WAYS AND MEANS.
Page 73
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Useful Contributions from Our Driver and Mechanic Readers.
Handling Heavy Wheels.
apHE removal of the rear wheels on heavy motor vehicles is often a very awkward operation, it being, on some types of lorry, a three-man job.
" of Seven Kings, suggests that by the use of a small trolley the heaviest wheel can be easily managed by one man, The four rollers of the trolley can be ball or roller bearings. It is not necessary for new bearings to be used, as in most garage workshops will be found a number of discarded hearings which will be quite suitable.
The advantage of the trolley will be felt especially on such jobs as fitting new floating bushes, for brake repairs, etc., when it is necessary to try the wheel on several times.
The trolley body can be made up of either a plate of iron or a stout piece of hardwood, and the shafts can be supported by angle irons which can be bolted to the plate. One of the angles used to steady the wheel can be permanently bolted in place, whilst the other can be removable and the plate lengthened on one side to allow the wheel to be rolled up into its place, when the angle can be replaced and secured to steady the wheel.
A Quick Repair to a Leyland Bus.
THE breakage of an engine lug on a Leyland bus, at a very busy time, was responsible for a smart repair job carried out by " G.H.R.," of Birkenhead. It was found -necessary frequently to renew the bolts that secured one of the front engine-bearer bracket to the off side of the chassis. A careful examination of the parts showed that the supporting lug of the bearer had broken off, so throwing all the weight on to the bolts and causing shearing stress.
As the bus was badly wanted for service, our correspondent devised a means for carrying out a temporary repair which would relieve the bolts from this shearing action, and at the same time provide a good means for clamping the bearer to the frame. He procured a piece of i-in. by 41-in. flat steel bar, bent it at rigIt angles and fitted it inside the chassis under the bearer bracket, as shown in his sketch.
The old distance piece was, of course, use?eas, so he made a new one of hardwood and bolted it up tightly.
He tells us that although this was may intended as a temporary measure, to save taking down the engine and fitting a new bracket, it is still in use, although it is more than a year ago since the repair was carried out.
A Useful Little Instrument.
A SIMPLE instrument, which he has made for himself, for testing sparking plugs, in described by " R.G.O.," of London, N., who has found it very useful.
The device consists of a block of ebonite, or vulcanized fibre will do, cut to the shape shown in his sketch. This can be done by drilling a hole and mak
tag two cuts with a hacksaw, forming. a fork.
Through the prongs of the fork a a-in, hole is drilled. Two brass strips are held in plaae by two screws and nuts; cad platinum-pointed serewa are ideal for this purpose. The points can be adjusted by using washers under the head, so as to give any desired gap, and when one strip is in contact with the electrode of the plug, and the other in contact with any part of the eylin der, a spark will be seen to jump between the screws if all be in order. The brass strips can be folded back when not in
Casting White-metal Success fully.
MANY mechanics find difficulty in remetalliug bearings, the resulting brasses showing blow-holes, crystallized and burnt metal, patches where the white-metal has not adhered to the inner walls of the brasses and other defects,
To assist those who have had such experiences we cannot do better than to pass on to them some advice on this subject which has been sent to us by the Hoyt Metal Co., of Great Britain, Ltd., Deader Road. Putney, London, S.W.15, which, incidentally, is always willing to give assistance to anyone ex perienciag bearing troubles a any kind, and which issues free of charge a special leaflet on white-metalling.
The bearing should be tinned in the usual way, fixed in the lining jig or mould and heated with the blow-pipe until the tinning inside the bearing is just beginning to run. The white-metal should be just hot enough to run freely, at which temperature it will turn light brown a piece of dry, white writing paper.
The bearing and white-metal in the pot being ready, the metal should be poured in and the bearing filled as high as possible. Immediately the bearing is full it should be possible to dip a piece of clean iron wire to the bottom. Move this wire up and down all round, lightly and without force, and at the same time prevent the metal at the top from setting by means of the,blow-pipe.
The metal at the bottom milli solidify first, and this action will graddally eonfinite upwards, until finally the metal will be solid up to the top, which can be finished off clean and smooth by means of the blow-pipe. During this process, which takes only a minute or two, the metal may sink down from the top ; if it does, a little more should he poured on. It is an advantage to cool the bottom of the heating with cold air from the blow-pipe.
A Magneto Mystery Solved. A CORRESPONDENT, "R.W.F.," of
Burton-onTrent, describes how when driving his vehicle, which is fitted with a Simms magneto which has seen considerable service, he had the following troublesome experience.
While driving at normal speeds the engine would suddenly stop, but would instantly restart on being cranked. After investigating most of the likely causes for such a trouble he decided to examine the high-tension collectingbrush holders. He found that one of these was pitted in the conical part, so he fitted a new one and the trouble stopped. His explanation of the mystery is that owing to the pitting an insulation was set up, and that when the engine was idling the voltage developed was noi sufficient to break through the insulation.