1931-09-15 — Page 3

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1931.

SPARKS

FROM THE PLUGS

PASSING THE 20 A MOTORING STORY

A MOTORING STORY with a MORAL.

"MILLION MARK.

DUE CEREMONIAL AT FORD

WORKS."...

An ignition switch which had ceased to function held me up for HENRY FORD AT THE WHEEL two hours on the Yarmouth road

on Sunday evening, writes Evening Stamlard Motoring Car respondent.

The Twenty Millionth Ford an left the assembly line of the Ford Motor Company in the Rongo plant. on Tuckday morning, April 14,

an

It wan a very nicer looking switch. It was designed in the latest futuristic pattern. It mat the The carpode slowly down theched every other fitting on

dashboard. It

chromium

Was

tool to rectify the trouble, which was simply that when the switch was all there was no definite opp nection from the positive across to the lead to the coil.

Fortunately it was a pleasant summer evening, but to be strand ed on a cold winter's night with this trouble, would be another story. It would, in fact, have been impossible to rectify the

clutch the owner must either ro move the engine or the back axle.

Manufacturers, in their anxiety

MOTOR TRADE SUCCESS."

BECOMING · BRITAIN'S BIGGEST INDUSTRY.

few years time, motor to be criginal, Lave lost sight of manufacturing will be Britain's the prime fact that it is on the rond, with fow tools and no bench, biggest industry, declares the an that the car got wrong, and that nun volume of statistics publish it has to be righted by a drivered by the Society, of Mctor Manu whose knowledge may not be ex tonsive and, whose mechanien skis facturers and Tradors. To-day it

line and came to rest at the terplated in a dull, superior Icoking fault, slight as it was, at the road-Inaccessibility.A

wouldn't work.

vory

is probably slight ranks among the first five of our

industries.

Compared with other countries, side when one's hands were frozen. Some time ago, when designers

All of which brings me to my began to forget their practical the report states, thu, average pri main print-an appeal to car de engineering in the quest for some- itgners to rid themselves of this thing unusual, I heard it pre-vate car in Britain:

In responsible for fewer seci trick of making small but import-phesied that the crate would soon

*dents;

minal, a finished product, Henry fashion. In fact, it was a "Ford and Edsel Ford; executives nice switch that would have dono

of the company, reporters, photo-credit to any drawing room.

But it had one weakness: graphers and mechanics gathered to inspect the machine, a Model A Town" Sedan.

Honry Ford drove the automobile to his home, where it met the first car, produced in 1895. Later it met "989," the famous Ford racer, and the Fifteen Millionth ear, last of the Model T's to be built.

The car was placed on exhibition

It was not, of course, the faultant parts inaccessible. A practic-end and that British engineers al engineer friend suggests that would return to the British habit of the switch that I was hold up designers of awkward bits and of making solid substantial job for two hours, but I found it impicces should be compelled to which could be kept running and possible to suspect such a work of art of any failing, so I tested out spend every wet wiatry night out in repair with a minimum of the pluge one by one, the ignition on the rond repairing their bits trouble.

of mechanism when things go wrong. lends, the distributor and ita make and break, evil, and, last of all the nccumulators,

"

All the various parts seemed to be in perfect order-except, of course, that no current was com

tribufor.

in the Ford Motor Company's show-ing through to the coil and dis- rooms in the Highland Park plant on Woodward Avenue.

One week later it was stirred on a country-wide tour, in the course of which it is scheduled to spend In week in each of the company's

branch territories.

The Lost Two Hours. Finally, much against my will, I wan forced to believe that the switch was at fault. It was. It took me over half hour to come to this conclusion and an hour and a half to rectify the trouble.

Beautiful as the outside of the On its return, the Twenty Mil-switch was this was nothing to the lionth ear will be placed in Greenlanty loveliness of the inside,

feld Village.

The First Ford,

The first Ford, one of the frat three automobiles the United Staten hind ever seen, resembled a buggy mounted on bicycle wheels and its little two-cylinder engine bonsted. four horsepower. Its gasoline tank beld three gallons and its sent held three people, Mr. Ford was given n verbal license to drive it, and he thus became the first licensed motorist in the United States,

In December, 1816, more than 1,000,000 Fords had been produced. Thereafter, as Ford manufacturing methods, and processes developed total production reached 2.000,000 in June, 1917; 5,000,000 in May, 21

15,000,000 in May, 1927.

