THE LATEST 30 CWT. W.' AND G. CHASSIS.
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A New Model Embodying a Larger Engine and Many Other Improvements.
TMITE WORKS at Acton Vale, Lent don, W., of W. and G. Du Cros, Ltd., have long been renowned for the high quality of their various productions. The company have been in the'
motor trade almost since its beginning, and many hundreds of taxicabs, placed on the London streets by the company some years ago, are still in service. Ever since Ahoy commenced the construction of commercial vehicles, they have never looked"back, and the "W. and G." is now one of the makes with a valuable reputation.
The works are capacious, covering over seven acres of land, and the machine equipment is well organized and thoroughly up to date. The greatest care is taken, in. the construction of their chassis, to use only materials of the finest grade. Quality hail not been sacrificed for cheapness, and the result is that W. and G. vehicles are giving the utmost satisfaction to their many users.
Service is a matter which receives special consideration, and the company are prepared to arrange contracts with owners of W. and G. commercial vehicles. for running and maintaining the earns at an inclusive figure. They are thus enabled to know exactly what their running costs will, amount to each year, and they have the additienal advantage of knowing that, in the case of the breakdown of any particular vehicle, a spare one will be supplied to them to continue the work.
The latest product of the ,Acton works is a 30 cwt, chassis, which embodie-3 considerable improvements over its predecessors. It s essentially a machine for speedy work, and, in its design, a 25 h.p. Dormaii engine, similar to that employed in the 2 ton chassis, is incor porated. The final gear ratio is, of course, higher, than that 'employed on the 2 ton chassis, the ratio on the latter being 8 to 1, and on the new model 6i to 1, giving a vehicle-speed of 22 m.p.h. at -an engine speed of 1,700 r.p.m. The clutch is now also the Fame as in the heavier model, in order to suit the larger engine. Hardy. flexible fabric disc uni
B38 versa] joints of ample dimensions are now employed in lieu of the cardan hos and leather sing types used on the old 30 cwt. model.
Detail improvements include the pro
vision of Stauffer greasers throughout the steering, connections, and cast steel *heels and hubs in. cue piece, fitted with hard steel liners pressed into position ; these are ground inside, and present a good bearing surface to the phospherbronze floating. bushes. Again, the old wood dash has been repla.ced by a pressed steel one of scuttle shape, a wood lining being employed to prevent vibration and noise, as steel alone sometimes acts as a sounding drum. The brake drums are now bolted direct to the wheels, instead of, as in. the other model, being in one with the separate hubs, and the brake support brackets are steel stampings, replacing the castings previously employed; this substitution prevents any trouble due to defective (*stings, and thus makes a far more reliable job. Vislok nuts are employed at all important paints, and, incidentally, we might add, these special leek nuts have Kove41 very satisfactory and no cases of their working loose have been observed. Now that we have enumerated the chief improvetnents, we will proceed with a detailed desscription of the chassis.
We have already stated that the engine is of the well-known Dorman make, but omitted to say that it has been designed to suit W. and G. requirements, and is made solely for their chassis. It has four cylinders cast en bloc, with a bore and stroke of 95 mm. and 140 mm. respectively, with all the valves at the near side. The power developed is 25 b.h.p. at 1,000 r.p.m., and 35 b.h.p. at 1,500 r.p.m. Speoial attention has been paid to the water jacketing, particularly round the exhaust valve pockets. The crankshaft, which is a high tensile steel forging, in drilled for forced lubrication, and is carried in three bearings mounted, RS usual, in the top half of the crankcase, and provided with a double ball thrust washer to take declutching thrusts.
