MOTORING WORLD

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 6, 4 December 1926, Page 14

MOTORING WORLD

NOTES AT RANDOM. [By “Roadster.”] An over-weak mixture may bring trouble in the form of badly pitted exhaust valves. A fountain sponge for washing cars may quickly bo made by cutting an opening in the side of an ordinary sponge and inserting a hose nozzle, to which the sponge should then be tied. The air pressure in frorit'tyres should always be equal, as also should that in the rear tyres, although the front tyres may be in’flated to a slightly lower pressure than those at the rear. If the latter pair are unequally inflated they will give the car a tendency to skid, while front tyres differing in pressure will cause a drag on the steering. Most of the trouble caused by the electrical systems of cars can be finally traced to neglect on the part of the owners, many of whom never think of examining the wiring or paying the least attention to dynamos or batteries until something goes wrong. These installations are reliable when properly cared for, and a little attention may save a lot of trouble at night-time. An effective preparation for cleaning nickel-plated fittings can be made by mixing 2oz of plate powder with two large teaspoonfuls of water and adding a few drops of methylated spirits. The mixture is rubbed On with a soft rag and allowed to dry, after which a semipolish is given with another rag, and a chamois leather used for the finishing touches. It is claimed that this cleaning compound will not wear away even the most delicate nickel casing. At recent meeting of the Feilding branch of the Automobile Association it was decided, on the motion of Mr Harding, that the branch be converted into an agency under the direct control of the Wanganui Association. Surely an amalgamation with the Palmerston North branch would have been more in the interests of district motorists generally than the step taken! Now that the Auckland City Council has taken over the control of traffic in that city from the police, the municipality has its own- traffic officers on point duty at eight intersections from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from .7 p.m. until 8 p.m. at some points on Friday nights. These- traffic officers are equipped with white gloves in order that their signals may be more visible to users of the roads.

The director of traffic in Detroit, the most intensely motorised' city in the world, sets down accident causes in this order of importance: (1) Taking right of way from other driver; (2) skidding ; (3) exceeding the speed limit; (4) failure to signal intent; (5) on wrong side of the highway; (6) cutting corners. This general report is based on data from different cities, with a combined population of 37,000,000. Overcoming distance has been man’s chief problem since the earliest dawn, and it is safe to say that the greatest step forward has been made in the past century' by the development of the steamer, railway and motor vehicle (states an exchange). Progress has culminated in the latter; though the steamship and rail have served the public in general the motor car has brought transportation to a point where it is an important part of our lives. It increases our efficiency, encourages us to travel and see other neighbourhoods, broadens our minds and makes us more tolerant of the viewpoint of our neighbours.

Referring to concrete roads in. the United States, Mr J. W. Beanland, of Christchurch, who recently returned to that city after a tour abroad, said that the w'hole of the highway from San Francisco to Seattle—a distance of 900 odd miles—was perfect. “The roads are so excellent that a line of buses is doing the whole distance and entering into serious competition wdth the railway’s,” he said. “The conditions of travel are so comfortable that many people prefer to make the trip per bus, and the time taken up is only three days.” The long-suffering screwdriver is looked upon as a help in every form of trouble, with the result that when required to perform its proper functions it is beyond redemption. There is no objection to keeping a superannuated screwdriver for promiscous work, but

as you value time and peace of mind see that your kit includes both a small and a large long-handled “driver” which are not required to act? the part of cold chisels in their off-time. I or many inaccesible jobs the ratchet screwdrived will prove a boon, since it can be used conveniently with only one hand, leaving the other free to guide the work or hold it in place. There is sometimes a very awkward corner met with in screwing up, and the ratchet will be found handy. AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY. INCREASED PRODUCTION. Tho automobile industry of the United States (says an American correspondent of the London Times) has astonishingly triumphed over its difficulties. Following a decline in production in the late spring, it is going ahead rapidly, recapturing its markets with new types of passenger cars, buses and trucks. A new high record output for 1926 seems inevitable. Official figures relating to th# overseas trade partly confirm this view, these showing that tho exports of automobiles from the U.S.A. during the year ending June, 1926, were valued at 367,605,000 dollars, as compared with 288,046,000 dollars for the previous year. For the first half of this year they represent an increase of 9.4 per cent. Australia is tho principal purchaser, with New Zealand, China and Brazil next in importance. MOTORING IN INDIA. A CROSS-COUNTRY RECORD. Cross-country motor trips are no longer a novelty in' Australia or in. America, but the recent feat of an exAmerican army officer, Mr L. P. Kent, who drove a car. from Bombay to Delhi (India), a distance of 920 miles, in 28 hours 32 minutes actual running time, created father a sensation in that part of the world. The actual elapsed time was 32 hours 42 minutes,- considerable time being lost in ferrying across two wide rivers and in persuading- village dealers to get out of bed to supply petrol. Judging from Indian papers the roads there are not designed for high-speed runs. A Bombay paper states that the run “must rank as one of the finest performances, if not actually tho finest, in the history of motoring in India. ... To drive a motor car 920 miles on Indian roads without stopping the engine is in itself a remarkable performance, and to average 32 miles an hour is more remarkable still.” Another interesting sidelight on motoring in India is gleaned from a Delhi journal, which states that in the neighbourhood of Gwalior the speeding car camo across game and nearly killed a wild boar by running over “Other bothersome things to be met with are the bullock carts, of whjch there were crowds transporting cotton,” said Mr Kent. “When one overtakes two of them and finally induces the drivers to pull over to the side of the road, it is more than likely that one will pull to the right side and the other to the left, thus blocking the road even more perfectly. Then, having committed themselves, they will engage in a prolonged argument as to which one snail yield and cross over to the other side. The best time was made at night, when the bullocks were not regulating the traffic.” FRONT-WHEEL BRAKES. NOT A RECENT INVENTION. The front-wheel brake has had an eventful history since it first came into prominence as "long ago as 1909, when it was fitted to one or two British cars. Some idea of the interest which was taken in such a brake at this time is obtained from the heading of an article published in the Motor (England) in November, 1909, which' ran as follows: “Front-wheel brakes: Arc they going to revolutionise car control?” The revolution prophesied in this heading has undoubtedly come about, but not in so short a period of time as was probably imagined by the writer of that article. However, it is none the less true that the front-wheel brake is so firmly established to-day as to be a standard fitting on at least 80 per cent of the makes of car sold in England, says the Motor. At the Olympia show of 1910 quite a number of cars ap-

