MAKING BEST USE OF THE FORD.
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Valuable Advice on Every Phase of Ford Transport which will Appeal to the Owner, Driver and Repairer.
440.—Preventing Leakage from a Broken Pipe Flange.
One of our readers started away from Guildford at 2.30 one morning to visit Smithfield market for a Iliad of meat, but about four miles from Guildford he noticed that steam was blowing out of his radiator, Sct after waiting a short time for the water to cool he filled the radiator up to the top, but discovered to his consternation that it was pouring out from somewhere in the neighbourhood of the engine. He lifted the bonnet, and thought, at first, that one of his hose-pipe connections had burst, but, unfortunately, it proved to be the pipe flange which had broken at one side.
After a few minutes' cogitation, he decided to adopt a somewhat unusual expedient. This consisted of inserting a piece of sheet rubber under the face of the flange and bending it up between the faces of the crack. After re-tightening the setscrews, he let the engine run for a few moments, and although a slight leak occurred at first, this was soon arrested. It was not until four days later that a new flange pipe was fitted, and it was then found that the rubber had become practically vulcanized into the crack.
441.—Cleaning Piston-ring Grooves.
Unless a proper cleaning tool for piston-ring grooves be available freeing
• the grooves from carbon is apt to become a tedious task, but a little tool to facilitate it can be made by anyone in a few minutes.
All that is required is an old Ford piston ring (a broken one will do) and a file handle. The ring should be broken to, roughly, a quarter of its eircumfer-elms, and one end should be filed or grimad to nsemble a carpenter's chisel, whilst the other end can be inserted into the file handle. This forms a neat little tool the blade of which is the exact size of the ring grooves and, consequently, these can be cleaned with ease.
Naturally, the operator should refrain from putting excessive pressure on the tool, as cast iron, although having a certain amount of spring, can be broken fairly easily.
442.—Facilitating Tube Repairs on the Ton Truck.
The driver of a ton truck has written to tell us that Ire has experienced much difficulty when repairing punctures in his tyres, which are mounted on the familiar split rims, the difficulty being caused through the valve slipping into the bolt hole.
He suggests as a remedy for the trouble the drilling of a second valve hole about 6 ins, either to left or right of that existing. The tyre can then be fitted without any difficulty and the old valve hole can be plugged up with a small piece of sheet lead or brass, hammered flat.
It is claimed that this idea has saved the cost of a good many new valves. 443.—Working the Horn from the Battery.
In Ford vehicles produced between the years 1914 and 1921 provision was not made for actuating the horn from the battery, and many drivers of these older vehicles feel the need of being able to work the warning device when the engine is at rest.
As a great many of the non-startertype Fords are equipped with batteries for lighting purposes, it may not be out of place to give a few hints on wiring the horn to this battery, so that it can be scunded whenever required.
In the older-type vehicles, in which the horn derives its current from the magneto, the circuit is as follows:— From the magneto terminal to the terminal block, thence through a pressbutton switch, after which it passes to one terminal of the horb, energizes the buzzer coil and passes through the second terminal to earth.
Now, if it be required to actuate such a horn by current from the battery all that has to be done is to connect the wire originally passing to the magneto terminal to the battery -terminal on the terminal block, and when the horn switch is= closed •the current will run from the battery through the horn and return via earth. The connections are quite simple and are shown in the lower
• diagram of the two which we publish on the subject.
444.—Repairing Carburetter Floats,
The Zephyr carburetter is the instrument mostly used on Ford vehicles and, like others, requires attention if it is to function quite satisfactorily. After being in use for some time, the float may commence to leak and will soon become • .petrol-logged, in which case there may be constant overflowing of fuel from the jet. It is easy enough to obtain a new float from dealers in large towns, but the country driver is sometimes placed at a disadvantage, and the vehicle may have to be laid up until the part arrives from the nearest town. Many people advise users not to repair such a float, but this can be quite easily done if the matter receives careful attention.
If the float be found to be punctured, the first thing to do is to extract the fuel which has gained access, and this can best be done by placing the float in a basin or tin of very hot water, when the petrol will be evaporated and will escape through the puncture in the form of small bubbles, which will also serve to indicate the exact position of the leak. Do not keep the float under water for too long or water may penetrate into it. If it does so. the float can be thoroughly warmed close to the fire, as all the petrol will have been evaporated, or a hole can be bored in it in some other place where it can easily be mended.
Once the float is empty, make the repair with hard solder, using as little as possible, and rubbing off the surplus by the employment of a very fine grade of emery cloth.