WAYS AND MEANS.
Page 65
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Useful Contributions from Our Driver and Mechanic Readers.
For Easy Starting.
16i USER of Zenith carburetters
" C.A.11.," of Southampton, has experienced trouble with those types that are not fittedwith a hot-air pipe or choking device, as engine starting Proved difficult and popping often occurred after a start had been made. To remedy this he has fitted the air control described here, and he assures us that he has found it work successfully on various types of engines, The drawing makes the plan so clear that little is needed in the way of description. He drilled a hole in the centre of the dome of each carburetter, mid sweated a nut there to form a boss ; a screw with a fiat disc fixed to it, and a milled head soldered on, allowing him partly or fully to close the air inlet so as to form a good mixture suitable for easy starting. A spring is'slipped over the screw to set up friction and so prevent the screw working into unwanted positions when running.
Two Useful Tips.
A CORRESPONDENT, "R.L.," of Accrington, sends us the following tips, which he says have both proved of value to-hini, and may be .useful to others. He drives a Thornyeroft lorry, and has found that when replacing the road wheels he has not sufficient power with the spanner provided to tighten up the large nuts on the ends of the axles, so that they will not work loose. To overcome this, he jacks up the road wheel so that he can turn it round, places two bolts in the holes in the flange, taking care that they are opposite each other, fits the key on the nut and uses the wheel as a lever to turn the key and so tighten the nut.
His other suggestion is in connection with a ilauctslay lorry, a brake of which was giving trouble owing to there being, no flange on the outer side of the expander cam, so that when the fulcrum pin became loose through wear, he found that, the brake shoes were inclined to work outwards. To prevent this, he drilled and tapped the cam so that a Fin, stud could be fitted, and with the aid of a distance piece and a large washer he was able to improvise a flange, This seems to lave effected a cure.
Broken Petrol Pipes.
JUDGING from the number of sug
gestions sent us by drivers whose vehicles have suffered from broken petrol pipes, such breakages must be common, and we are glad of the very practicable suggestion of "IX.," Seven Kings, Essex, who not only tells us how he has mended broken pipes, but makes a suggestion for. what appears to be a better -way of making union liners, se that a fracture can be more easily dealt with on the road.
He points out that when a pipe breaks, a driver has to do the best he can to make soma temporary repair, but as such accidents may occur miles away from any workshop, the temporary repair, if possible at all, is often very unsatisfactory, and although he may he able to continue his journey, it is usually after much time and petrol have been wasted.
The idea of slipping a piece of rubber tube over the pipe and over the project ing end of the union liner, as pipes usually break where they join the liner, is by no means new, but usually the liner is too short for the rubber tube to get sufficient bearing on it to ensure making a joint.
".TT." suggests making new liners about 4 ins. bug, and supplying all drivers with a length of rubber tube that will fit the pipe and will stretch sufficiently to allow it to go over the liner.
In this manner, there should be no delay, as a broken pipe could be repaired by anyone in a few minutes.
Another Broken Petrol Pipe Tip.
IN the above letter from " JD.," we have already called attention to the difficulty of mending broken petrol pipes with ordinary rubber on account of the shortness of that portion of the union, liner that protrudes from the union nut, but where liners of ordinary construction have to be dealt with, one must do the best one can, so we give the suggestion of " F.P.," of Canning Town.
" F.P." refers to a letter which appeared in this page on the 30th of November, on the subject of broken petrol pipes, and suggests that ii drivers would carry with them a few of the ordinary rubber gas-pipe conneedons, that can be bought from any ironmonger for a few pence, they would find these far better for this purpose than ordinary rubber tubing, as they are flexible and have internal corrugations which help them to grip the pipe. He also suggests that should the petrol Pipe be to small for the connection, the latter can be bound with string to make it fit. Care should be taken that the weight of the pipe should be held up in some way so as to relieve the temporary repair from its weight.
A criticism
TH171 subject of broken petrol pipes seems to have a great attraction for drivers, and not without good reason, as there is nothing more likely to cause a fire than the resulting leakage of petrol, particularly should it happen at night and a repair then have to be carried out with the aid of a lamp.
In this connection ".T.E.," of Leyton, E., writes as follows :—Apropos of "D.D.I.," of Cleekheaton's article on re-pairing petrol pipes in your issue of 28th Dec., surely there is no occasion to have recourse to a lathe to turn a piece of brass tubing for the repair mentioned. Brass or copper tubing, is easy to obtain, even if one has not a suitable piece handy. The use of wire binding is, in the writer's experience, not to be recommended, excepting to those very familiar with soldering and sweating.
In the case of the repair with the tubing, or collar, the operator should not be misled into just soldering the ends of the collar on to the pipe. This will certainly break apart. The proper method is to apply heat to the assembly and allow the solder to run right into the collar and around the pipe.