EMERGENCY REPAIRS.
Page 31
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Practical Experiences of Our Driver and Mechanic Readers.
DURING a busy season with a
motor coach " R.C.G.," of Northampton, returned one night with a broken master leaf in a front spring; this, of course, necessitated immediate repair, but no spare spring or leaf was at the moment available. For his suggestion, which may enable others to overcome similar difficulties, this week's prize of Is. is awarded.
In the case in question, the master' leaf was broken in the centre between the holding-down bolts ; no tightening of the nuts which held the spring to the axle had any effect, the broken
portions would still slide • apart. "R.C.G." therefore removed the spring and put the two-broken pieces together, the top plate being held in the correct position in relation to the spring.
Two irin, holes were drilled right throughthe plate and spring leaf ; next these holes were countersunk with a fin, drill on the underside of the top plate and the upper side of the master leaf ; two Fin. halls were taken from an old ball race and placed in the holes, the clamping plate being then bolted dovin tight.
WITILS.T net being a frequent oecurrence, the breaking of a valve tappet causes considerable inconveni
ence on the road. " L.H.C.," of Carmarthen, was hung up with a fracture of this description and had no spare.
He removed the pin and washer retaining thevalve spring and allowed the spring to drop ; a piece of stiff wire was pushed through the valve-stem slot and between the coils of the spring; the top of the spring was about
in. lower than the shoulder on the valve guide.
The stiff wire was secured by copper wire passed round the lower coils of the spring to prevent it turning. The valve, being an inlet, Worked automatically, opening and closing on the suction and compression strokes of the piston, the rebound of the spring helping to close it.
In the event of an exhaust tappet breaking, " L.H.C." stfggests aubstitutlug one of the inlet ones and treating the inlet valve as described.
JUDGING bythe number of readers who send in suggestions with regard to broken track rods this type of occurrence is fairly frequent. .A tern
porary method of repair advocated by ".G.H.R.," of Birkenhead, is to take two pieces of Iin. by by angle iron and bind them across the break with iron wire in a similar manner to that in which a splint is .applied to a broken limb. This, of course, keeps the track rod in a straight line, but it does not prevent the broken ends being separated. To overcome this, a piece of strong. wire is attached to one of the steering arms, round the shank of the ball, for instance, and the wire wound spirally round the rod and angle item, and fastened to the other steering arm. There must be no looseness in the rod when the wire is being fixed.
MAKESHIFT petrol pipe repairs usually embody some form of rubber tubing. This material is not always to hand, therefore the suggestion of "D.D.I.," of Cleckheaton, may prove useful.
It is advisable to carry in the toolbox a penny stick of Plasticine. If a. fracture occurs the pipe is removed and dried and the parts round the crack plastered with Plasticine. Next, several layers of insulation tape are wrapped round the Plasticine; this material is also useful for stopping air leaks by applying it to induction-pipe joints.
A. METHOD somewhat resembling that suggested by "G.H.R." is put forward by "F.M.F."
When a broken track rod is encountered, an iron bar is taken, which fits snugly inside the broken portions of the track rod. To prevent the steer ling arms splaying, due to the loss of endwise location, an old machine driving belt is taken and wrapped round the steering arms, thus preventing them from moving more than a negligible amount out of the normal.
Will "F.M.F." please let us have his full name and address, together with that of his employer?
WORN brake-operating cams caused an -accident and "F.E.," of Holloway, had to rectify the brake gear without spare parts. In these circumstances a sheet-steel ling& was taken, hammered to fit over the worn cams and the ends of the liner drilled. The cams were next drilled and tapped so that the liner was slipped over the cams and the former fixed to the latter by means of screws. The heads of these were, of course, countersunk in order to provide a flush surface for the cams, so that they might move easily over the surfaces of the ends of the shoes. [We do not advise such a repair except as an expedient for a very short time only.----ED.1