Specialist in Major Repairs to Chassis Components
Page 36
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WHETHER to scrap or to keep in service has always been one of the transport operator's problems. Every so
• 3ften he has to decide which is the more economic, to repair an old vehicle or to buy a new one. Under the present conditions the arrival at the decision is easier than in the past, because new chassis are extremely scarce. To-day, not only are well-worn vehicles being kept in service, but others that have been taken off the road, probably because , some major job was needed, the cost of which was not then justifiable, are being brought back into use.
This fact is reflected by the influx of commercial-vehicle work that is now being experienced by engineering concerns undertaking specialized automobile jobs such as welding, cylinder boring and the like. A company of this type is C. L. Jones, Ltd., Heather Park Drive, North Circular Road, Wembley, which, we are informed, has recorded a definite and steady increase in work for our industry since the beginning of the war.
Examples of operations performed are making and fitting cylinder liners, welding damaged blocks and heads, repairing frames, building up worn splines and dogs, grinding shafts and faces, and making special parts of a wide variety of types.
On a recent visit to these work:. we saw also some road wheels with cracked flanges being trued and repaired by welding, a hub having a broken stud-lug welded on, the worn ends of a trailer axle being built up, and a camshaft undergoing similar treatment. That which even more impressed us, however, was the equipment in the shops of the company. Its scope brings within the capabilities of the works almost any job beyond the capacity of the transport maintenance garage or average automobile engineer.
In this connection it is worthy of mention that C. L. Jones, Ltd., avoids coming into competition with the latter and does not accept vehicles for overhaul or repair—only the dismantled units.
Starting at the top, we observed a 10-ton travelling crane in the main shop and two one-ton runway cranes in the machine-shop extension. Some 12 lathes attracted our attention, varying from small precision machines to two large tools—one with a bed long enough for rear axles or jobs of even greater length and another with a 20-in.
swing radius. There are gear cutters, shapers, millers, presses, vertical and horizontal bores, drills, including a fine Cincinnati radial, surface, shaft and internal grinders (the last named for cylinders with non-detachable heads), slotting machines and a number of power hacksaws.
In addition may be enumerated two flame cutters, several welding stoves and oxy-acetylene equipment, nine electric-welding bays, air-compressing plant and pneumatic portable riveting hammers, but few maintenance depots, even of the larger operators, tip ossess such varied and extensive equipment or employ men so skilled in their work.
Alongside the camshaft, we mentioned earlier as being built-up, was lying a large cam, about 18 ins, in diameter, possibly a part of a printing press. It was in the works for similar treatment and the two like articles struck us in marked contrast.
To sum up our impressions, we have confidence in expressing the opinion that this concern may be entrusted with almost any repair coming within the field of general automobile engineering—as opposed to specialized branches such as body building, etc.—but outside the scope of the ordinary run of garages, private and public.. Whilst it is largely occupied with work which is mere or less directly of national importance (we do not wish to be specific), it is working 24 hours in every 24 and welcomes oppertunities to co-operate in the endeavour to maintain road transport, which is just as essential to the national effort.