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268 
A NEW LIGHT PASSENGER VEHICLE.
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Filll Details of an Entirely New Model Bean, in which a Six-cylindered Side-valve Engine, a Special Form of Frame Construction and a Fine Braking Arrangement are Features.
KNOWN as the "Sir Galahad" chassis, the new Bean six-cylinder low-loading passenger vehicle at once presents a distinctly imposing appearance. Indeed, quite apart from a general likeness to normal touring car practice, the details of construction employed are novel, but they are nevertheless on sound engineering lines. The vehicle is capable of carrying a gross load of 2i tons which, allowing 10 cwt. or so for the bodywork, makes a net load capacity of 2 tons, or slightly more, according, to the type of body used.
Only quite a cursory look round the chassis is required to realize that it is the effort of a thoroughly practical mind. Not only has a careful eye been kept upon the requirements of the owner-driver who does his own repair and maintenance work, but the various details are planned in such a manner that a minimum of trouble should be experienced over long periods of heavy work. Take, for instance, such an item as the frame. There are many places that are subject to high local stresses, but as the load is spread over a big area of the frame the resultant stress in the material is considerably reduced. A case in point is where the front end of the rear spring is anchored. Actually a channel section cross-member is situated several inches to the front of the spring mounting, but a flitch-plate is run from one element to the other—an arrangement which spreads ever, say, one foot of the frame length instead of perhaps 4 ins.
The frame is suspended on semi-elliptic springs front and rear, the latter being underslung and located as near the wheels as possible. Incidentally, we are informed that shock absorbers are quite unnecessary, as it has been found that the periodicity of both front and rear springs is such that " pitching " is effectively damped out. Wheels of the disc type are equipped with 32-in. by 6-in, cord tyres ; the rear wheels are of the twin type.
The radiator is a large edition of the latest touring car pattern. A six-cylinder raonobloc engine is used, with cylinders cast in one with the top half of the crankcase and a semi-circular extension partially enclosing the clutch and flywheel. The bore of the cylinders is 69 mm., and the piston stroke is 120 ram., giving a total capacity of 2,692 c.c. and an R.A.C. rating of 17.7 h.p. To this casting arms are attached at a point about mid-way between Nos. 1 and 2 cylinders. These arms rest on corresponding arms projecting from the chassis frame, each joint having a spherical seat. Mention has already been made of the rear attachment. The cross-tube over the rear end of the gearboX has two arms, which are in turn attached to sphericalseated trunnions mounted on a rotatable sleeve; thus the frame can flex universally without affecting the unit in any way.
it would seem opportune at this juncture to give a few main dimensions of the chassis. With a wheelbase and track of 13 ft. 6 ins. and 5 ft. 7i ins. respectively, the turning circle is no greater than 56 it. From behind the driver's seat to the end of the frame is 12 ft., thereby permitting a commodious body to he fitted. Actually from the dash to the rear end of the frame measures 16 ft. 6 ins., although the model to be exhibited at Olympia is some 2 ft. shorter. With the normal tyre equipment the height of the frame from the ground loaded is 22 ins., and with a spiral bevel rear axle 8 ins, ground clearance is provided with 10 ins, everywhere else.
Turning now to a consideration of the engine. Broadly speaking, the cylinder-crankcase unit is a plain rectangular casting, and so far as outside appearance is concerned gives
the impression of being of particularly clean design. The oil sump has the useful capacity of 1i gallons, and is an aluminium casting bolted directly up to the under face of the crankcase. A detachable one-piece cylinder-head has Ricardo-type combustion chambers and, being easily detaChable, decarbonization and valve grinding—when these operations become due—are facilitated.
The camshaft is housed in the crankcase and is driven by helical spur gears from the crankshaft pinion. Incidentally, the distribution drives to both distributor and dynamo are taken by angularly located shafts from the camshaft and crankcase pinion respectively. The mesh of the gears is fully adjustable, and both instruments can be removed quite easily without interfering in any way with the primary drive. The arrangement with the commutator end of the dynamo and the brush end of the distributor pointing upwards and outwards renders them particularly accessible.
All the valve ports are on the near side of the cylinder block and approximately in line. The inlet gas distribution is rather interesting. From a Soles carburetter a short two-branch pipe coupled directly to the cylinder-block (on the off side) communicates with passages cast across the block between Nos. 2 and 3 cylinders and Nos. 4 and 5
cylinders, whence the mixture is distributed via a further three-branch inlet pipe to each of the cylinders in pairs. The exhaust gases are led away to the rear from the centre of a six-branch manifold, thereby keeping the exhaust-pipe away from the front passengers' foot ramp.
A single-plate fabric-lined clutch (with the fabric riveted to the spinning member in order to keep heating of the thin plate down to a minimum) is provided with an exceptionally light pedal action through the medium of a three toggle arm arrangement, the whole being enclosed in a bell housing, on the rear of which the gearbox is formed. Ground gears are used throughout the box in the Interests, of silence. A central lever is provided and operates in a gate. The reverse ratio is 33.68 to 1, whilst the forward gears are: first, 25.26 to 1; second, 13.95 to 1; third, 10.12 to 1; and top (direct), 6.125 to I. With the engine rpnning at its maximum speed of 3,500 r.p.m. the following speeds are available according to the gear engaged:. 12.5 m.p.h., 22.5 m.p.h., 30.5 m.p.h. and 51 m.p.h. At 3,000 engine r.p.m. the speed on top gear is approximately 45 m.p.h. . The power is transmitted to the rear axle via a double propeller shaft equipped with 7:lardy-Spicer joints where necessary. There is, however, a self-aligning double-row ball bearing at the rear end of the primary shaft. The rear axle itself is of the banjo pattern, with a spiral-bevel reduction gear. The axle shafts are fully floating and may be withdrawn from the wheel ends without dismantling the whole of the axle. A hand-operated transmission brake is very ingeniously arranged as a unit with the forward cover of the axle casing. The shoes are of the internal-contracting type with Ferodo linings no less than 4 ins. wide ; the operation, however, is most interesting. The shoes are pivoted at the bottom end and controlled at the top by a pin passing transversely through an eye in the main casting and through the free ends of the shoes. The shoes themselves are contracted by a ratchet arrangement which is operated by a swing lever in the usual way.
The pedal applies internal-expancling shoes in all four drums through the medium of a Dewandre servo motor in conjunction with a pair of self-servo-acting shoes in the front drums. From the rear end of the servo motor a rod runs to a cross-shaft mounted on spherical spring-loaded seats on which a further tube spring-loaded to allow endwise float (thereby rendering the component free from any frame distortiOn) communicates by swinging levers and rods to the front and rear drums respectively. The adjustment of the front shoes is effected by spherically seated nuts on the ends of the rods, the rear brakes being adjusted by turnbuckles on the intermediate rods. Steering is by worm and sector, with all parts adjustable, both so faias mesh of the gears and the reduction of end-play in both of the shafts are concerned. The fuel is carried in ft 20-gallon petrol tank slung by straps on the outside of the frame.