• THE 12 CWT. BELSIZE VAN. •
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An Entirely New Model Embodying Many Improvements
BELSIZE MOTORS, LTD., of Clayton, Maiiehester, are shortly bringing out a new 76 h.p. light delivery van to carry loads of 12 cwt. Complete chassis are not yet available, but the designs have been finished and parts for a thousand chassis are now being put through the shops.
The old model van, of which many thousands were made up to the time of the war, was very satisfactory and gained many admirers, but owing to this many people were inclined to overload it and to over-run. the engine. For this reason the new chassis will be a much sturdier job, and the engine will he heavier and of a slower-speed type compared with the old one, which was a lighter-built high-speed model.
The new chassis may be used for taxicab work, and the only alteration required when used for this purpose -will be • the substitution of the standard type taxicab spring for those used on the van chassis, to conform with the requirements of Scotland Yard. The engine is a four-cylinder menobloe of 90 mm. bore and 110 mm. stroke, the valves being all on one side and operated by a single camshaft. The crankshaft and caritshaft are of high-tension Aickel steel, and the normal speed will be 1,000.r.p.m,, the ILA, C. rating being .20.1 h.p. This engine is a very fine piece of work, the connecting rods and crankshaft 'being of ample strength for the heavy work which it is anticipated it will have to perform.
The engine is mounted on a Skefko ball bearing at the frontend and has a large circular flange at the rear end which spigots. into a east-steel banjotype carrier, this carrier being firmly . bolted to each side of the frame. An extension of the gearbox surrounds the clutch and spigots into the other side of the cast-steel carrier, the engine and gearbox extension being bolted to each. other right through the carrier, so that it is a simple matter to dismantle either the gearbox or the engine with out disturbing the other ; also the bottom half of the crankcase may be re moved in the same way, by unbolting it and sliding it out of the carrier, without in any way disturbing the rest of the engine. The change-speed mechanism is mounted directly on the gearbox, the gate and lever being carried at the end of an altunimuna tubular extension bolted to the gearbox. To prevent distortion, the brake lever,, is mounted on the frame. In the past it has been the practice to use a metal-to-metal cone clutch, but in the new model a Ferodo lining is 'used. Other innovations are leather disc universal joints, and a welded steel axle built up from two pressings. ' The differential and bevel drive gearing are situated in a separate housing, and a removable back plate of large dimensions allows for inspection of the gears. In the old van the axle was of the semi-floating type, but in the new design it has been changed to the full. floatingtype.
The cooling is thermo-syphon assisted by a pump, and the connecting pipes are of large diameter. Four speeds forward and a reverse are provided, the direct drive being on top.
Both brakes act on large diameter drums on the rear wheels and are of the internal-expanding type. The lubrication of the engine is by gear-driven pump fixed in a:large sump.
The petrol tank is situated under the driver's seat and has a capacity of six gallons. The main dimensions will be : wheelbase 8 ft. 3 ins,, track 4 ft. 8 ins., and overall length behind the drivers seat 5 ft. 4 ins. The approximate weight of the chassis only, but complete with tyres, will be 16 cwt. The springs for the van chassis are of the semielliptic type; they are long and should give good resiliency.
The price of the chassis only with steel detachable wheels and fitted with tyres will be approximately • 2410.
We went through the shops and. saw various parts of the new chassis going through them. We were particularly struck by the fine equipment of machinery, most of which is installed and in operation, while the remainder is in process of installation. Amongst the new machines are two very large milling machines for cylinders and. crankcases.
The back axle is.a particularly good job, and before turning tol'size it is within 1-32 in. of absolute truth; if more than this, the unmachined axles would have to be scrapped, as the allowance of 1-32 in. may not be exceeded, owing tothe lightness of the material used.
The final drive on the old 12 . h.p. model proved so successful that the company has retained bevel gearing as the final drive on the new model. This type of gearing, if well made and carefully hardened, rivals the worm type in silence, anti is perhaps even more efficient..
During the war the Belsize Co. have been .akuost exclusively employed upon munition work, and thus they have been placed at a serious disadvantage compared with those motorcar manufacturers who were producing their own vehicles for war purposes. However, the shops are now over twice their original area and the process of reconstruction is almost completed.
We believe that the irew van will have an even greater .suceess than its predecessor the 12 h.p:, especi ally in view of the fact that there is a large field open for this type of vehicle for the conveyance of light and—in many cases—bulky goods.
We wish to point out particularly that, though the work of turning out the new chassis is proceeding as rapidly as possible, it will he some little time before complete vehicles will be ready for delivery, owing -to. the difficulty of obtaining raw material. Orders may, of course, be booked at INK*.