peared fitted with front-wheel brakes, njost of them being of British origin; one of the successful designs was that patented by M. Perrot, wliose brake is now so widely used. He was at that time designing for a Scottish firm of car manufacturers. brakes were first used for racing purposes at the Grand Prix held at Lyons in July, 1914, being fitted to some of the competing cars, but any further development which might have followed was, of course, stopped by the outbreak of the war. sfter ilie Armistice motor car makers again turned their attention to front braking, but it was not until the Olympia show of 1921 that this mechanism commenced to receive renewed attention. At this show frontwheel brakes were fitted to several of the new continental chasses exhibited, but did not appear on any car of British or American origin. During the five years which have intervened frontwheel braking has made extremely rapid progress, reaching in 1924 a position such that front brakes were standardised on many cars and were optional extras on as many more. By 1925 they had become standard fittings on 76 per cent of the makes of car sold in England, and this year the proportion is even higher. THE MOTOR CYCLE. NEWS AND VIEWS. A new machine should be driven at speeds not in excess of 20 miles per hour for the first few hundred miles; that _ is, until the engine is properly run in, and plenty of oil should meanwhile bo given. When a sidecar is attached to a motor cycle the latter should be set leading outward, away from the sidecar, so that the top of the seat lug is approximately a quarter of an inch out of tho vertical. This helps to counteract the sideways drag caused by the sidecar. Mud is more easily removed wet than if it is left to dry on. Use a sponge, apply with a light hand and plenty of cold water, and finish off with a wash leather. If the mud has been allowed to dry on, soak it thoroughly before attempting to remove it, otherwise the enamel will be scratched.

' Fitful. firing- of the engine may be caused by water having entered the carburettor. Disconnect the petrol pipe from thq tank and unscrew the cap •over the float chamber; the float and needle can then be removed and the water cleaned out. The removal of the jet will release any W'ater therefrom. It may also be caused by the carburrettor float being punctured, thus rendering too rich a mixture. Misfiring may also be caused by foreign matter being carried by the petrol to the gauze in the carburettor. This causes partial stoppage and “strangles” the engine. The obstruction can be removed by unscrewing the nut from the bottom of the earburettor and cleaning the gauze—making sure that the stoppage does not exist in the petrol pipe itself. Also examine the float chamber and cleanse it. SAFETY GLASS. Unsplinterable glas3 has been made for many years, and for the last ten years at any rate has been fitted as standard to aeroplanes and aircraft of all descriptions. More and miore cars each year are being fitted with windscreens mado of this typo of glass, and on the all-important score of safety many motor cyclists use goggles fitted with a transparent substance other than the usual glass, which is a constant source of danger. It is a pity that nuoro do not follow this “safety first” policy.’ The most successful of the various types of non- splintering glass is composed of a thin layer of zylonite sandwiched between two layers of glass and kept in position by gelatinous solution and celluloid enamel. This forms an extraordinarily strong transparent substance, and it js well-known that, although this glass may “star,” it will not fly into those little fragments that are the cause of so much danger in what would otherwise be trifling accidents.

AN AUSTRALIAN VENTURE. CIRCLING THE CONTINENT. Without much money, but with tons ot confidence in both themselves and their motor cycle Leonard Jones and William Kennedy, two young men from Sydney, started out on March 5 last to circle Australia. A big pillion seat was used by the rider behind, and with plenty of luggage tied on behind they completed their strenuous journey in October, arriving in Sydney after covering nearly 12,000 miles. When they arrived in Perth on June 20 Kennedy abandoned the project, and E. H. Clarke took his place, and 'with Jones completed the trip. At Linooln Gap, seven miles from Port Augusta, they crashed into .a tree and Jones injured his knee-cap. The cattle pads over which they travelled in the Northern Territory were very rough, and in covering 32 miles they had no fewer than 43 spills. Near Broome they were practically without food and water for three days. A tent, gun, cooking utensils and many sundries were carried. An extra tank, enabling them to carry enough petrol for over 500 miles, was built on the machine. Altogether about half a ton was carried. The trip was taken for the sake of adventure.