For DRIVERS, MECHANICS & FOREMEN.
Page 21
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A PRIZE 013' TEN SHILLINGS is awarded each week to the tender of tlw best letter which we publish on this page; all others are paid for at the rate of a penny a line, with an allowance for photographs. All notes are edited before being published. Mention your employer's name, in confidence., as evidence of good faith, Address, .D., 31. and F., "The Commercial Motor," 7-15, Rosebery Avenue, London, B.C. 1.
Lamps Alight.
On Saturday, the 20th 'July, light your lamps at 9:34 in London, 10.13 in Edinburgh, 9.57 in Newcastle, 9.54 in Liverpool, 9.45 in Birmingham, 9.44 in Bristol, and 10.38 in Dublin.
Bonnet Clip Repairs.
The sender of the following communication has, been awarded the 10s. prize this week.
[880] " .G.H." (London) writes :—" A recent * suggestion of mine on how to prolong the life of valves, which was published in your paper about a year ago, ha, I find, 'been adopted by many drivers to advantage. Taking this as ,proof of success I venture to submit the following one or two hints for your 'D. M. and F.' readers.
"One of the first signs of wear on a•rOad vehicle of any kind is rattle and upise, and there are a good many of these signs observable at the present time on various machines. One part of the chassis in particular which I have in mind at the moment is the bonnet. One very often sees bonnet sides flapping about as a wagon goes by. The noise is sometimes almost deafening, and the wear, once the bonnet is loose in this manner, must be great. Generally, on examination, one or other of the bonnet clips will be found to be broken: This, in ordinary times, is a small matter, and the broken part is easily and quickly replaced. At present, owing to the shortage of spares of all kinds, it is not so easy to set right. I have had a little experience of repairing these clips, and the following shows how I have effected it in two cases. Both of them broke off, as the result of wear, and after having repaired them, they are even better than they were when new.
"The one illustrated on my first sketch is a very popular type, and is in use on both touring and com
mercial vehicles. It usually breaks at the rivet which secures the body of the clip to the bracket on
the bonnet boards. To replace this by a second rivet of the same kind, beside being no improvement, also necessitates removal of the brass bracket on the bonnet hoards, and re-riveting it in place later. It is sometimes necessary in this case to drill mew holes for the rivets and in any event, the paint, etc., is very likely to be 'damaged as a result. My method is first of all to dismantle the clip, removing the spring, etc. I drill out the rivet in the bracket on the bonnet boards, and, more than that, drill a hole right through bracket and board. Then I get an ordinary cheese-headed bnit, and slip it down the 'inside of the body of the clip, push it through the bonnet board and bracket, and nut it up underneath, fitting a split pin so as to prevent the nut from dropping off. This makes a satisfactory job, and a clip that will outlast half-a-dozen new, ones. 1t is not so liable to rattle, either, as is the standard fitting.
• "The other type of clip shown in the second sketch usually breaks, off in the(shank, just below the handle. It is ordinarily fitted through a guide in the bonnet. board, having a spring underneath which is retained
by a washer and split pin. In order to repair a broken clip of this kind, cut the shank off close up to the stoutest part of the handle. Drill the handle here, and tap -Pr, in. thread. Get a bolt of the right size, with a hexagon head. On it first of all thread a washer, then the spring. Push the bolt up through the bottom of the board and screw it in place in the top hole in the handle. • A blow with a centre punch will prevent it from unscrewing, and here, again,. you will have a clip which is stronger and more reliable than a new one of the same type."
A Lubrication Safeguard.
[1881] "R.B." Overseas) writes It is a common saying that while oil may be dear, it is, nevertheless, not so expensive as bearings. And yet it is equally as Common for bearings to be ruined through lack of oil. The following suggestion is one which has occurred to me, more than once, and I have often wondered why it has not been followed, as it, is such an obvious way out of the difficulty. As I have sketched it, it can be applied to any engine which is fitted with a float indicator. The idea is that so soon as the oil has run down and a real shortage is imminent, the magneto is automatically earthed, and the engine will cease to run. "All that is needed is to fit a double-ended in sulated terminal to the in i tlex plate which s usually fitted to oil indicators of the type named. The rear end of this terminal is coupled up to the earth terminal of the magneto, that which is, in the ordinary way, laid to the dashboard switch. The front end has a plain brassprojection, and the terminal itself is fixed at such a height that when the index finger falls to its level there is a real shortage of, oil in the crankcase. The front terminal projects so far that this index finger makes contact, shorts the magneto primary current, and stops the engine."