KEEPING ON THE ROAD.
Page 31
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Ideas Suggested by Our Driver and Mechanic Readers for Keeping Vehicles in Service.
Ito KEN castings are fairly cora
MOO. occurrences, and "G.P.," of Harrow, describes a method of repair .which he adopted when dealing with a rump casting on a. Sentinel wagon which fractured owing to frost.
The crack was 11 ins, in length and the first repair attempted consisted of soldering brass.over the crack, but this was not able to stand up to the pressure of the pump and, as the casting was brass, brazing was not practicable.
Finally," G.P." hit on the idea of using molten white metal to cover the crack, and, to guide the metal, he made a mould of plaster of Paris, 11 ins, wide by 2 ins, long by 1 in. deep, and tinned the exposed surface of the pump casting inside the mould, which in due course was filled with liquid white metal. The repair is claimed satisfactorily to have stood 12 monthe use.
ON some vehicles the lower leaves of • the springs are apt to splay outwards when there are insufficient clips to retain them in place, and it is not always a practicable jobt.in the time available to remove the spring, dismantle it and r:vet on the necessary number of extra clips.
in these circumstances " B.H.P.," of Cloucester," suggests a method by which clips may be fitted in a matter of a few minutes. The idea consists of additional clips, which arc anchored to the existing ones by means of steel. strips lying along the top leaf. In these strips an eye is formed at each end, and the width is the same as that of the spring. Flat iron 1 in. thick is goad material for the job, and the size of the eyes should be -sufficient to take fin. bolts. The new spring clips are made out of 1-in, by fin, iron and the length of each is, of course, calculated to suit the spring in question and its position thereon.
pETROL pipes which break away at
tire union are common results of vibration, and a method of getting over the trouble in order to get back to the garage is suggested by " T.M.P.," of Ledbu ry
Tire union is removed from the petrol tap or carburetter, and the union nut is slipped back along the main pipe in the same way as though the union were in position. The broken end of the pipe, if not smooth, is then filed level and belled out with a ball-pene hammer. A few turns of thin -string under this hellmouth act as a packing gland, and the union nut is then screwed on to the tap Or carburetter, pulling the pipe hard up against the base of the tap and forming a temporary, but effective, joint.
A SOMEWHAT rare experience fell to
the lot Of a reader living in Manchester. One morning, when going to start up the engine of his lorry, be found it impossible to turn the starting handle, and an inspection revealed the fact that one cylinder was full of water. At first he suspected a cracked cylinder, but when the head was removed this ding nosis was found to be wrong. Further tests revealed the fact that the cylinder head was the faulty part ; the water was gaining entrance to the compression space through the passage leading from the compression tap.
What had happened was that the original casting was thin, corrosion had carried out its deadly work at the weak ...spot and a leak had developed. In order to carry on the driver tapped out the end of the passage with a 5l-in. taper tap and made a special plug for it, which, when in place, closed the passage securely.
Will the contributor of this experience kindly send us his name, as he omitted to do so in his letter dated Mardi 22nd?I
BURST outer covers cannot always be
replaced at short notice, as there are so many sizes that agents and garages can rarely stock all the different types required by customers, and users do not always want to lock up capital them selves in this way. " C.A.P.," of Shanklin, once had a vehicle which looked like being held up owing to a burst tyre, and no spare was available.
After search an Oki tyre was found, a little larger than the damaged one, and its beads were cut off ; the remaining portion of the oversize tyre was then slipped over the damaged one to act as a gaiter.
A TROUBLE experieneed by some
drivers of 4-ton W.D.-model Dennis vehicles is the breakage of the aluminium fan blades which are riveted to the fan. hub. A cure for this, according to "J.A.H.," of Falkirk, is to take four pieces of good hard wood and cut them to the right shape for working as fan blades, marking off the holes by using one of the old aluminium blades as a template. The wooden blades are fixed in position with a-in. screws and nuts, using plain washers on each side.
THE breakage of spring top leaves is a comparatively common trouble, and a makeshift repair by " D.D.," of Llanelly, may be of use to others who may have the misfortune to be held up by this type of defect. A spare spring clip or IT clip is necessary, and it is passed round the spring with its threaded-ends uppermost. A cross-piece is made out of any handy metal strip with holes in each end to slip over the clip, sufficient space being allowed for a piece of hard wood as wide as the spring and long enough to cover the broken part with a good margin to pass underneath the cross-piece. By screwing down the nuts on the clip the wood is pulled down hard against the spring and keeps the broken parts in place until the garage is reached.
Will contributors of groups of short articles intended for this page please make certain that they put their names and addresses at the beginning or end of each idea to avoid confusion when they are separated?