• SOME MISCELLANEOUS TIPS.
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Some Useful and Instructive Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
ANEAT DESIGN of bracket for fit
ting on. to 'the bonnet rests af Leyland or Thornycroft chassis is described by " M.M." in a letter which .we have this week judged to be most worthy of the 15s. prise. The convenience of being able to lift the side of the bonnet and leave it up without the risk that it will fall down again at an inopportune moment, will be appreciated by most drivers, who will therefore welcome this tip of " Nfld.'s." Its usefulness is in. no way diminished by the feature that it allows of both sides of the bonnet being held up at once, making both sides of • the engine accessible, and letting in as much light as possible to the underside of the bonnet without having, as is sometimes necessary, to remove it altogether.
• A good point that is made by "MM." in his letter is that the fitting of these little gadgets will obviate the need to rest the edges of the bonnet on the lamp brackets, which is the usual practices so saving the paint on those brackets and on the adjacent parts of. the dashboard, and putting off the evil day when renewal of that paint becomes necessary.
The device. is cheap enough. The main part is made from On. square bar, bent
as shown in the sketch, flattened on the upright part, and drilled near the end of the plain portion to accommodate ee 3-32-in. split-pin. Four 4-in.. holes are to be drilled in the bonnet rests, immediately below the level of the hinges, and these holes must he squared out by the aid of a i-in. square file. The springs require to be just strong enough to hold the clips back close, against the bonnet rest when the bonnet is down, so that, there is; no interference with its proper seating on its rests. The bonnet itself should hires small slots filed near its ends, to engage these brackets, thus preventing end movement of the bonnet while it is Several suggestions concerning the use of the oxy-acetylene flame for casehardening are embodied in a letter from " A.E„" of Manchester. The ease with which the flame can be controlled, with regard to intensity, temperature and direction, makes it., he states, ideal for this purpose, and especially for the beat treatment of small parts, or for the. local hardening of larger ones. For example, it is possible, owing to the simplicity of eontrol of direction,. to hold the parts quite near to the quenching medium, so that there is no loss of time or temperature between 'their removal from 'the flame and their being plunged into the oil or water in which they are to be quenched. , The operator should take up a position before a supply of parts, his blowpipe in his right band, and a pair of tongs in his left. At the left of the tray of parts is the vessel containing the oil in which they are to be quenched. A part is taken from the heap, heated by means of the flame to a cherry red, and immediately 'plunged into the oil; the operator having hardly to change his position in ciii-rying out this work.
When only a part:of a piece is to be tempered, only that portion need be brought to a cherry-red heat by means of the flame. The blowpipe should be manipulated, however, so that the whole part is heated to a less and less extent, from the end to be tempered to the other extremity. This ensures that there shall be no sharp division of temperature as between one portion of the piece and another, and no consequent uneven. stresses end warping.
II.A.B.," of Rotherham, had a job to which is usually left to specialists in that class of work. He had a bent frame, the result of a collision, to straighten. The bend Was situated, as is shown on the accompanying sketch, about 5 ft. from the rear cross-member,
the side,member of the chassis being, -at the point where the departure from the straight was most, 3 ins, out of line: Two clamps were put round the frame at the extremities of the bend, so as to prevent any distortion. A heavy screwjack, packed on a timber block, and a length of strong wood joist were the medium for straightening, and the job was executed quite satisfactorily by these means. As it happens, the bend was so slight that it was possible to effect this repair cold. Had the damage 'been more extensive it might haveibeen necessary to heat the bent part of the frame before applying the jack.
Not many drivers, we should think, have thought of using the tipping gear of the wagon as a crane when overhauling the chassis. Yet that idea occurred to "H.H.," of Reading, and„he found it most useful. His vehicle is an old-type Leyland steam wagon,. and he found that the removal of the cylinders was rather awkward, as he had no lifting tackle nor anything to which he could hang a pair of blocks.
He tipped the body to about half the full extent, and, placing a sling round the cylinders, be carried the rope round a, chassis member and up to the point of attachment of the screw nut, to the body, making it fast there. A little extra "tip "then took the weight of the cylinders, which were eased out of position by means of a crowbar, and then lowered to the ground, simply by lowering the wagon body. When replacing the cylinders, the reverse operations were
carried out with equal success. Everyone knows the annoyance of having the garage door swing to again after it has been, opened so that entrance or exit can he effected. " R.A.G,,," of Wisbech, prevents any such happening by fitting the door with a sprag, as illus. -trated in the a,ccompenying sketch, which shows that the sprag is merely a block of wood, pointed aethe lower end, and fixed. to the back of the door .On a' hinge, in such a manner that as the door
tends to swing the end of the wooden sprag engages with the ground and prevents it.
"3.8.1.," of Bury, comes from a district where, as we can ourselves testify, the street urchins have a weakness for hanging on to the backs of passing vehicles. This practice is a source of annoyance to this correspondent., arid he, therefore, tells us how he has completely eradicated the trouble in his own particular district—at least, with regard to his own vehicle. He has fitted a magneto in the cab of his lorry, and equipped it, with a handle. A couple of wires are run from the " mag." to the iron rail at the back of the lorry, and in the event of anyone being so ill-advised as to attempt to jump this panticular lorry, "J.B.I. ' simply gives a couple of turns to the handle of his magneto, and the trouble is at once at an end until another culprit hangs on.