MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2955, 15 December 1916, Page 6

MOTORS & MOTORING

IBs Clutch.]

Ra-upholstering a Cyclecar. It often happens that, either from inferior material and workmanship, or from ordinary wear and tear, the cushions of a cyclecav look shabby very soon; or perhaps it is desired to change the colour of the upholstery to match it new colour scheme when the car '"s repainted. If the old springs and batr are satisfactory, both as regards condition and comfort, it will only be accessary to cover the oushions with newleather or other fabric. If, however, the springs' have never been of sufficient length, or tho hair of jidequato thekness for comfort, it is better to start from the beginning. Coil springs, specially made for upholstery, cau bo purchased. They should bo fairly weak, a common mistake being to buy tlmse which are much too strong, for the purpose, and are apt to forco their way through tho covering. These springs should be fixed about 6 inches or' so apart from, one another, either on to board, or, hotter still, to a framo made with webbing, and' the tops of them are then connected together by sewing strips of interlaced webbing, the ends of which are pulled tight and cacked to the wood. On the top of this a layer of liair is put, and fixed ill position by big stitches with string ..and packing needle. Only real hair sliould bo used, for the many substitutes, such as flock or fibre, are not nearly so good, and, although cheaper in first cost, require a much greater quantity of material. Hair from an old mattress can often be obtained cheaply, and, if teased out, will be quite as good as new. Over the hair a piece of strong calico should be and iT care is exercised in this operation there should be no lumps or ridges owing to an'uneven layer. Should square corners bo required, as : for a loose seat, a. hoop the size of the seat of iron rod of about Jin. round section must be introduced undor the hair and fixed to the springs. The material used for the outer cover should be of leather if possible, but if considered "100 expensivo one of the many substitutes on tho market may be used, 'l'he greatest difficulty is to avoid- stretch after the cushions have been sat on for some time.- Small-headed tacks should be used throughout, and a band of the material, or, better still, strips of special i brass beading fitted with nails, will hide the heads successfully. Russian Enterprise. llussia has ' decided lo develop a motor-car industry of her own. The European war is the cause of her decision. Before-the war most of Russia's cars were bought from Germany, France, Italy, and England, but the war has demonstrated to Russia how necessary factories for the manufacture of motor cars are, and five new factories already have been started. The Government is largely responsible for tho activity. Government arrangements call, for 7500 motor lorries and cars from these five factories' in a $ven time. This means 1500 vehicles from each. Tho;Minister of War has placed orders for all the output. Here and There. During extremely hot weather gearbox'grease, nnless of tho very .best quality, is ' apt to become very thin, and after a long run quite_a quantify may have been, lost owing to leakage. During hot weather it is best to use tho thickest lubricant obtainable foj the gear-box, and. it may also bo advisable to use a slightly thickor brand of engine oil in order to obtain the best results.

A screw will often break, off just below the surface of the metal in a deadend hole, and, considerable difficulty will be experienced in removing it. : A good method is to obtain a drill slightly less in diameter than the broken screw, and grind it so as to cut when \turned in the opposite direction to the thread of the screw, A centre should then be punched in tho broken >;erew as near central as possible, and the drill, having been placed in a hand drill?, should be turned in tho reverse, direction, care being taken to keep the chuck tight. The drill will cut for a few turns, and then bind, and the screw will come' out.

Recent speed events on American racing auto tracks has demonstrated that the board-track is faster than either brick or 'cement. In the Astor Cup, won by J. Aitlt'en last October, the 250 miles was negotiated on the wooden track at Now York in- the world's record time of 2 hours 23 in in. 4- 8-ssec., giving am average speed of 104 4-5 miles per hour. The fastest previous [record's over ;tfhas distance were put up at Brooklands (England) 3 97 miles per hour, on a cement surface,. and .89 miles per hour on the briick eiu'faco track at Indianapolis '(U.S.A.). ». Lighting-up 'time—To-day, p.in. Noxs JTriday, 7.38 p.m.