As will. 'be seen from the illustrations Which • we include in this article, the whole engine presents .a remarkably clean .appearance. Jill 'the important parts are readily accessible,particularly those which require att•ention or adjustment from time to time. The fan, for instance, which is driven by a Whittle belt, is carried on st 'ball bearing spindle, the rear end of which forme an eccentric, and is carried in a socketed bracket attached to the cylinders. By loosening one nut, the eccentric can be rotated in the soc
ket, thua increasing the distance between the centres of the driving and fan pulleys and thereby tightening the belt. Incidentally, the Whittle belt also. drives a water impeller carried in the same casting as the water inlet pipe. This impeller assists the water circulation, which ie on the thermo-ayphonic ciple. The valves are operated by a single -camshaft, driven by a silent chain from the crankshaft, and the valve springs -are enclosed by :wily detachable covers. The large ail pump, which is located at the lowest point of the sump, is driven bz spiral gearing from the camshaft. Oil strainers are provided at both suction and delivery aides, and impurities are collected in a well, which. can be washed out by removing a drain • plug. The oil level in the sump is shown by an indicator, and the surplus oil from the pump passes through a relief valve to the tuning wheels and the magneto driving-ehain.
A small, but convenient, detail in the design is the provision of a lodge, cast on the cylinder base, in order to provide a fulcrum by which an ordinary lever can be used to compress the valve springs. Ignition is attended to by a high-tension magneto mounted longitudin.ally at the offside of the engine, and also driven by a silent chain off the camshaft through the Medium of a flexible leather disc. Close to the magneto, and _also in a very accessible position, is the Zenith carburetter.
Oooling is effected by a gilled-tube radiator with east aluminium header and bottom tank. The attachment of this component. to the frame is by hinged brackets, thus eliminating any strain caused by frame flexion. A large
hinged cap of rectangular Shape allows very, easy filling of the radiator. Trie cap is fitted -with a svrieg
which operates on the "pocket kiafe" principle, arid snaps it, either open or
shut. A large filter prevents fureiga matter from entering with the water. Altuniniara plinths are employtd for the bonnet mounting, grooves taking the bonnet sides when these are closed.
. The drive to the tlaree-speed-andl. reverse gearbox is taleri through a. Ferodo-covered cone clutch, operated by an -adjustable pedal, and provided with a Ferodo-laced clutCh-braka.
The gearbox, which is mounted on the three-point suspension principle from a stout tubular cross-member at the front end, and from steel brackets bolted to the side memthers at the rear, is a 'one-piece toasting, which gives, a rigid construction and prevents oil leakage. It ialirovided with a'-cover which gives the maximum opening. A carclan shaft with Hardy universal joints conveys the drive to an overhead 'worm driven axle, all the gearing of which is carried by the top cover of the pot-type casing. The axle is of the full-floating type, allowing for withdrawal Of the driving shafts, worm gear, and differential, without taking off the wheels or even jacking up the vehicle.
The driving -and braking torques are taken throagh a stout torque member bolted to the axle easing, and supported at its front end in a springemeented suspension bolt hinged to a tubular eross-member.
Both brakes operate on the rear wheels, the shoes being of the internal expanding type, and situatedside by aide: The actuating rods are provided with a neat form of adjustment by selflocking thumb-screwe, Channel steel pressings, turned outB39 wards, are employed for the frame side members, which are parallel to each other. throughout •• their length, and amply strengthened by stout crossmemters. Rivets have been dispensed with, bolts being employed in lieu. No sub-frame 1ia employed for the engine; this being carried at four points by high-tensile steel brackets. •
The change-speed lever and quadrant ere carried on the frame, but the change-speed lever shaft moves sideways. in a sleeve rnovided with steel inserts, which prevent any tendency to bind oiving to frame flexion.
Iii the old 30 cwt. model the steering gear bracket was carried inside the frame, but, in order to allow room for the larger engine, it is ■riOSV carried
outside. Further, the steering arm is . now fitted on a taper and held by S Woodruff key. Whilst making a tour of the works we examined a One 22-seater sateen buss built on one of the new 30 cwt. chassis. This vehicle pre:rented a very attractive appearance, and was a fine example of W. and G. coachwork. The company also build many other types of bodies, including lorry, platform, and tippers.