Evening Star Newspaper, June 9, 1929, Page 59

SHOWS PROGRESS 4-Speed Transmission and Front-Wheel-Drive Types Being Developed. BY E, Y. WATSON, Bpecial Di ch_to The Star American Newspaper Alliance. DETROIT, Mich.,, June 8—The mid- season introductions of mew cars have begun, and they disclose three well- defined irends that are bringing changes in the present line-up of makes and models One is the eight-cylinder engine, the second is the four-speed transmis- sion and the third is front-drive opera- Of these, the plant 15 showing progre 5§ Of approximately 43 companies which may be classed s passenger Car pro- ducers, it is estimated that 41 per cent are represented by either a straight eight, or a V-type eight, with the for- mer much in the majority and gaining in adoption, 16 Producing Plants. n five years the straight eights have increased to such an extent that now more than 16 plants produce them. Pive years ago 11 plants were turning out straight eights, but the volume was | only a fraction of what it is today. Even now the eights have far to go before they make any appreciable dent in the | output of the sixes, which command the | medium-priced fleld. Engineers will tell you cyclinder engine principle possesses, what they call “inherent balance, which they say can be duplicated by no other power plant; at least this be- lief held good until recently, Progress however, changes viewpoints, and it would be idle to try to discount the progress the eights are making. The fault found with the first straight eights was that their unusual length made it difficult to get satis- factory carburetion in the cylinders at the extreme ends. These cylinders, one and eight, had & habit of carbon- | izing. This fouled spark plugs and caused spark knocks under accelera- tion or at high speeds, although under average conditions the acceleration and flexibility of the eight often was the envy of those who drove sixes. Manifolding Is Improvement. Chief improvements in stralght eights have been in manifolding which dis tributes the explosive mixture evenl to each cylinder, the use of “down- draft” carburetion. and water jacketing which gives better cooling ~between cylinders. This has been & problem, because the cylinders in the eights have to be crowded closer together than in the sixes. That is the reason some of the larger straight eights look all hood. Then, too. menufacturing costs have been cut down until eights are com- peting in the $1,000 class, with the aim of giving the sixes & run for it. That they will eventually there is no doubt In the four-speed car the change is less rapid. Although the four-speed transmission was commonly known for years, and was used in one or two American cars of high price, it took on new life when one fim inherited it from a former management and after development brought it into the lime- light again. Since then it has gained adoption by one other maker, and re- ports have it now that one of the largest of the Detroit producers will adopt it for his 1929 line. Adgpted for Truck Pull. Four-speed transmissions also have been adopled for several widely known trucks, but the extra shift necessary is rather an extra low speed range for lifting heavy loads, getting heavy loads started, or hauling out of holes, rather than being extra “high.” The decision of the engineers of the newest Detroit factory to sponsor four speeds, however, will attract more at- tention to this principle. It will be sub- mitted in a form different from those already seen. The result should stimu- late others to see what they can do. The front-drive trend possibly will be slower than either eight cylinder operation or four speeds. Two pro- ducers are commftted to it now. One has & model on exhibition and the other is soon to reveal a line which will represent limited production. The prices at which these models are to be marketed, according to advance reports, place one of them at $4,200 and the other at $3.800. This will mean that they will come into com- petition with some of the present eight- cylinder rear drives at $2500—among the best America has ever seen—and the going will be hard for the new cars until they can build up volume. Ford and Chevrolet Battle. Factories have been sending out pro- duction figures for May. Ford and Chevrolet are still going great guns. Ford is credited with a world output of 200,903 cars and trucks. This in- cludes’ American and Canadian out- put. with export. The total with 190.388 for April. Ford has man- ufactured 1.750.644 cars and truck units since model A came into being In May all monthiy records Chevrolet were broken when 160.895 cars were shipped. The previous record was 157,137 units. in April. Total ship- ments so far this vear of Chevrolet sixes amount to 627,723 cars and trucks. During the correspondin; period last vear the company shippe: 618791 units With the exception of two or three, the other plants showed increases for May. Among those registering gains were Hudson. Buick, divisions, Graham-Pa! mon, Oldsmobile-V; tiac, Nash, Studeb Arrow. the six- Oakland-Pon- cer and Pierce- (Copyright, BALTIMORE TO BRING AUTOISTS INTO COURT 1929, County Residents Who Violate City Traffic Laws Must Appear Under New Rule. BALTIMORE. June 8.