Every part was made as small and, apparently, as difficult to get at as possible. I could find no

GEAR CHANGING MADE EASIER.

SAFETY FACTOR.

NEW DRIVING METHODS

NECESSARY.

Much discussion has arisen among motorists in regard to the benefit or

That prophecy has not been ful- filed. If any thing the craze, for inaccessible bits has increased. The new models for 1932 are now nsacmbled. Many have being

Anxiety to be Original. Seriously it is time this problem was tackled by metor manufactur-gone throngh their practical tests. ers. Before the war it was pos sihic, in the case of one well-known make, to take down the whole of the ignition and lighting system and to have very lead, switch, and accumulator on the bench under half an hour.

each month, the drop in largely cffset by the fall in foreign, car imports. Those decreased from 37,784 in 1920 to 11,278 last year, And this year are expected to be the lowest since the war

| We have one car to every 20.8 persona compared with America's one for every 4.0, Canada's one to B and New Zealand's one: to, 8.1,

New Zealand, it may be noted, x now importing more British

Keeping pace with this fall Anthan, Amerionn vehicles. Mr imports has been a steady growth South Africa, Australia, and of exports in seven years the Argentinn ll come before this export trade has doubled, and country in the list, but France Is inst year the value of actor pro the only European country diots exported oxeneded the value "The immense potentin market, of imports by 27/195,000 in Argentina is chown. In another Motor vehicles, it is estimated, tablo, which reveals that lost year carry approximately twice as she imported 301 Brituell cars many passengers per month as the (against 678 the previous year) Tailways carry in September: yet and 15,000 American care the railways last year worked near

four times the ton miles worked by band "transport vehicles.

#

Gar to Every 80 People. Great Britain, it is stated, is ndw righth in the list of motor usors in proportion to population

The total number of motor vehicles of all kinds licorised in this country at the end of 1930 wa 2,910,302, of which 1,042,268 ware private care. The total amount paid in licence duties was £27,784,296, and in petrol” duty £15,000,000.

Has a life of 7 years in Bri-INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOBILE CLEANING GO. tain (against 6t în U.S.A.);

Has an engine of 13 pib.,. against 19 h.p. pn the Continent and over 20 h.p. elsewhere;

Is more heavily taxed than in any other country, paying £10 6 9d a year in licence duties and petrol tax, of which 210 goes te the Road Fund and the re mainder to general State. ex- penditpra;”and :

"

Requires 15 new tyres a year.

But before they are put on the stand at Olympia I would urge upon each manufacturer the n- cessity for making a personal ex amination of everything, that in spite of the depression, it is. likely to go wrong. I am not, or reportell, the industry was prac This car is still made, but it has couro, referring to mrious entically an active, last year as in

gine or transmission, troubles which could only be repaired in the workshop, but to those anney ing trifles which can be put tight by the owner.

been improved" to such an ex tent that it in now necessary to remove the complete body before the ignition and light layout can be satisfactorily examined.

I know another car which has been so completely "improved that in order to deal with a fierce

There is no gainsaying that a free wheel makes gear changing much simpler to the driver, as there is no need to throw out the clutch nor to acelerate the engine to effect a change of driving ratio. But a free wheel entirely changes the method of driving. It is very important to realise this in order to keep a pro per control of the car.

In the first place, drivers are so

Finally I would suggest that the examination should be carried out on the road-and with the tocls supplied in the car kit.

boxes and pro-selective gear units with optional free wheel by putting the gears in neutral-is better mid safer than the "coaster hub" free wheal pure and simple.

Even the best brakes may fail at' times, and so it is wise to have u gear-box that onn give the driver a certainty of engaging any gear ratio at will in order to use the engine and a low gear as a brake.

I had run recently in the jew 16,000,000 in June, 1024, and otherwise of having a "free wheel/accustomed to the braking. effect of

the engine on the speed travelled four-cylinder 15.9 h.p. Plymouth drive to their cars, writes H. Thorn-when their foot is taken off the car, the latest free wheeler" built *⠀⠀ 48,000 Miles of Ford Cars.

