Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
Page 22
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TEN SHILLINGS WEEKLY for the Best Communication Received, and One Penny a Line of ten words for any.
thing else published.
Drivers of commercial-motor vehicles and tractors, and mechanics and foremen of garages or shops, are invited to send short contributions on any subject winch is likely to prove of interest to our readers. Workshop tips and smart repairs ; long and successful runs ; interesting photographs : all are suitable subjects. Send a post-card, or a letter, or a sketch to us—no matter how short, or how written, or how worded. We will "knock it into shape" and prepare sketches, where necessary, before publication. The absence of a sketch does not disqualify for a prize. When writing use one side of the paper only and mention your employer's name as a guarantee of bona fides. Neither your own nor your employer's name will be disclosed. Payment will be made immediately after publication. Address your letters to The Editor, THE COMMERC/Al. MOTOR, 7-15, liosebery Avenue, London, E.C.
A Strike Run.
[9431 " C.B." (Southampton) writes :—.` It may interest some of your readers to know of a successful run I made on a recent Sunday between Southampton and Exeter. I am a tea salesman, and I not only drive the car and keep it in running repair, but I have to do business by selling tea wholesale. The car is a 16 h.p. Albion, and it is by no means new ; I have had it in service myself for about 16 months, and it has done nearly 23,000 miles and has not yet been in for overhaul, When my employers asked me to undertake this journey to Exeter, I had already completed a hard week's work of about 350 miles. During the strike we were unable to rely on the railway's getting the necessary supplies through to Exeter, and that was the reason that I had this journey to accomplish. I was not given any particular time in which to do the trip, the load I had was about 18 cwt. I started from Southampton at 7.30 a.m. on the Sunday morning, and arrived at Exeter at 4.15 p.m. the same day, after stopping for breakfast and refreshments on the way. I then unloaded my van, oiled up and ran over the engine, had some tea, and Mt Exeter about 6.30. I arrived back at Southampton at 2.45 a.m. on the Monday morning, having done the return journey in about 19 hours including stops. Allowing three hours for breakfast, tea, refreshments and unloading, the running time comes to 16 hours, and the mileage by my recorder was about 230. The route I took was as follows Southampton, Salisbury, Shaftesbury, Sherhorne, Yeovil, Crewkerne, Chard, Honiton, and Exeter. l should like to add that the. only part of the road which I had traversed before was from Southampton to Shaftesbury. The larger part of my return journey I had to do in darkness."
Cleaning Cylinders and Pistons in situ.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the 10s. prise this week.
[91.1] " A.L." (Notting Hill) writes :—" I send you a sketch [We have had this redrawn. ED.] which it may be interesting to your readers for you to publish. This represents a dodge that Ihave employed to clean the carbon off the tops of pistons and from inside the cylinder heads at the same time. As a matter of fact, I made this specially for Belsize cabs, but it can, of course, be quite easily adapted for use on any other make of machine on which the engine has cylinders, in the tops of which the ignition plugs are situated centrally. The simple form of looped handle is made out of round mild steel, and it has a flat at the business end, which is destined to carry the blade shown in the sketch. This blade should be so attached to the handle as to be readily movable. The sides of it should also be slightly hollowed out, in order to carry grease, and the top and bottom should have a scraper edge. In order to use this tool, the engine should be turned round slowly by means of the flywheel ; it will be found that this method enables a very delicate adjustment or movement to be made. The flywheel should be moved until the piston upon which operations are to be carried out is low enough to let the rivet well inside the cylinder. The tool has already been entered through the ignition-plug hole, the blade, meantime, hanging vertically down wards. Then, if the engine be turned gently until the piston forces the blade into a position at right angles to this, and also so that it will nip it between the cylinder and the piston head, the cleaning of any deposit can be effected by turning the handle round in position. The blade, which has been carefully coated with grease, will collect the carbon. In order to get the tool out, the engine must be turned the reverse way, so that the piston will allow the blade to drop again. The blade should in total length be nearly equal to half the diameter of the piston."
For scraping piston ends.