MOTORS AND MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 127, 15 February 1918, Page 9

MOTORS AND MOTORING

IBs Ci,Dion.l Electrical Heating. All owners <)[ cars equippr.rl willi elcctrio lighting sots might, profit by tbo cxporicnco of tho J.i'iat"toilers, and obtain ii heating arrangomont at. praolically no cost. Thesu men aro called upon'to wst'cars at extremes of temperatnre, and as tost chassis cannot ho fitted with wind-screens, the problem of keeping warm on alpine roads is one of no small order. The Fuit testers are, now supplied with eiectri-caily-lieatcd gloves, obtaining current from tho lighting system on the car. The gloves .have resistance wires set in tho back, between two layers of thin sheet asbestos. Connection is made to tho electric light terminals at the most convenient points, and tho line flexible ivires attached to tho wrist i\ the gloves by pressure buttons. The wires aro of sufficient length aiid aro sufficiently flexible not to interfere in any way with driving, and the current passing' through tho resistimco keeps the hands at a warm temperatnrn on the coldest days. If it is necessary to leave tho wheel the wires can be disconnected from the gloves merely by a pull on tbo push-button connections. While the Fiat, drivers use this system of heating for the hands onlv, there is no reason why it should not bo applied to the waistcoat and boots; indeed, in the aviation service of aoiuo of the Allied forces electric heating for all tbo clothing has _ already been adopted. Most inotoi ists, probably,- would bo ■satisfied with heated gloves' only, and by the method described can obtain these readily and cheaply. American Competition after the Was-. The "Light Car" is strongly of opinion that if matters are allowed to drift the British dominions will be flooded with American motor-cars after thou 1, and that ultimately the invasion will | extend-even to the United Kingdom it-: self. "We wonder," it observes in a | recent issue, "if it has ever occurred to the British motor industry, the trado bodies and the Board of Trado just what would happen if American production of motor-cars exceeded the home demand? - Everything, is tending that wav, awl wo-predict that, soouer oi: later," the enormous development of American car factories can liavo only one end—a supply far and away. exceeding the demand. There are signs that that end 'is not far off.- Already certain, factories .in America have been obliged to slack off,' and the sajes of cars have been seriously interfered with by the demand for the Liberty Loan. It must not be imagined that tho. enterprise and development of tho factories in the United States liavo been curtailed by war demands,, as in this country. . they liavo. not. Sooner or- later a crisis will' bo reached, and then—the dumping of surplus . stocks wherever . they can ! bo dumped;- • At present the surplus of cars would have to bo got rid' of. in our colonies, but when, the import restrictions aro removed they would flood this country. It is ..thus seen that there is imperative ncod for tho Bill> how before. Parliament; for continuing-the restrictions for tlireo years 'after"the war, if there is not the necessity fot imposing a : ' pro-hibitive-tariff for some time after, that. And we should like'to see the colonies set'.'their, face' against.the unrestricted dumping of foreign goods to. the detriment of future Imperial trade. 1 A Historical Survey. The history .'of the-, accumulator' as adapted to. the vises of' motoring is a somewhat curious one. First there was the early period in which ignition by battery and coil was-the standard fitting on all cars, and motor-cycles. Those -motorists who passed through that' eventful time • .will still .havo memories of what tho accumulator or those days' was—-the badly-made plates which would not hold their charge) the leakv cases, the voltmeter tests before starting a journey, and the uncertain recharging. With the coming of the magneto the accumulator rapidly disappeared, and there were probably owners who were devoutly thankful for its decease, but within recent years the popularity of electric lighting and starting sets has cause it to be reintroduced in a somewhat different function that of providing a reserve of electricity when charged by a power supply on the car itself. The success of this modern system has even induced certain manufacturers in America, to discard tho magneto and to return to the original idea of coil ignition, obtaining all cuirent for lighting, starting, and ignition by means of the dynamo. Despite all these changes the principle of the accumulator in its most common form— the lead grid type—is unaltered, and, although the modern accumulator is infinitely superior in every way, it is still a delicate apparatus which well repays regular attention and a proper understanding of its particular weannesses. Those, who have not bad the experience which the early accumulators gave .ire apt to regard the modern type as more or less fool-proof,-and to leave it alone for indefinite periods in its box. Such is not the case. The accumulators require careful handling, and above all should be kept away trom undue heat. Here and There. In replacing a hearing on a front wheel spindlo for which it is a tight fit, the car owner sometimes slips the bearing on the taper end ol tho spindle and then uses tlm wheel as a hammer to forco it home, wheel and hearing sliding into position oil the spindle at tho same time. This is poor business, as the strain on the bearing may break tho hardened shoulder of "the inner race, which is meant to withstand wear, but not shocks of this kind. The best way of accomplishing this work is to slip a short length of pipo over the spindle, tho inner end resting against tbo inner ,-ace of the bearing. By hammering tho outer end of the pipo carefully tho hearing will slip into place without trouble. Somo interesting figures have been issued by the Motor Traders' Association of Now South "Walps. At thi*. pik! of mi 7 ihero were 1.7,508 cars in use in New South Wales, as against 1.|,1 75 on December 31, 1910 Motor-cycles havo also grown in popularity, thejatesl, figures"being SO.S7 as against, 70<0 thfl previous year. 'Imp drivers jumped from 22,i>98 to '27,!),')?, and motor-cycle riders from O-U-l. to 10,0(57. Tho growing nso of commercial vehicles is represented by an incrcuso from B<lii to JM(i. Considering the war nonditions and tho scarcity ol shipping th» above figures show a surprising increase. Experiments that havo been mado by Professors Carpenter and Sawilon at Cornell University to determine, whether lubricating oil "wears out" i-lioii used continuously i" circulating .syhl."iim have, indicated that whi)e the oil gained in viscosity and gravity, due t.o ils volatile constituents having been driven off by tho heal, in the hearings, nevertheless the friction tests gave a. slightly lower coefficient of friction at low pressures and a slightly higher coeilicienl for high-bearing pressures, with samples taken from a well-designed central. ■ Although storage accumulators should normally "remain dry on fhc outside, a little lifpiid or moisture sometimes escapes. This, being sulphuric acid, is very destructive, ami should not he allowed to remain on any part of the car. To neutralise and reniovo if a solution of ammonia or washing soda may ho applied. It is most destructive to Healing apparel. When the floors on one side ol! .thecal' tlo not fit properly, and either bind so that tli'e.v arc hard lo open and close or show too much clearance so thai, ihe lock will not catch and the doors rattle,

t.ho trouble may bo remedied by plaoing wooden wedges under the body ai the roar. JWetai plates of such U ickness as to correct the trouble also may bo used. Lighting-up time: To-day, 0.57 p m.; next Kriday, p.m.