STORING THE CAR

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20077, 6 April 1935, Page 10

STORING THE CAR

When a car is to be put away for several weeks or longer, certain precautions should be taken to prevent its deterioration. It should, if possible, be washed thoroughly and all accumulated mud removed from underneath the mudguards and valances, for otherwise there may be gradual rusting. It is also best to polish all bright metal parts and then smear them lightly with oil or vaseline. Do not empty the radiator, but rather see that it is well filled, for when the passages are dry the scale and rust on their surfaces tend to harden. The chassis parts should be well greased, and if the period of storage will exceed, say, one month, the battery shtould be removed and entrusted to a service station so that it can be given a reviving charge when necessary.

UNSPLINTERABLE GLASS Some striking demonstrations to show the added protection afforded motorists by the use of non-shatterable glass in automobiles were carried out at the World’s Fair in Chicago. At one exhibit alone more than 50,000 square feet of “safety” and plate-glass were broken by about 100,000 visitors to the show, who were invited to hurl baseballs at squares of both types of glass to convince themselves, as well as the crowds watching, that whereas ordinary glass shattered and splintered, the “safety" glass merely cracked. Another exhibitor demonstrated the protective qualities of “safety" glass by shooting steel balls an inch in diameter at sheets of the glass. The most spectacular exhibition was presented by a car manufacturer who employed a famous American driver to overturn cars at high speed on a track in the grounds, to demonstrate the structural strength of their bodies and the protection afforded by non-splintering glass. In other tests, men sat inside cars with their faces against the “safety” glass, while baseball pitchers hurled baseballs at the windows from the outside.

Sometimes country motorists find that the semi-elliptic springs of their cars are a trifle too flexible for fast driving on worn roads when a heavy load is carried. If the trouble is very noticeable, it should be put right by the insertion of supplementary spring leaves, but can often be minimised by whipping the springs with a light cord, which should be bound on tightly, and preferably when a helper is seated above the particular spring.