30 H.P. Cadillac.

Progress, Volume II, Issue I, 1 November 1906, Page 14

30 H.P. Cadillac.

Thf picture on the opposite page represents the four-cylinder 30-h p car (Model H) turned out by the Cadillac Motor Car Co , of Detroit

which recently passed through Wellington under the care of Mr Crozier, of Messrs Dexter & Crozier, on its way to the Exhibition As the most important feature of a car lies naturally in the motive power, the following notes relating to the Cadillac engine will be found of special interest. There are four cylinders of the four-cycle type, 4f" bore by 5" piston stroke They are cast individually, and not in pairs or all together. The cylinder heads containing the valve chambers and combustion chambers are also cast separately and attached to the cylinders by right and left threaded nipples The Cadillac system of copper water jacketing is original with the Company, and the fact that it has been widely copied shows how highly its efficiency is appreciated by other makers This construction having the cylinder, cylinder heads and water jackets made separately has several distinct advantages The cheap method, ordinarily used, is to cast the cylinder and jacket together, coring to make the space between them. This usually does not produce a combination with a uniform space between the two for water circulation The maker cannot detect the fault because of inaccessibility, but it will not be long before the innocent purchaser awakens to the results of its imperfection. It will be readily understood that with the thickness of the cylinder wall not uniform, it cannot be cooled evenly throughout its entire surface, the result being that the motor cannot develop the power which it otherwise might, for the reason

that the expansion or contraction will not be uniform, m consequence of which the piston will bind at some points of its travel and be too loose at others, thereby losing compression. Another valuable feature in the Cadillac method of making cylinders, cylinder heads and water jackets separately is, that in case ot damage to one part, it is necessary to replace only that particular part. The cylinders are cast from a special grade of metal after the Company's own formula and possess remarkable strength. The pistons and piston rings are also made in the same painstaking manner, and, like the cylinders, are turned out according to the Cadillac system of limit gauges. The piston connecting rods, are steel drop forgings of "H " section. The crank-shaft is also a steel drop forging and undergoes a special tempering process to give it strength and toughness, the bearing surfaces being carefully ground. The crank-shaft bearings are of large surface, made of babbit and backed by bronze. As these bearings are " halved " it permits of their being removed and replaced without the necessity of disturbing the shaft. A very important feature to be noted in the Cadillac is the fact that the crank-shaft, pistons and rod bearings are easily accessible by removing the covers from the opening m the crank base, and the other characteristics which are peculiar to Cadillac engines may be summed up as follows — The force-feed lubricator enables all working parts of the motor to be adequately lubricated and ensures even distribution of oil , the cooling system and carburetter are on approved systems, and the automatic governor is a feature that will tend to make this car especially popular ; it is a new balanced rmg-type governor, a device whi-h

is proving itself most efficient and of the greatest importance to a motor car. With, this type of governor it is possible to maintain practically a steady speed with but little variation regardless of grades, up or down, or road conditions, the action being entirely automatic. In the average motor car, particularly those of the four-cylinder class, a large percentage of the power developed by the motor is consumed by friction — lost — wasted. In some cases this has been demonstrated to be as high as 30 to 40 per cent. In order that the greatest possible amount of power may be actually utilised, that is, " delivered to the ground," the model " H " is equipped at the most vital points with the genuine Hess-Bright ball bearings, using ten in' all, viz., two m each front wheel, one in each rear wheel, two on rear of mam drive shaft and two on the transmission shaft Between the balls are steel coil springs packed with felt. The latter, after being saturated with oil, will lubricate the bearings sufficiently for months without further attention.