MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2907, 20 October 1916, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

LBv Clutch,]

The Small Garage. To many owners of the cheaper cars and cycle-cars tho cost of a suitablo garage or shed is an important consideration, and in most cases the shed which is adopted or obtained is a small onej and although it as a rule serves their purpose weTrefiiugh, thero is a distinct source of danger or at least of damage when tho car is being liurriedly driven in, that the end wall inay be touched by the wings, headlight or dumb-irons. This danger can bo avoided by a simple device, which consists in fitting across tho floor of the shed a piece of timber, say 2Jin., in squaro section, and screwing or boltlug it firmly in such a position that the front wheels of the car rim up against it before any portion of tho car. can touch the wall beyond. A car can thus be driven into the shed even with very considerable momentum, and will stop quietly and harmlessly when tho front tires strike the wood, though naturally with ordinary care tho car will bo so handled as to stop dead, just touching the wood and without actual shock. In tho caso of tricars, a- still simpler plan can be adopted by screwing down a wooden stop' of tho samo nature about 18in. long in a position so as to catch and check tho back wheel. .Another point that should be considered in tho case of small sheds is whether tho car can enter the doorway with the hood raised. With many of the portable sheds, of evon considerable size, this is not possible, and will be found very annoying when, wishing to entor the Ehed • in heavy xam.

Competition Machines. Tho ordinary driver, if ho ever gives it a thought, must wonder why so-and-so s machino in the last trial put up a performance which he knows is quito out of tho reach of his own identical car. It may be that the competition machine in question made some romarkablo speed at Brooklands; averaged fifty miles to a gallon of petrol, whereas a private owner's car is only doing thirty; or climbed some terrible freak hill which the standard cars fail on repeatedly. It cannot be all duo to driving, the private motorist thinks, but lie does uot know wherein the difference lies. Iho competition machine, perhaps, may bo lewt. or so lighter than his own; every part may bo drilled to tho limit of safety, and parts which aro not drilled may be made much lighter than tho standard by the employment of very high-grado steels, bought at a fabulous cost. Oil the competition machine weight and wind resistance are cut down.to a minimum; tho body is crampod, and the upholstery scanty ; tires aro small; and tho engine is tuned up to give an incredible amount of horse-power for its size. In oxtremo cases, special gear-boxes, with speeds to suit the particular hill or course for which tho machino is entered aro employed. AVecks are spent up, both on the course itself and on the bench. But the private owner benefits in the end, for all tho time and trouble expended by the manufacturer in experimeuting with and producing his special competition model is certain to havo 'taught him many things which eventually he will incorporate on his standard production.

A Broken Spring. It is not an unknown ocourrcuce for a spring to break, though the owner is not often troubled in this way. When a. leaf does snap there aro many ways .in which a temporary repair may be effected. If it is one of tho lower leaves that break there is little necessity to stop, hut if-the top loaf snaps in a semi-elliptic spriug something should bo done, as the latter is the only part of the spring that is atached directly to tho frame. Should either of tho broken halves of the spring come adrift from tho axle, an accident might occur. To prevent this, tlje holding clown clips should be slackened off, and a. fairly wide tire lever inserted on tho top of tho broken leaf. The nut on tho central bolt of tho spring may be in tho way, iu which case it should bo removed, and tho protruding bolt cut off level with the top of the spring. A chisel or a fdo may be used for this latter operation. The halves of the spring should then be closed up together and the clips tightened up. A repair of this nature will hold up for quite a considerable distance, but it must bo remembered that it is only of a temporary nature, and a new leaf should be inserted at homo at the earliest possible moment. Failing a suitable tire lever, tho spring may be tjghtly bound with strong blind cord for somo inches near the break in the leaf, and this will also make.a "very effective temporary repair. The- binding of springs with blind cord is often seen 011 racing oars when tho rebound of the springs is found excessive at tho high speeds.

Here and There. Whenever there is a continual loss of compression, the valve caps are usually found at fault, and it is a very 'difficult matter to make them absolutely gastight. • In one's endeavour, however, the cap is screwed, down witli as much strength as is available, and it is not much to he wondered at when the engino lias to be cleaned again and the valves ground in that the owner has considerable difficulty in removing these caps. Before using any great force in such a case, paraiiin should be applied all round the threads, and, if this provos ineffectual, the engine should bo run to heat.it. The caps may then bo removed easily. A large spanner •tapped at the end" by one's liana, often removes a tight nut or cap. A hammer may be used to tap the end of the spanner, but extreme caution should be exercised to avoid damage. AVhen meeting patches of loose stones, if the gradient will allow of it, the clutch should be withdrawn and the car allowed to roll over under its own momentum. Should this courso ; be impossible, tho lowest gear should I be engaged and the car driven as slowly and as smoothly as possible. Some light cars which have their petrol tanks set under or behind the scat give their owners trouble on hills if tho petrol level has been allowed to get low. On such occasions it is not uncommon to see the passenger blowing hard through the air vent, if it is at all accessible. This is not calculated to give onlookers a good opinion of the car in particular or the sport in general, and it is also a. most inconvenient thing to have to do. It is easy to_ overcome this trouble by converting the gravity supply to pressure feed, and this is very simply effected by fixing an air pump on the dash, or in some other convenient position, to deliver air pressure to tho petrol tank. Tho filler cap must, of course, be airtight, and it will be necessary to close the air vent by soldering it up. A non-return valve must also be fitted between the pump and tho petrol tankin order to maintain tho pressure. A bottle of fish gluo is one of those items which every amateur mechanic should stock. It is very handy stuff for making inlet pipe joints airtight after a choked jet lias been cleared, for tho original "lead" washers, are usually damaged in breaking the joint, and any leak at these points is certain to upset tho slow running and tho acceleration of engine. Fish glue is also a simple device for preventing that most profano of all petty worries—tho jamming of a sooted plug in its cap. If the valve cap faces and perhaps their two or three topmost threads aro annointed with fish glue, they will remain immovable whilst tlin plugs come

out, and yot a long spanner will shift them if a valve calls for extraction.

t Every 3000 miles the covers should )e detached, the interior carefully examined for small perforations, and any parts which show damp or discoloration should be patched. The tubes should bo'also carefully scrutinised, dusted not too Heavily with French chalk, and then replaced in the cover.

Lighting-up time: l'o-day 6.28 p.in Next Friday, 6.36 p.m.