Safety Always

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 254, 17 January 1928, Page 7

Safety Always

It is the duty of everyone who drives a car or motor-cycle on the public roads to place ‘‘Safety First.” Pav careful attention to warning signals from other vehicles, and give the proper signals before stopping, altering course,, and slowing down. Slow down and drive with caution at cross roads and bends, and always keep on the proper side of white lines. Never “cut in,” and be sure the road ahead is clear before attempting to overtake another vehicle. Do not attempt to pass on corners. Avoid sudden braking or acceleration on greasy surfaces. Always be on the alert. Do not park cars or motor-cycles on a bend or near a corner, and if possible, draw off the road when stopping for any length of time in country districts. DIRT IS THE ENEMY If you have ever been in the engine room of a large factory or on an ocean liner you will have seen certain men do did nothing but go around over the machinery, rag in hand, wiping off specks of oil and dirt from the cylinders, valves, and other stationary parts, even the railings and levers that are dirtied every time they are touched. It would be impracticable to keep a man inside the bonnet of a motor-car wiping away bits of dirt as fast as they accumulated, but the principle is a good one. Many of us are very particular about the finish of the body, but less so about the appearance of what is inside the bonnet. Sometimes one can barely make out the dim outline of the engine under a thick overcoat of oily dust. In like manner, the steering gear, axles, underpans, transmission, propeller shaft and universal joint housings may become covered with oily dirt.

A paint brush and a generous supply of kerosene will work wonders with such a condition. The results will be beneficial in that one can see details which before escaped notice. If an oily deposit were not present no dust to speak or would gather around an engine or other car parts. On a clean engine one can see whence the oil, which eventually spreads over the entire motor, starts, because that is where dust starts to collect. The leak, whatever, it .may be, can often be remedied by replacing a gasket or tightening. a bolt or nut here and there.

The crowds were collecting in the street and an American visitor pressed forward to inquire what the occasion was. "Say. is it Royalty that’s expected?” “No.” replied an amiable informant. “It’s a pageant representing Lady Godiva entering Coventry on a white horse.” “Guess Til wait then,” said the laconic American. “I ain’t seen a horse for years:”

WHEN JACK IS TOO LONG Many motorists who have converted their cars to low-pressure tyres find, when they have a puncture, that the jack is too long to place under the axle. This is due to the larger cross section tyre when it becomes deflated cauisng the axle to drop lower. A simple way of overcoming this is to take the spare wheel, lay it in front of the punctured tyre, and roll the car, or drive it, up on top of the spare wheel. If this is done there should be room under the axle to place the jack in position. With the axle jacked up the spare wheel can be withdrawn.

HOW MUNICH DEALS WITH PEDESTRIANS Munich has instituted a “Must Cross Here” system for pedestrians by railing off the pavement with chains, leaving gaps only in a direct line with the street refuges. In this way, not only are pedestrians compelled to cross in the recognised places, but also the motor driver is relieved of that worst of evils, the pedestrian who steps into the road while passing a lamp post or another pedestrian.

NOISY SHACKLES Most of the noises on a car come from the springs and spring shackles. These do most of the work on bad roads, but they usually receive the least attention of all a car's parts. Most cars to-day have shackle adjustments which are easily made; all that is necessary is to loosen the nut on the shackle, and screw the head of the pin until the slackness is taken up. You will find that if this is done j regularly, many of the annoying rattles | will disappear. 1

CAUSE FOR ENVY, SALESMEN Though there is undoubtedly plenty of money in Australia, it’s not every man who can walk into a showroom and write a cheque for £1,350 because he “saw a car in the window and liked the look of it.” This, however, was the experience of the Sydney Sunbeam distributor, who recently sold one of his long, speedy buses in this unusual way to a man from the outback. The purchaser, it is believed, hails from far Wilcannia —and (whisper it, girls) he’s a bachelor!

ANNOYING SQUEAKS Squeaks are the most annoying ajid evasive grievances about a car. Sometimes the rubbing together of the floor boards will cause squeaks which are hard to locate. A little grease rubbed on the edges of the boards will make your car run quieter. A floor board edged with felt or aluminium strips will seldom squeak. Tack to the floor boards strips of cloth if it is not possible to obtain felt or alumiirfuul strips.