Dodge Bros. 'Victory Six’

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 360, 22 May 1928, Page 6

Dodge Bros. 'Victory Six’

NEW BODYWORK AND ENGINE A Beautiful Car OODGE BROS, new “Victory” Six is an interesting and pleasing model, distinguished by smart body lines, a wide variety of well-chosen colours, a very low centre of •gravity, and numerous interesting features including Lockheed internal four-wheel brakes, a new type of all-steel body construction, and a large-bore, short-stroke, L-head engine, which must be regarded as the leader of the trend m this

direction. IT may seem a very unusual way to begin a description of a car by commencing on the* steel bodywoik, but the construction of this new Dodge is so exceptional that these changes have to be looked at before one can understand the reason for several features. NEW TYPE BODY CONSTRUCTION The all-steel bodies of the “Victory” Six present a real innovation in that the usual steel framework is eliminated, the body panels themselves acting as the framework since each panel is reinforced by an inner panel, the two being welded together. There is an air space between the two panels, and the inner panel has perforations and other sound-deadening devices. The construction is stated to provide great strength, stiffness, moderate weight, and simplicity, since there are only eight major units as against 330 to 4SO previously required.

the stroke is only 3 7-Sin, an unusually high ratio, and, as previously stated, this new six is the leader of a trend in this direction. At the moment no car has a shorter stroke, and no car with this stroke has nearly so large a bore. The piston displacement, by the way, is 207.9 cubic inches. The short stroke eliminates the necessity for fitting a crankshaft vibration dampener, since no noticeable crankshaft vibrations occur up to the maximum speed of the car, which is stated at 65 miles an hour. The seven-bearing crankshaft is machined all over, is statically and dynamically balanced, and is pressure lubricated. EFFECT ON RUNNING The short stroke means less piston travel, and proportionally less piston, cylinder and ring wear, while the short stroke and the use of skeleton alumin-

The structure also eliminates the necessity of body sills, since the panels may be attached directly to the frame, and this reduces the height of the body by a distance equal to the thickness of the sills eliminated. Lowness, with ample headroom, is -also due to the use of a sheet-steel floor covered with padding and carpet. The frame is unusually deep, to give ample stiffness, and its depth in combination with widely-placed side members enable the elimination of the run-ning-board aprons, the sides of the frame functioning in their place. GRACEFUL LINES Because of the frame and body construction. the bodies are unusually low, with the roof about level with the brim of a man’s hat. Line harmony has been carefully worked out to produce cars of a very piesing appearance. The radiator is high and narrow, with quite a new monogram, while the front mudguards are exceptionally well harmonised with the radiator by the use of a moulding along the front edge of the guard, which blends not only with the moulding on the outside edge of front and rear guards, but also blends with a crease up the centre of the front mudguards. Further harmony is secured by using the same crease on the lamps, and by the pointed curve at the centre of the radiator shell. The hood is longer than usual, because it extends back beyond the dash. THE ENGINE The engine is particularly interesting, because the bore is 3 3-Bin, while

ium alloy pistons results in an engine of great smoothness. The rather moderate gear ratio of 4.25 to 1 assists in producing a smooth, silent performance on the road, and yet the pistofl displacement is sufficiently ample to give a stated acceleration of 5 to 25 m.p.h. in eight seconds. ,The pistons have four rings, including one oil-control ring. The press-ure-lubricated camshaft is driven by silent chain. The gear oil pump, placed in the oil pan, is driven ,by the same vertical shaft which runs the distributor mounted on the cylinder head, so that as long as the engine is running the pump must work. MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT The fuel system includes a Stromberg carburettor, Stewart vacuum tank, benzine strainer, air cleaner, and benzine gauge on the dash. “.North East” starting lighting and ignition units are used. Shock absorbers are used on the fronts of all models and on the rear of the de luxe jobs. The cooling system includes a water thermostat, and a pump driven off the fan shaft. The clutch is the single plate type. The mainshaft in the gearbox has two annular ball bearings, while cylindrical rollers are used on countershaft and pocket bearings. The new axle is semi-floating, with drive taken through the springs. Wheels and differential are mounted on taper-rollers, while the pinion shaft has a double taper roller in front and a cylindrical roller behind. FOUR-WHEEL BRAKES The Lockheed internal braking system has the supply tank integral with the master cylinder, simple automatic valves permitting liquid to flow from the supply tank to the master cylinder or vice-versa, as required. Thus the system is kept full regardless of the expansion or contraction of liquid due to changing temperature. The hand brake is on the transmission. RECORD MILEAGE Claiming a record mileage, the owner of a tyre which had travelled 31,700 miles, sent it to the Barnet Glass Rubber Co. recently. It is one of a pair of 30 x 5 truck tyres which have been used on a Chevrolet truck carting wood and wheat for the last two years. It had only one puncture in that period, and for 6,000 miles it had been on a rear wheel. Its mate is even harder, for it is still on the truck, and, according to the owners, looks fit for another 1,000 miles yet.