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BUILDING BODIES

10th February 1933, Page 110
10th February 1933
Page 110
Page 111
Page 110, 10th February 1933 — BUILDING BODIES
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ALL-METAL UNITS

NOTABLE advances in design are frequently made possible solely by developments in manufacturing processes. This is the case with the new bodybuilding methods sponsored by Metal Sections, Ltd., Bordesley Green Road, Birmingham. It should be noted that this concern itself does not make bodies, although it has evolved a number of complete designs. Its function is to supply the necessary steel sections and other units, from which the bodies can be made by existing coachbuilders.

In view of the fact that the new methods apply not to one or two particular designs, but to an almost infinite variety, it will be realized that a complete description of every detail would occupy very considerable space. It must, therefore, suffice to indicate the Principles involved and the results achieved.

On the manufacturing side, the chief novelty lies in the ability to produce extremely complicated steel sections by a cross-section. In consequence, the completed bodies are as shapely as those produced in wood, the actual contours depending almost entirely on the , designer's wishes.

Throughout a Metal Sections body no rivet is used. The various units are made from rolled sections cut to size and bent to shape, with, in some cases, other sections or simple plates welded to them. These units are then assembled with nuts and bolts, or with Parker Kalon screws, or some similar device. In some instances, such as in the vertical pillars and the roof sticks, pieces of fibre are inserted in the steel•sec Hans during the rolling orocess, so that ordinary wood screws may be employed to attach panelling.

Certain details now deserve mention. . To meet possible prejudices on the part of passengers, a simple, but effective, production process has been perfected, so that any metal surface can be finished with a realistic wood-grain appearance. Furthermore, the grain of any wood, from the most expensive downwards, can be imitated with equal ease.

Whatever may be the preferences of an individual operator or designer, it would appear that they can be met by the products of Metal Sections, Ltd.— provided that the preferenceis not for timber construction! For example, the gussets can be arranged either above or below the underframe. The door can be folding, sliding or of the coach-type. The windows can be glazed from the inside or from the outside, and they can be fixed, half-drop or full-drop.

Notable care has been taken to ensure that any accidentally damaged part of a body can, in a comparatively short time, be removed without the use of special tools, and with unskilled labour. The panelling itself has no turnover edges or other complications, and replacement panels can, therefore, be cut

from a n y suitable shect material. Experimeut has shown, too, that even the special f r am ework sections can be repaired, so that no large stock of replacements is necessary. construction.

These facts, although valuable to operators in the home country, must be of immense importance to overseas users. For export purposes, too, it is noteworthy that the component parts of one of these bodies can be packed in a remarkably small space, and, as the assembly calls for no particular skill, the cost of a Metal Sections body delivered and assembled overseas should show a great saving.' That it will also show to advantage in extreme climates seems equally obvious, for it is scarcely necessary to say that all the steel parts are thoroughly rust-proofed.

Development of this method of body construction has proceeded at a remark

able pace during the past two years, and buses of various types have now covered a considerable mileage on the road, particularly in the west country. One type that has seen considerable service is a 32-seater, which shows a saving in weight of 6 cwt. as compared with timiber bodies on similar chassis operated by the same company. On the road, this means a fuel saving of about 15 per cent.

Other interesting -single-deck bodies now in course of construction include 16-seaters and 20-seaters on Bedford chassis, and 20-seaters on Commer Centaur chassis, the respective weights being 114 cwt., 13i cwt. and 14 cwt.

The system of construction is, of course, equally applicable to doubledeckers, and a 54-seater of this type, weighing 44 cwt., has recently been completed by the Brush Electrical Co., Ltd., Loughborough, for a well-known Midland operator. Other designs have been produced with capacities ranging from 12 seats to 36 seats for a single-decker and up to 04 seats for a double-decker.

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People: Parker Kalon
Locations: Birmingham

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