MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 7, 3 October 1919, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By-"Clutch.") ' r Road Building. In the course of a lecture at Auckland under the auspices of tho Good Roads- Association, 31 r. L. M. Sandslon, M.A., U.Sc., an associate member of the American Society of Civil Engijieeis, said that in tho older .countries of the world, and. especially in America, new,'methods of road construction had been studied and evolved by engineer!) in place of the 1111 satisfactory methods of'the past. Ho.did not come forward iis tho advocate ' ot any _ material or any system of l-oaa-making. -There was no "best road." In determining tho class of obstruction and tho materials to-be used; there inusi always bo considered the traffic that tho roail was required to carry, the material readily available, and tho cost of this ii\ comparison with other materials. The speaker was at some pains to support his contention that concrete as not tho perfect-material that it is claimed to bo, giving; as his reason . that it was subject to deterioration from a..number, of agcncies, such as heat, absorption of moisture, and by age. It-was-also incapable.of repair. lie also.&poko of tho fine roads made in America, with .the use of a carpet of asphalt, made from tho natural asphalt of Trinidad and Bermudoz, or tho product of the distillation of petroleum. This method covered tho road with a • perfect waterproof carpet, very durable "and not subject-to wear by weather. This might bo laid quito safely on a macadam'road,and it was" by this method that he hoped to wo it done in New- Zealand. Ho also demonstrated- the- necessity for an improved ■ system of highway control, and for a careful laboratory investigation of tho materials available for thoroughfare construction: These things, he said; could only come about by organisation,' and organisation could only accrue after an intelligent conception ,011 the part of tho public of tho necessities of-tile case. The; enormous development of swift ■moving nutomobils.traffic, both of passengers and goods,. has more-than. ever-, taken the provision made to cope-with it; Tho test solution of the problem, ..Mr..\ Sandston contended, was the", establish' mcni of a: system of control under competent high-way engineers. In- the United States legislation had provided for an office of public roads, with the proviso that the money entrusted- to it-must lie' spent intelligently. The functions of this offico were to do propagandist work to got the public interested,' besides overlooking the construction -'and.' maintenance of public roads, experimenting and making reports for future guidance. Under this system a definite scheme of road building was evolved. Tyre Changes. ■ r Having 011 hand tho necessary tools to make tyre changes is. half.the.. battle, savs a writer in an exchange. To most persons tyro changing is a .' disagreeable job, but this can bo overcome to a great extent, bv having the necessary, tools and equipment so it can lie done easily. So, far as nossible, flie tools ■'used . for the tvres should be kept in a .separate' roll. A great deal of time is wasted because tho tvro irons cannot bo found, or the rim nut wrench has been mislaid in manv cases. A proper equipment for practically all nceua " shouty ' include pump, jack, .tyre irons, blunt 4mmmer or mallet, pliers, special. rim nut, .wrench ami tyre talc. , The use''of the pump is obvious, us well.as-the jack. _ .'lhe tyro irons are for prying- the casing off. the rim. the hammer for opening. the, locking device on some rims, pliers, for unscrewin" tlui nut on the valve stem, while tyre talc is known to every, .motorist. -The rim nut wrench is necessary with some make, of rims to remove the riuts.on the lugs around the rim. Some other 'form of wrench can be used, but it takes more tinle for the .job. Added to this list might bo somo of the rim tools 011 the market designed to contract.-the.rim for placing it on the casing.. These speed ui) the iob and are well worth their cost. .So far ,as .changing the ..tyres .themselves is concerned,- 110 specific rule can be laid down, as-there are-so many different types and: shapes of-rims.. Bach make requires its own .way-of manipulation. All 'told, tho miany. styles of . rims really* come under; three ..general typeo, the clincher, straight-side.