RUNNING, UPKEEP AND OVERHAUL.
Page 31
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Interesting Contributions Three Useful Garage Tips. from Maintenance Engineers, Drivers and Mechanics.
FR01■1 Norwich we have received three tips which prove to us that the sender, " G.G.G.," has had experieuce of the little difficulties that crop up daily in general repair work.
Coach. Botts.—Coach bolts which have what is known as a " cup " head with a square under it have at times to be screwed with a die for various reasons. The holding of snch bolts in a vice is not an easy matter, especially the largeheaded bolts used for holding mud
guards. Our correspondent's plan is to make a number of square holes in a piece of angle steel, into which the bolts can be inserted, their heads resting on the vice jaws. In this way they can be screwed with ease.
Broken Air-purrip Connections.— " G.G.G." says that air-pump cornicetions in a busy garage often break away where they are fixed to some rigid tube. Binding with copper wire is sometimes resorted to in the hope that they will remain airtight, but it . is seldom successful. The method adopted by " G.G.G." is to procure a piece of annealed copper or brass tube about
in. in length and of such a size that it will just slip on to the rubber tube. A nut, which will also just slip over the rubber tube, is then cut in halves and placed on the metal ferrule and compressed in a vice, as shown in a sketch.
A Flexible Scraper for Soldered Joints.—The third suggestion by " GsG.G." is that a worn-out hacksaw blade, about 1 in. wide, with its teeth ground off, should be finished to an angle suitable for a scraper edge ; it Will then prove very useful when scraping off soldered joints made in such parts as the radiator.
The Art of Changing Gear.
THE following instructions are sent us
by "..T.W.L.," of Wakefield. Ile rather deplores the coming of any invention that will make the changing of gears no longer difficult, as he says that it will take much of the pleasure of driving away from the man who really knows how to drive. He points out, however, that to many this operation is not a pleasure, if one can judge by the faces of the drivers while performing it, so it is for these men that he offers his advice.
He says that helias heard drivers say: "It is a lightning job, over which one has to be smart." From this he says that it is evident that such men work on the guess principle, not really understandiag the art.
He describes his method as follows :— "The driver who has the same bus or lorry to control all the year round has not the same difficulty to contend with as the man who has to take any vehicle that is given him out of a fleet of 100 or 150, there rarely being two vehicles exactly alike, -with regard to distance travelled to meet the clutch stop, ratio of gears, etc.
"A small ratio between gears calls for very light braking on the stop, the difference in gearwheel speeds being small, therefore little braking effort is required to bring the faster revolving gear to the same speed as its partner to
get silent engagement. The reverse, of course, applying to a large ratio, but none of these need worry the -driver who works on the ' feeling " principle as follows :— " It is necessary to double-declutch when changing up, for this reason, instead of engaging the gear straight through on the depression of clutch pedal the gear lever is brought to the neutral position and the clutch engaged again. Then before depressing the clutch pedal again gently move the gear lever towards the position required until the gear teeth are felt, then depress the pedal until it is felt that the gears will engage. Again engage the clutch until the next gear is required, and adopt the same procedure.
"This, in my opinion, is the only method by which a driver can handle a strauge vehicle with confidenca in the gears. The mistake of too much braking, on a keen clutch stop, or insullicleat on a worn stop, which causes the gnashing, is overcome. With practice a driver can 'feel' a gear in without a listener hearing it. Even if missed it can be regained without having advertised the fact.
"The driver with the same vehicle gets used to it, and may think 'feeling' unnecessary, but give him a different chassis every day!"
Some Suggestions for Impt•ovements in Thornycroft Chassis.
THE three following suggestions for improvements in Thornycroft and other vehicles comes from "of Beeston, Notts, who, after experiencing various troubles with his vehicles, makes the following proposals, which he conskiers, if adopted, would end such troubles.
(1) The exhaust manifold of his vehicle makes a joint with the cylinder by means of a copper-asbestos gasket; this, he says, has open edges, so that the asbestos can -work out and cause
failure. He suggests that a copperedged gasket would obviate the trouble. (2) The same Manifold on his vehicle has a round hole to receive the pipe that leads to the silencer. This part of the manifold' is split on two sides and is provided with a clip by means 'of which it can be made to nip the pipe, He tells us that through vibration the pipe becomes a slack fit in the hole, with the result that a leakage of exhaust gas occurs at this point. Drivers, or others in charge of such a vehicle, naturally' try to tighten up the clip to prevent the blowing. The manifold, however, being made of .cast-iron, will not bend under the clip, se a breakage sometimes occurs. • He suggests• that a flange with spherical face, as used--on some other vel;icles, and bolts with brass nuts, sveuld remedy this defect.
(2) He •finds that the levers on the ends of the expander-cam shafts are not movable to compensate for wear that takes place in the broke linings, consequently, after prolonged use, these levers assume an angle that causes a great loss of leverage. His suggestion is that they might be fitted on spliues.