A NEW DELIVERY VAN
Page 57
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from the Hillman works
As is well known, the hillman Motor Car Co., Ltd., of Coventry, introduced earlier this year a popular sixcylinder car, bearing the name of Wizard. It was evolved for service in all parts of the globe and has already been produced in large numbers and distributed to many lands. It has now been decided to utilize this chassis as the basis of a smart, high-grade delivery van for 15-cwt. loads. Although it. will sell at a popular price no decrease in quality has been allowed. At the time of closing for press the price was not fixed.
Recently we inspected the first of these vans and were impressed by its roomy body, which was built in one of the coachwork shops of the numberHillman-Commer group. The interior dimensions arc: Length 5 ft. 8 ins., width 4 ft. 8 ins., height 4 ft. 1 in. The wheel-arches occupy a small space inside the body. The two separately adjustable seats not only give additional comfort to the occupants, but, by reason of the near-side one being demountable, extra long loads can, on occasion, he carried on the left-hand side of the van.
Below the waist line the panels are in sheet metal and, above it, in armoured plywood. The roof is in Sundeala and both doors to the driver's compartment have drop windows with conveniently placed operating Ibvers. A two-panel windscreen is fitted.
Five steel-spoke, detachable wheels are provided, the spare being carried in a recess in the near-side front wing and supported on a bracket, The standard tyre equipment is 18-in, by 6-in. pneumatics; particular care has been taken to allow ample wing clearance to make the van suitable for use in overseas countries.
Naturally, the four semi-elliptic springs have been straightened to withstand commercial service and the entire vehicle bears evidence of being robustly construeted ; such features as the wings and running boards are made in stouter material than is usual on the average private ear. The wing pressings are so formed that the curved portions give considerable extra strength to the whole.
Turning to chassis details, a good impression of the general construction of the engine can be gained from the sectional drawing which we reproduce. Each of the six cylinders has a bore and stroke of 75 mm. and 106 ram. respectively, giving a capacity of 2,810 c.c. ; the valves are located beside the cylinder block. Ignition is by coil and distributor, whilst water circulation is by pump. The pistons, in the ease of the engine for the van, are of cast iron; on the car the •material employed is aluminium. This should ensure long life for the engine—an important point in commercial-Vehicle work.
In the flywheel is a single-plate clutch, which takes the drive to a fourspeed gearbox, the third speed being of the silent type with dog engagement. From the gearbox runs an open propeller shaft to the spiralbevel-drive rear axle, the ratio of which is 5.5 to 1, giving a lively performance.
Bendix-Perrot brakes are used in the drums of all, four wheels. They are cable-operated, either by pedal or by the centrally disposed lever to the left of the gear lever. The final length of cable, in cacti case, is ;cd through a flexible steel .anduit.
At the rear of the chassis is a 14-gallon petrol tank, from which fuel is drawn by an engine-driven pump. The filler is outside the body on the near side and is conveniently placed. A worm-and-nut reducing mechanism is used for the steering ; the box is mounted high up, on the off side, on pressed-steel brackets. The steering tie rod has Thomson selfadjusting connections.