•.and-universal . type.' Features are-found in each of these tvnes not common to tho,* others. The permanent rims are clincher, while the universal with side rims or 'flanges can be reversed, and thereby yon can chance the rim from a straight-side to clincher, or vice versa. Ciincher tyres or rims generally; are found, on- the lighter cars, arid are removed simply by inserting the-tvre irons under the . bead of the deflated "tyre and . prying the beatf. over the rim. - The bead first should be pried off opposite the. tyre valve and worked equally on both sides ..until thj valve is reached, which thert-cCasily■ (sll be dropped out of With straight-side tyres the job is, some what different,/but-almost- as t simple. There are split rims which must be forced apart by placing them on the ground and: opening the locking device with the hammer. After this the tyro iron can lie inserted in the split, and one end of tlie rim pried up until it overlaps the other. As this causes the rim to contract the tvro will come off- easily. On many cars the rims are helckon by lugs which sliu over studs in tho wheel ami are held in pliice\hy-nutsTho latter must be removed and tightened by the. rim nut wrench. Never tighten these nuts in consecutive,order. Tighten one lu l .' a .little and then take ~lhe ..one. oppor. site and,do the same. : Carry this process oiit with tho others, and.tho run alio: tvro will go 0011 evenly. The tyre will-not run true if 0110 of.,the liigs is tightened all tho. way.., and then tli.e others taken in turn. In replacing a tvre be sure the tube valve has been placed ,in tho ' hole, and then pry tho bead on .until it - is in perfect position.. It occasionally is well to tap the wire, here nnd there with the hammer, but. _ do not. strike hard blows. .They fll'O equivalent to stono bruises.. , When-Wheal Bearings Fail. When a wheel bearing gjves away completely the wheel will Cdkely cqdio ! off, the 'car be wrecked, and perhaps somo of tho. occupants killed.. .'lho reiiv son is simple (says an English motor' paper). Tho bearing holds the wheel on, ami when, it fails there is' nothing but tho wheel spindle,to hold the wheel]' on, if it is a front one; If it is a rear wheel, the' Situation is libt quito so serious, sinco the axleshaft will pull out with tho wheel until its inner shaft end is 110 1 longer iu mesh with tho differential gear ' which drives it; Therefore,' sinco driv-' itig effort stops, tho car must stop, or at least warning is given that something is w;roii£. This warning occurs, usuufty; before tho axlcslinft is pulled out far enough to bend or break, or beforo it is- entirely out. Many serious accidents caused by cars turning turile, hittingtctegraph poles, etc., "blamed 011 tho steering,-gear might well havo been caused by tho fuiluro of front wheel bearings. Tho most important preventive', measure is to seo that tho 'bearings never run dry from lack ofa grease;: becond, the wheels sliouM bo shaken every fortnight or so to seo whether tliero is unduo play. Finally, the bearings .should 1)0 adjusted or replaced before they are bo badly worn that- they may faill Whenever an unusual sound is heard around the wheels, especially the front' wheels,, it should- bo investigated. may bo caused bv lack of grease, or may ho tho firsft warning note of a bearing defect which wW ultimately cause failurel un-"le-ss attended to. It might bo well to add that when rear wheel bearings give way tho only immediate indication is the noise lluis produced. If tho car is noisy or the rale of travel fast or .tho ground rough, the sound may not.he heard. Hence, tho necessity 'of keeping on tho alert. When the bearings have failed completely tho wheel, will lido on tho brakes. Tho added friction, although ji wilt increase the load on tho ongmc. will not bo- taken seriously, because, it is not unusual for a machine to develop a leek of power. Burning paint on,tho brake drum, if smellpd, will- tempt (ho driver to investigate, but if this nymix torn is not noticed,; the final indication will bo the pulling out of the wheel when the car rounds'a' turn which'is-an-.in-side one for this wheel. It is worth while noting that if the turn is a. sharp one tho wheel will come off entirely.-, ■ Also, if this notion lakes place whilo swerving around another car. tho extended wheel may collide/ with it, -perhaps causing serious damago to both machines. Car Designs. , When the ordinary motor-car user con-

derails the .inaccessibility of a certain design, tho criticism is usually based on little more Hum general discomfort— backacho, spoilt clothes, and loss oftemvper. Properly considered, the question, of accessibility goes V er.v much .further than this, for it is—or should matter of general principle, in keeping with' modern economic ideas of production and labour. In the early days of car developments, when it needed an all-round engineer to deal with the vagaries of even a single-cyclindcr rmialxnit, accessibility was hardly thought of. The early dosigner was too occupied with the problems of engine, ignition, and carbura* tion, and the. achieving of something like reliability, to concern himself with making upkeep and repairs easy. On and off the road, the ear was a job for an and if it were innecessihky !it wassail a part.of bis work. Later camo great improvements in the ear, and : with them a steady increase of ownerdrivers; accessible chassis now began to receive favourable . comment, but it is .undoubtedly tho last year or two of-the war, with the acute difficulties of upkeep and repair facilities, -1 that has Inflight the case for improved accessibility before, the motoring public .mors clearly than ever'in the past. At basis, accessibility lias to be considered in terms ;of time; that