol or similar liquids cause cracking. A solution that is safe to use occasionally on leather is linseed oil. thinned with a little vinegar* This is applied with a cloth and allowed to remain a few' hours; then wiped off. To clean imitation leather, ivory soap and water are recommended for the removal of spots, and an application of linseed or sweet oil. used sparingly, to brighten the finish. Drying a Distributor If water is poured carelessly iuto a radiator when the bonnet is lifted some of it may fall into the ignition distributor, short-circuit the current, and prevent the engine being started. If the car is in a public garage the best way of drying the distributor quickly and thoroughly is to push the machine over to a tyre pump, and by removing the nozzle dry off the water w T ith the force of the air. If such pressure is not available the w T ork may be accomplished, though much more slow r ly, w’ith a hand pump. Spring Shackles That Rattle Mysterious noises may arise from lateral play in the shackles of the front springs. They may resemble and be diagnosed as a bonnet or mudguard rattle, as a loose undershield, or even as an engine or radiator insecurely fixed to the frame. In the latter case the noise is quite a heavy thud. The bolts and nuts of the shackles should not be so tight as to remove even the slighest play; the shackle-plates should not only be free to turn easily, but should have a faint lateral play as well, otherwise they will be stressed unduly when one front wheel lifts in relation to the other. But a sixteenth of an inch should be the maximum amount of play if noises from this source are to be avoided. Impromptu Thin Washers Sometimes a very thin washer is required to take up a small amount of wear at some particular part of the car. It is quite impracticable to file down an ordinary w T asher to the special degree of thinness needed, which is usually less than l-100th inch. It is, therefore, useful to know that the airtight tinned-cover soldered to certain sorts of cigarette tins is very suitable material for thin washers. The inner hole of the washer can be easily cut out with the point of a penknife, with compasses or dividers, or, failing this means being available, the edge of a suitable-sized coin can be used to mark off the hole. The quter edge of the w r asher is readily cut with scissors.

Slow Leaks in Tyres Many cases of tyre trouble are due to the fact that the tube has not been properly inserted. Before a tube is placed in the cover the nut above the metal plate at the base of the stem should be tightened. Many a mysterious leak is caused by the looseness of this nut, and should the tyre be run flat the valve stem will be torn from the tube. When the tube has been placed in the cover it is a good practice to shake or knock the tyre a few times to seat it firmly. After the tyre has been mounted and inflated, the rim nut, w'hich sets above the rim, should be placed in position and securely tightened. If care is taken in replacing the tube, many of the inconveniences due to pinches and leaky tubes will be avoided.

SPEED AND MORE SPEED REMARKABLE MOTOR PROGRESS It the recent rate of progress in motor speed is continued, what will be the quality of the motorcar ten years hence? Ten years ago the average car owner drove at 28-30 m.p.h. and averaged about 20-22 miles an hour over a long journey. To-day many drive at 38-40 m.p.h. and average about 30. The enthusiastic driver of a sporting type of car drives at 50 and averages 36-38 m.p.h. The sports car, tuned for racing, is capable of anything from 90 to 100 m.p.h., and can average round about 60 over 400 miles of reserved road. To-day a small touring car of about 10 rated horse-power can carry a saloon body as well as, it not better than, a 20 h.p. car of ten years ago. It used to be necessary to be an engineer before one could be a successful owner driver. Now the veriest slip of a girl can cover 200 miles a da? on a large and fast car with ease. When all these things are taken into account, increased reliability, increased comfort, safer brakes, easier handling, and so forth; when one calls to mind that there are now a hundred cars on the road where there was one only, realises that greater traffic skill is necessary to a driver, and that drivers are ordinary non-mechanical people, then surely the speed of progress in automobile design may well be termed marvellous. Furthermore, progress is accelerating rather than slowing down.