WAYS AND MEANS.
Page 71
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Useful Contributions from Our Driver and Mechanic Readers.
Fitting a Villiers Lighting Set to a Subsidy A-type Dennis. TO anyone who contemplates fitting a Villiers lighting set to one of the subsidy A-type Dennis lorries, the following particulars sent us by " A.G.P.," of London, N.18, may prove of interest. Our correspondent removed the flywheel of his lorry and turned a register on•it, as shown in his sketch; he then made an aluminium pulley to fit on in halves, as shown in section. The object of fitting it in this manner was that it could he easily removed at any time, so that In case of wear on the flanges it could be taken off, trued in a lathe and replaced.
Having a buffer bar on his lorry, he was able to use the supports to hold his lamp „brackets, thus holding them with very little trouble. An L-shaped bracket was fixed to one of the side members of the sub-frame to hold the dynamo; this was placed so that its pulley came directly in line with the aluminium pulley on the flywheel the drive being effected through the medium of a Whittle belt.
He suggests that if a fleet of the same make of vehicle have to be fitted as described, it might be best to make a drilling jig, so that all the holes in the flywheel should be to a standard, so that new pulleys could be fitted at any time without difficulty.
Increasing the Scope of Valvereseating Tools.
MOST garage mechanics who have had occasion to use the J. and S. type of resenting tool, whilst appreciating the good job it makes, have often had an engine where the cutter is just too large to pas the threaded portion of the cylinder block, and the next smaller size is too small to cut the full width of the seating. " J.B.," of Leicester, suggests that a good way out of the difficulty, and one which avoids the expense of buying a new cutter, is to grind two fiats on it, taking care not to draw the temper. This enables the cutter to pass the small-diameter threaded part so that the operator can assemble the tool on the valve seating as shown in the sketch which we reproduce.
We believe that this idea is embodied in the latest J. and S. tool.
Brazing Without a Blowpipe.
THERE are sometimes cases where a
part of a motor vehicle requires to be brazed, and no proper blowpipe or blowlamp is at hand. In such instances it is necessary to improvise some substitute for the correct outfit, so a correspondent, " T.E.' " of Leyton, E., describes how he has made shift without a blowpipe on more than one occasion and succeeded in making satisfactory jobs.
He procured a 5-gallon oil drum and made holes in it so as to form a brazier or "devil," to the bottom of which he fixed a piece of gas pipe with the end turned upwards and with about 18 ins. leading from the drum. To this pipe he fixed a pair of ordinary domestic bellows by means of a length of rubber tube, and was able by vigorous blowing to bring his fire to a bright-red heat. His fire was built up of small clean coke and was allowed to burn up well before the job was placed in it.
He tells us that a good motor footpump will answer the purpose quite well, and has the advantage that one man can then manage the job.
It is, perhaps, not generally recognized now that an ordinary blacksmith's forge can be used for brazing, as that was the only means of heating before the blowpipe became common, and is even new much used in some places where a gas supply is not available.
The blowpipe is more convenient, as the heat can be directed to the exact spot where the brazing is required, but it must be remembered that, although with the blowpipe the heat can be applied to the top of the work, instead of underneath it, as with a forge, it is useless to melt the brass and expect it to adhere to metal that is of a lower temperaturp ; the job itself must be as hot as the melted brass.
A Cure for Obstinate Lamps.
HAVINC had persistent trouble with the wind blowing out his lamps, a correspondent, " A.G.P.," of London, N., has tried several dodges to remedy this very annoying difficulty, and has found that a tin shield soldered to his lamp, as shown in his sketch, has entirely cured the trouble.
We have known instances where oil lamps have been very difficult to keep alight, and have invariably found that the position of the lamp in relation to other parts of the vehicle, was the cause of the trouble, as draughts caused by air deflected by surrbunding parts caused the flame to go out. The experience of " A.G.P.," however, is interesting, and further experiments in this direction by our lamp makers would probably tend to improvements in lamp construction, for although oil lamps are now fairly satisfactory, in windy weather they still give a good deal of trouble.
A Leaking Induction Pipe.
SLIGHT leaks of air in an induction pipe may be the cause of poor engine running, and in some cases such leaks may be so little as to escape notice from a driver. A correspondent, " D.IVIca." of South Uist, has found the symptoms of a leaking induction pipe to he as fellows. Weakness in pulling, a pronounced difficulty in starting and in getting away, misfiring and a tendency for the engine to run smoothly only at high speeds. In some cases only one cylinder is affected, but usually the whote engine is involved.
Our correspondent suggests as a remed.5, that after an inspection for the more easily detected leaks, such as a defective washer or a badly fitted pipe, the joints in the pipe should have a coating of boiled linseed oil or oil varnish applied while the engine is running well throttled down. This will ensure the oil penetrating between the faces of the joint, and effectually remedy any small leaks.