SPARKS.

Marlborough Express, Volume LXVIII, Issue 149, 26 June 1934, Page 6

SPARKS.

If a nut that has become rusted up will not respond to fair pressure with a spanner it is wise to soak a rag in paraffin and leave it wrapped round the nut for about 12 hours. This will usually free the nut from hard rust. vj* jj* British manufacturers have agreed that- their new season's complete programmes will not be announced before August 13. This arrangement does not prevent the announcement of individual new models before the , agreed date. $ $ H* $ * The proud owner had taken his car to a garage for minor repairs. "You wouldn't think it was a second-hand car, would you?" he remarked to the mechanic. "Great Scot, no!" replied the man. "I thought you'd made it yourself." *{* Motor-car saies in New Zealand for the first qua-rter of this year totalled 1573, as against 1005 for the corresponding period last year. * ♦ * * * Father : I promised you a car if you passed, and now you have failed. What did you do in your last term? Undergraduate: Learned to drive a car. Motorists should not under-esti-mate the- importanee of correct inflation of tyres, especially in these days of low-pressure "air wheels," Over or under inflation is- injurious to tyres, it is dangerous, and it makes the task of the driver difficult. & sH * ❖ Guide: This, sir, is the leaning Tower of Pisa. Tourist: Pisa? Let me think. No, that' doesn't sound like the name of the man who built my garage, but it; looks like his- work.

The fitting of twin horns that produce a harmonious chord is becoming increasingly popular with motorists abroad. The two-note eombination gives a warning signal which is particularly dictinctive and at the same time harmonious. The latter feature is obtained by carefully grading the horns so that there is a musieal interval between the two notes. In one factory the horns, whether they are to be supplied as single or twin models are graded after assembly according to the pitch or frequency of vihratiCn of the note. The measurement of the frequency is carried out by a visual method which does not depend in any way on the musieal ear of the tester. The testing apparatus consists of a motor running at a fixed speed, which carries a disc marked in severn! concentric rings, each ring having a number of alternative black and white spaces. Connected in series. with the horn is the: primary winding of a transform•er, a lamp being connected across the secondary winding. When the horn is blowing the lamp lights intermittently, the' rate of successive flashes corresponding to the: frequency of the horn. According to this frequency a particular ring of marks on the 'disc appears to be stationary. The disc is so calibrated that from noting which ring appears to be stationary, the actual frequency can be obtained. % Hs sfs A man was driving a big car at fast speed along a wide road. A very srnall car appeared alongside, as if trying to pass him. The driver of the car was peeved. He wouldn't let a small car pass him. even a new one. He went faster still — 60 — 65 miles an hour — but still the small car kept alongside him. Suddenly the driver of the small car opened his window and shouted: "Do you know anything about these cars?" "Why?" answered the other driver

"I can't shift the thing into top gear!" ❖ ❖ * ❖ * Old sump oil may be used as a lubricant for the springs of a car. After the mud has been removed from the springs with a wire brush, the oil may be fairly generously applied to the exterior, using an old paint brush, the handle of which has been lengthened by the: attachment of an old broomstick or some other suitable piece of wood. A young man walked into a Blenheim shop and asked to see some motor cycles. "I don't mind the price," he sa-id, "but it must be a very speedy machine." "Certainly, sir," said the' assistant. "I've a machine here the speed of which could only be shown at night, when the roads are clear. Come here at 1 o'clock in themorning. I'll guarantee we are in Nelson at 3." Three hours later the man returned, his features twisted with hard thinking. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I don't want the machine. I will not have it." "Why not? It's speedy." "I know. But I've been thinking. Who wants to be' in Nelson at 3 o'clock in the morning?" An adjustable spanner should be regarded as a makeshift tool and should not be used if a set or boxspanner is available. The screw and slides of an adjustable spanner need to be- oiled occasionally. ^ In the event of one of the small nuts that secure the high-tension cables to the sparking plugs becoming lost motorists should remember that an ordinary wire paper-fastener ■will make an excellent substitute. *1* "Most interesting," said the sweet young thing to the motor car salesman, "and now show me the depreciation, please. I hear it is heavy in these cars." "As a matter of fact, madam," replied the opportunist, "we: found it a source of worry and had it removed altogether!" * * * * * The statistical department of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, England, has issued a report which amplifies the figures reoently published concerping new commercial vehicle registrations and import and export returns. For the: 12 rnonths ended September the new registrations of goods vehicles of up to 21 tons capacity wero 44,158, as against 40,943 for the comparable period of 1932, those more than 21 tons numbering 5289, as against 4796, the percentage increases being 7.9 and 10.3 respectively. During the: same period 36 new steam vehicles were registered, as against 148 a year earlier, and 116 electrics, as against 57. At 1045, hackney vehicles seating up to eight persons showed a percentage increase of 47.8, and those more than that seating capacity totalled 2718 for the 12 months, as against 4998 a year earlier. * * sfc * * Elderly motorists in Sweden are indignant at a proposal which has been introduced in their Parliament to ban the issue of driving licences to persons over 60.