“SUN” SERVICE STATION

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 734, 6 August 1929, Page 6

“SUN” SERVICE STATION

rpHEJ ‘Motordom'* section or The Su n Includes In Its service to readers a Queries and Answers Department, the object of which Is to give accurate Information regarding mechan’cal and touring subjects. Whatever the particular puzzle may be in either diagnosing irritating troubles, or motoring Information of any kind, •'Headlight” will endeavour to help, or refer the point to men who are recognised automobile experts In their respective lines. All communications must bo accompanied by the inquirer's name and address (not for publication), and sent to THE SUN “Service Station, Motordom," THE SUN Auckland. Answers will appear weekly in this column.

“Argument.”—(a) ‘What year was the Ford wiht the gearbox and lever in central position introduced to the market; (b) Is the gearbox model the Beauty Ford, or was the Beauty Ford before that. The “New Beadty” Ford was practically the same as the older “Lizzie,’ except for bodywork and brakedrums. The gears were by the pedal system. This car was sold here round about the end of 1925. Owners could, at an extra cost of about £IG, have what was known as the “Ruxtal” gears fitted to any of these old models. These were worked by a central gear lever. In December, 1027, the model “A” Ford was introduced in America, and cars were on exhibition here in May, 1928. This is the very latest new model, and is fitted with a standard change gear lever. “Mechanic.”—l would be glad to know the engine specifications of these cars:—Buick, 1928, and Nash, Advanced G. 1928 model. Buick 115, 3 1-8 x 4J compression 4.79. Buick, 120,-128, 31 x 42, compression 4.30. Nash Advanced 6, 3 7-16 x 5, compression, 4.G0. D.J.D.—I have a new car and, in fact, it is not yet properly broken in I have had trouble shifting gears easily, and would be glad of some advice.’ It would be a good thing to have a little practice in double clutching until the transmission “wears in” enough to allow the gears to mesh easily. Double clutching is quite easy. Start out with the car in low and press the clutch pedal. Instead of releasing the clutch after throwing the gear lever directly from first into second, as you usually do, release it for a second while the gear-lever is passing

through the neutral position. Perform the same operation in going from second to high. Briefly the order is this—press clutch pedal, move lever to neutral, release clutch, then immediately press pedal again and move lever to required gear and release. C.T.—Do you know anything about the road between Te Kuiti and New Plymouth? The A.A.A. is always willing to supply information. Generally speaking, the section between Te Kuiti and Awakino (less than half-way) is very bad indeed, but from then on the surface is pretty good. The road here is rather narrow and there are some dangerous bends, but these are well sign-posted.

150,000 HONKS After it lias vocalised 150,000 lionks a motor-horn is wont out. This period of life for a noisy but necessary accessory has heen determined in the Chrysler engineering laboratories in Detroit (U.S.A.), where there are horns bleating and howling and snarling and muttering night and day until they give a last despairing grunt and cease to function. But the Chrysler laboratory is not a bedlam, for all this noise. It is not even as bad as a city street when some unfortunate driver stalls his motor, because all the tests are carried out in a sound-proof room. An insensate mechanism counts the honks which the horn delivers under the urge of an automatic switch, and when the horn has ceased to function the mechanism has the total counted. The average is 150,000.

In a recent compilation by tb® American Automobile Association L was found that there are now 4.81 motor vehicles in use for every ® e of highway throughout the worl The United States has seven motor vehicles for every mile of its proved and unimproved roads. France has 2.5 vehicles a mile, Germany • and Great Britain 10.4. The g en€ average for all Europe is 20.7 cars mile of road. However, the average of cars a mile of road in rope does not indicate a great own®** ship of motor vehicles, but a paratively paucity of roads. - road mileage in the world is 6,582, of which the United States nearly half. Of the total of 31,000. motor vehicles in service throng the world, America has more tfc* 23,000,000.