MOTOR NOTES

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 164, 29 March 1939, Page 4

MOTOR NOTES

... WHEN HEADLIGHTS FAIL ... Spare headlamp ..should be a permanent part of the tobl-'-kit of a car, but when an owner is caught witn one burned out bjulb and no spares, there is a, simple}-tip that is worth remembering. Practically all cars of to-dlay are fitted with double filament bulbs, one filament for the “high” beam and the other for the dipped beam. It is very rarely indeed that both filament,s burn out,.t}ie fault geniurally being ,cpufin,ed to, the one mostly useci-T-Ihat-'ef thq “high” or driving beami** - ■' - Therefore, to restore, two headlights, it is only necessary tb clip the liglits, when the other filament will come into action. ’ ~ j .Naturally, the driving light will not be so good, but it will be good enough for travelling at a reduced! speed, while the owner will be within the law until, a new bulb can be obtained. • w=Urifortunately 5 .'.of course, a burnt out lamp' is usually -caused by some faidt in the wiring. Before a new bulb is- fitted, {therefore, a’ careful exaininatioAbf' tjie wiring to that lamp must be made. However, it is possible for the' fault to be caused by old age and fatigue ofy'-tlie lamp filament. LOST HUB ,PLATES : The hub plates which conceal the fixing bolts of the road wheels, in the majority of cases are secured in place by. a simple bayonet catch, but in some cases a central holding screw is used. While these rarely give trouble, there have been cases of the plates being lost simply because they generate a flywheel effect, spin in relation to the wheels t6i which they are fitted and unwind the bolding screws.. * When the trouble occurs, perhaps the simplest remedy is to have small dowel pins fitted in the edges ol each wheel hub, and in the edges of each hub plate file a groove' to engage with the dowel. By this means the pl.ate is prevented from turning and there should not be any more trouble with lost hub plates. j The trouble described usually only occurs on the near side of a car, and is induced by the sudden retardacion of the wheels under braking, inertia forces tending to make the. plates kbep spinning. * -"*

LAND SPEED RECORD Four hundred miles an hour—more than 6-}- miles a minute—is the goal set - himself by A. B. Jenkins, Ameri-, can speedster, who; is preparing lor a / -new attack on the ■ world land speed! record.- p John C’obb, driver of the first oar to exceed 350 un.p.h., believes that he will beat Jenkins. *'• •**‘'•"l He will set out from England in August, with his 25C0 h.p. Rail toll, to make his new attempt, on the- Bonneville salt flats, Lake Utah, U.S.A. Jenkins has under construction a twin aero-engined car. Cobb aims primarily at being the first to reach -360 m.p.h., and so travel at six miles a minute. He held the land speed record for one day, between the two last performances hi the present holder, Captain G. E. H. Eyston. Eyston has stated definitely that he, will not make an attempt this year. His “Thunderbolt” will he exhibited at the New York World’s Fair But he plans to make an attempt next year, in a lighter ear of similar design.. In the last battle for the record, Cobb beat Eyston’s time for the mile by o.l4sec. Next, day, Eyston bettered Cobb’s achievement by o.2lsee bis average speed in two runs, in opposite directions, being 357.5 m.p.h., against Cobb’s '350.2 m.p.h.