is, in the work done upon the ear in the process of manufacture, in the upkeep, and also in tlio dismantled overhaul or renovation. While the blame for inaccessiblo construction is usually laid upon the designer, it must be reiiiiembered that, except iu the case of Icars do luxe, produced regardless of expense, tho design must always be, to some extent, a compromise. The commercial and manufacturing aspects will always modify tho work of the designer, but tha 'broad fact remains that, up to a tain point, it is as. easy to design accessibly as inaccessibly. Tho failure to produce a really accessible design would seem to bo largely a matter of deficient imagination—the inability to follow out the life history of the car. From tlia .first the designer tends to seo the car as a chassis rather- than as a complete whole ■with tho "bodywork in place, and accessibility which seems irreproachable in its stripped form will often bo in* evitably restricted by'tho.'body. Intelligent coachbuilding can help, but it is clearly the designer who should'keep tho bodywork in view from : the commencement. In the obviously inaccessiblo car its' defects have either not been realised'at the start," or, if attention has been drown to them later, it has' been considered unnec&ssary to waste, time and labour in altering the design. Here, however, a moderate gift of imagination would show that not only'does inaccessible design -requiro moro labour to the garage which undertakes a repair, but moro labour in the periodical overhaul, whether done in"'the workshop or elsewhere. From every point ot view it seems a thoroughly uneconomic waste of time and'energy. As times goes on, 110 doubt more attention ivill be given to this most important matter, from the engineering and ibody-Uuilding points of view, '

Care of Hoods, Many motorists show carelessness in tlio treatment of .their car hoods, leading to rapid deterioration. Mere thoughtlessness is Hie usual cause. Hoods have been practically wrecked in a year through carrying parcels, small handbags, etc!, in the folds, and considerable damage also niay bo caused through not fitting, the framework properly into position arid strapping, it, so that there can be no shake or movement, and also arranging the folds of the. hood properly and making sure that they do not get caught : in such ft way as to produce holes through fraying. As a rule, little plates and bearing pieces are supplied where tho various sections of the framework come in contact. Care should bo taken that these are lilted into position. Unless they are strapped tightly, so as to bo hcld...in this position, the screws holding those hearing pieces may he torn out of. the woodwork. Another .precaution' which should, be taken is to thoroughly brush the hood after « dusty ride. This should be done before the car is washed and after the precaution_ has been taken of renioving thd cushions. Most people do not like driving with the liood .ill),i It ,obstructs itlie. /view... and causes - distressing .draughts, consequently after, a shower .tlio!hodii'' is' frequently lowered,. It would be wiser to keep it up for a while until it is dry. If this precaution is not taken, it should bo raised the moment the car reaches tlm garage and allowed to remain up until perfectly. dry, , otherwise- the fabric is certain-to rot and depreciate A. Travelling Restaurant. ' A feature' of a recent military parade in, New York was the appearance of the police' department's now travelling restaurant, -which preceded the parade by .over an hour and distributed sandwiches, coffee and apples to' the wounded soldiers and'to-police officers on duty along the ! street. The truck worked from 6.30 a.m. : unlit late at night, under the direction of a lieutenant and fivo policemen, and distributed' 18,000' sandwiches and drinks. The restaurant car was designed to overcome the physical discomfort of the Dolice when on long periods of duty without any opportunity of-ob-taining refreshments. The three-ton motor .truck- has a. body 21 feet long; by 7 feet "vide. Twenty seats are provided inside, whilst-in cold weather tho interioris warmed by radiators, connected with the exhaust manifold. ' i . World's Speed Record. \ ; Tlio three big automobile racing, meets of July, at Sheepshoad Bay,. N.Y., 'livcoma,'Wash., and JJniontown, Pa., have, singularly enough, resulted in setting up three new track records, and the establishment of a now world's competitive record for 100 miles; > In the big 100 mile Derby at. Shcepshead. Bay on July *> Gaston Chevrolet clipped threo seconds from tho best previous 100 milo record, completing the century ran in 54mm. lr.Sscc.—ail average' of 110.53 miles a" hour. In a 1 large field of drivers he took tho lead at the start aud was never headed off." His wonderful speed and daring driving skill, however, enabled him to maintain his lead, and lie crossed 'tlio finish' line aftet a wonderful- nunstop run, the possessor of tlio -worlds fastest record' for a 100 mile race. ■ I,ighting-i*p time.--To-day, 5.58 Next Friday, 6.5 p.m.