A Tool Kit Inspection

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 308, 20 March 1928, Page 6

A Tool Kit Inspection

Looking After Your Ca r’s First Aid On tfi t Not one per cent, of car owners to-day could describe in detail the contents of their tool-kit. Seventy-five per cent, could not tell whether they carried a 'Banner to fit the cylinder head bolts, and quite 50 per cent, do not know whether their tyre pump is in good working order or is serviceable. On the face of it, these facts tend to prove the remarkable reliability of present day machines. But the best car ever produced may give trouble at the most unexpected moment, and tools will surely be needed to get the job The new car will be cleaned externally at very frequent intervals, and a good deal of time will be given to polishing sundry petrol and oil pipes and, perhaps, the cylinder head corner. But nobody seems to care two hoots about the condition of the tool kit. Lift the seat covering the tool locker of the next 20 privately-owned cars you meet, and see how many show the slightest semblance of order.

This indiscriminate stowing- of tools and spares will, over a period, prove false economy to ever-' motorist. In the first place it means wasting of valuable time whenever anything has to be located. Secondly, it spells depreciation of gear due to mechanical damage. Obviously a spare tube will not be much use after being pounded a.bout for three months between a huge jack and three or four weighty tyre levers. Neither will the pump be any the better for being mixed up in this i medley of gear. It takes no longer to organise the tool kit and spares when the car is first bought, and to keep them in order, than it does to throw them about ' 1 any old fashion, with utter disregard to future requirements. As with'most practical jobs, experience is the chief factor and it is “knowing how” that counts. First, it must be admitted that quite a number of tool kits, supplied as standard equipment to-day, are both inadequate and unserviceable. Some of the spanners appear to be made of cheese instead of steel, and after using them three or four times they are only fit for scrap. The same applies to many equipment pumps; there must be free air on every street corner where they are made. If any motorist is seriously intending to take a live interest in his outfit, it behoves him to spend a pound or two on the kit right away, and get it in ship-shape condition. Thieving barred, it will then last him the life of the car. Spanners, screwdrivers and hammer should always be kept in a leather cover. Many owners use a .eather bag, but although the kit may be kept together in this fashion, a ‘king dick” will usually fall into three pieces after a week or so. And in any ease, location of any particular tool is mostly a matter of chance. There is only one proper way, and that is to use a long leather strip, through the centre of which is passed another narrow leather band, spaced at regular intervals. Then every tool is kept firmly in place and can be located at a glance. Further, every unit is then kept from damage and will last indefinitely. The next item will be the jack, and as this is the heaviest unit, it mas-: always be stowed at the bottom of the locker, wrapped in an old cloth. Always wind the jack right down after using, as the thread will then be protected from damage and dust. In spite of advice to the contra-." a spare tube is generally to be found in the tool kit, and it might stay tlierfor several months before u To make quite certain that it w 11 be serviceable when needed, see that it is always carried in a stout bag—made especially for that purpose—and that it is folded properly. The valve must be inside the first fold and preferably covered with a layer of cloth to prevent damage by friction against the rubber. S res for electric light globes and spark plugs should always be on the 1 car, but such great confidence is placed in present-day equipment that owners are prone to become careless. This is the great danger that must be avoided, for when a spare is wanted —granted, at rare intervals—it is urgently w -t..! and so it must be in good condition. Should a spare plug or two be placed in the tool locker against this eventuality, there is nothing i~ -e certain than that it will be quite useless after a few weeks. For the light cardboard box will have broken and the plug be hopelessly damaged. Far the better way to carry a s—ire set, is to get a piece of oak about eight inches - two. Have four threads turned into it so the plugs will screw home and attach it to the dash under j the bonnet. An alternative method is to attach them in the same position by means of spring steel lips. Either s? te i j ensures the unit being servic able I when needed and that is all that mat- | ters. j While on the subject of spark plugs: As various times motorists have told

m© their plugs have been hi us». for 30,000 miles. This is false economy. For, due to technical reasons—ra her too abstruse to discuss in this article—about 10,000 miles is a fair average life for a plug. It pays, then, to buy a complete newset and when all is said and done. 30s every 10,000 miles is only a detail in car expenditure. The last item usually in the tool kit. spare lamp globes-, is one that needs care if the units are always to Ic in sound order. A very efficient, feltlined lamp carrier, holding two spare headlight globes, two sidelights and a tail-light, can be purchased for a few shillings from any accessory house. With the globes snugly housed in this carrier they may be stowed anywhere, with the assurance that when needed they will be fit for use. Those owners who carry a few spare nuts and bolts would be well advised to pierce cardboard strips to hold ;he bolts, and to thread all spare nuts on a length of insulated wire. By this means the threads are always kept free from damage and they will be in good order for years after stqwing away.