For DRIVERS, MECHANICS & FOREMEN.
Page 41
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A PRIZE OF TEN SEtILLINGS is awarded each weekto the sender of the best letter which we publish an this page all othera are paid for at the rate of a 73enny 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., M. and F., "The Commercial Motor," 7-15, Rosebery Avenue, London, B.C. 1.
'Lamps Alight.
On Saturday, June 8th, light your lamps at 9.49 in London, 11.1 in Edinburgh, 10.17 in Newcastle, 10.14 in Liverpool, 10.2 in Birmingham, 9.59 in Bristol, and 10.57 in. Dublin.
A Studebaker Repair.
The sender of the following communication has been awarded the 108. prize this week.
[1986] " F.S." (Southport) writes :—" The following description of a repair to a Studebaker may be of interest to readers of your 'DM. and F.' pages. On this car, the gearbox is Icarried on the rear axle, and forms, as a matter of fact, part of the torque tube and radius rod whereby the drive is transmitted from the rear axle to the frame of the chassis. As the result of some accident or other this torque rod had broken, and alloitecl the gearbox to fall, with the result that the gear control rods snapped off at the point where they were turned down and screwed for attachment to the selector rods.'
"A new torque rod was, of course, ordered, and happily was quickly forthcoming, but it was decided to attempt to repair the small, parts in the 'works. As a preliminary, we started to remove the broken pieces of screwed rod from the insides of the ends of the selector rods. Ordinary methods to achievethis were not successful, so that finally we decided to saw off about g in. from the end of the selector rod, cutting it all the way round, very oar efully, until we teachedthe metal of the stud in the centre. It was thus easy to remove first this outer ring of metal t in. deep, and afterwards the piece of stud.
. "For renewal, 'special studs were turned, having collars on them of the same diameter as the selector rods, and hi. deep. There was a length of screwed part at each side of the collar. These were screwed into the selector rods, and the ends of the gear changing rods were then trued up, drilled and tapped so that they screwed on to the studs ingtead of, as before, screwing into the selector rods."
Bus Ventilation.
[1987] "H.J..R." (Wellingborough) writes :—" The inside passengers of an omnibus, in such sweltering weather as we have-been having of late, suffer considerably from the heat, and the trouble is, in the main, lack of ventilation. I am aware that several 'suggestions have been made from time to time to
overcome this difficulty, but I do not recollect hay' seen anywhere the following :—Remove the partitln which supports the underside of the seats from the driver's compartment, and replace it by wire gauze. Mount two small fans, one in front of each of these sheets of gauze. These fans will be positioned beneath the driver's seat. Drive them either by' belts from the clutch shaft, or, if the bus is fitted with electric lighting, by small electrio motors. A certain ' number of baffle boards will have to be fitted beneath the seat so as to ensure proper circulation of the air, which should be allowed to filter into the bus through a number of small holes in the front supports of the seats, so that there will'not be a. strong air current formed in any one section of the. bus."
Stearn Wagon Repairs.
[1988] "W.F." (Edinburgh) writes.:—" There are Odd jobs now and again in'connection with• overhaul and repairs to a steam wagon which 'call for special inventiveness, and the follacang .tip in regard to the removal of spur gears and similar parts when they happen to he bound fast upon their s,:afts will, I feel sure, interest your readers, particularly those who, have hot access to either a hydraulic press or a jack.
"It is frequentiv found, when drawbolts are used —and the mechanic naturally falls back upon these when he has not the hydraulic4apparatus—that when the wheels are very tightly fixed, tightening up the bolts. merely has the effect of screwing off their ends instead of moving the wheel. A good plan in such circumstances is to heat the middle of the bolts or legs of the wheel drawer to a bright red heat, screw them up to the point of stretching, and then cool them off slowly with water. In nine cases out af ten this will loosen the pinion or wheel. It is 'necessary when trying this expedient, to use really stiff plates in connection with the drawer, otherwise the effect of the shrinkage will be lost in springing the plates rather than moving the wheel. " In some cases even this is not effective, however, and frequently heat is applied with the idea of expanding the pinion On its shaft.. Th:s, however, is difficult; to do 'without heating the shaft and nullifying one's efforts.' I have found the following method to be successful in such cases. Heat both shaft and pinion to a dull red heat. Have a supply of water han-dy and cool the pinion quickly while allowing the shaft to remain hot. The effect of this will he to shrink the pinion on the shaft, but as the shaft is still enlarged owing to its being hot, the pinion cannot, shrink back to its original size. When the pinion is cooled off to black heat, the shaft can be laid upon the floor to cool slowly. During this process; of course, it will heat up the pinion. again to some extent, expanding it while at the same time continuing to shrink itself. We thus have the two effects, the shaft contracting, and the pinion expanding, with the result that they are caused to part company."