Contemplation of what the proton Rutter, the London Morning accelerator pedal, that their judg. in the United States. In this de duction of 20,000,000 automobiles Part Motoring Correspondent.. ment of speed and distance in slow sign the coaster hul behind. the America has chosen to advertising up or stopping the car has to gearbox has a clutch arrangement that a total of only 27,000,000, motor this attachment to the transmission vehicles passenger automobiles, trucks and commercial cars, of all of the drive as a means of saving be entirely revised for the new on-actuated by a push and pull knob

menna may be easier if it is realized

year.

kinds, and buses were registered petrol and as a novelty to their in the entire United States last now ears for next season. The type of free whicel fitted to American Or to put it another way, ears reminds one of the old coaster 20.000.000 Fords, placed bumper to hub attached to pedal bicycles, as hamper, would stretch approximate. it permits the car to overrun the ly 18,900 miles, which is within engine on all occasions when, in 1.308 miles of enough to circle the operation, the foot is lifted from globe twice at the equator.

the accelerator pedal.

A.

MICHELIN

FOR STRENGTH

Distributors:

GOEKE & CO.

CHINA BUILDING, 4TH FLOOR...

Depot:

FIAT GARAGE:

350, HENNESSY ROAD.

dition.

Increased Speed, Instead of the car slowing down,

on the daahtoard,

When this knob is pushed in, the free wheel is in operation. To it actually increases its speed, anthrow it out of action one has to lens travelling uphill, when the car depress the clutch and then pull over-runs the engine, so that the out the control, which transformis foot brake has to be applied much the drive to a fixed gear. sooner than with a fixed geared transmission system, '!;

Question of Time,

Consequently, if one were consti Thus, while competent drivers seing down a hill and found that. their brakes as-seldom as possible, ! driving their cars on the throttle speed was increasing too much and with a free wheel they must drive the brakes did not slow up the car on their brakes. · Hitherto this has sufficiently, the driver would first. been considered bad driving.

have to put in a low gear ratio, then throw out the clutch, stoop forward, and finally pull out the free wheel control in order to use the braking power of the engine and low gear to slow up the ear, Here in England free wheels are more or less out of control. of not very much use except Jo ranke gear-changing easier. We Could this be done in time to have no great lengths of mountain avert an accident ? It greatly do roads where we can save fuel con-

I must pay a compliment to the American motor-car makers that in no case have they provided a free when without a means of throwing it out of operation in order to re vert to a fixed gear should the driver wish to do so.

sumption by coasting for any pends on the actual circumstances, miles at a time.peed, length, and character of the All that we obtain in practico descent. Also, whether the free an I have found from personal ex-"wheel clutch came into fixed gear. perience when driving a car with action on demand.

1929, the total vehicles produced being 230,523, a drop of only 2,300.

Largely is this due to the in- erease in the number of commerci- archiples, the production of which bar more than doubled since" 1024.

Falling Imports,

It is not anticipated, adds the report that the sales of homo-pro- duced vehicles will show any great decrease this year. Although there have been fewer new registrations.

aji optional-free wheel during theAt present that is the general. past "six months-is constant free. | method adopted on many American wheeling in traffic, where it is CATS were a danger unless the driver uses the brakes more frequently then he would without a free wheel.

In Open Country.

I think that the pre-selective gear- hox may cost a little more than o free wheel coasting attchment to the propeller shaft or gear-box, ont it is infinitely afer under similar. conditions in descending a hill free

Occasionally in the open country obe can free wheel for about a mile,wheeling naldom further. At the same time With that device one has only to it must be remembered British throw out the clutch and the gear motor car manufacturers are seek is immediately engaged, ne the dri ing to sell their cars in every parter has pre-selected his low gear im- of the world. Therefore one must mediately after he has allowed the not forget that there are wide open car to fres wheel ready for an spaces with little traffic in countries | emergency should one occur. ontside the United Kingdom insure this system is quicker, which the freewheel might be beno-ds, even-with-n-fres-wheel attach fein! as an' economy factor.

| ment; the driver has to pause sõmes

effect it. quietly and without risk.

Otherwise, I am. of the opinion what in making a gent change to that the present aim of British automobile engineers and designers in producing easy changing gear

of damaging: teeth, Besides having to shaft the wheel out of action.

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