—Residents of the counties who viclate any-of the traffic laws while in Baltimore will be summoned to appear in court instead of being compelled to post collateral under a new law which became effective last week. The law, passed at the last session of the Maryland General Assembly, pro- vides that any alleged violator of a traffic law who is a resident of the State of Maryland shall be summoned to appear in Trafic Court. Heretofore it has been the practice of the police to summon city residents who have been charged with disregard- ing traffic regulations, while county resi- dents of the State have been obliged to go to police stations and post col- lateral for their subsequent appearance in _court. ‘The new law stipulates that in issuing # _summons to a county resident, the officer serving the summons shall ob- tain the motorist's signature as a re- ceipt. Should the summons be ignored, a warrant will be issued for the delinquent’s arrest. The warrant will be served by the sheriff of the county in which the delinquent lives, and the man will be obliged to pay the costs of such a procedure, P Most accidents are caused by care Jessness, . thoughtlessness and nd North | compares | | . THE SUNDAY STAR.” WASHINGTON, D 0.~ YORE 8 TR-FINTY (Title registered U, 8. Patent Office.) —By James W. Brooks (Sketches by Calvin A. Fader.) TYLER AND MONRO] s inthe wood. 7 -ated mmbra.nce% the men who {f fi} natched. in y to guhed their Fternal * the tr: ey 1 a: 1n histoty © Ameican Highway Piueations! Baveas, Washinglen, .C- a few feel 57 *@M?L L G s one of ; ines al wenua%}g dead wi tefieél many &ms% in F 3 gt Hol! ontaine Mauty), apher | s Ctoss at ere long. Next-Other Sheives in Richmond BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. The cynic observes that women know their own minds when they prefer men ’w teach them to drive. Anyhow, it’s a rare thing to see one woman teaching another the art of ma- nipulating an automobile. The feminine mind doesn't appear to appreciate fully the idea that the best way to learn is to teach. When it comes to teaching the debutant to drive one of the family cars, it probably would be a good idea to Temember the popular phrase, “Mo- ther knows best.” Dad may be asked, but he often makes an awful bluff at knowing. Just because the car has a stop light at the rear is no reason to fail to give hand warnings for each and every stop, even if the ammeter shows by its flick- ering that the rear signal is working each time the brake pedal is pressed If the sun is shining on the rear of the car, the stop light is very difficult to see’and & collision can be averted best by supplimenting the light with hand- signaling. - 1f you have two or more cars in the family and drive them alternately, it is possible that one of them may not carry a steering gear that enables the wheels to straighten out themselves following a turn. It is important to know just how the steering handles work before you take the wheel and to vary your methods when going from one make of car to another, Driving around the city in a closed | ear at night is a safer process if both the front windows are lowered. This eliminates much of the reflection of lights, which is not only a sources of annoyance to the driver, but a hazard as well. In addition to being “smart” there is a practical reason for driving the car with the left elbow reclining on the window sill. With the elbow and arm in that position it is possible to make a sudden change in steering without risk of getting the arm cramped between the rim of the wheel and the inside of the door. Often, too, there are the window- lifter and the door control to endanger the elbow if the arm is kept inside the car. “The universal joints are worn out, madam,” runs & familiar phrase in car ownership. Probably you have heard it before. And what did it mean to you other than a repair bill> Picture, if you will, the rotating transmission shaft connected to the long shaft which transmits power to the rear axles. This shaft is so long that it has to be equipped with at least one joint, other- wise when the car traversed rough roads it would not stand the strain. The joints are designed so that movement up and down or sidewise is allowed— hence the designation “universal.” If these joints are of the fabric type. the ends of the rotating parts are bolted to & heavy fabric disc. This variety needs no greasing, but eventually needs replacement when the weakened mate- rial allows the propeller shaft to get out of alignment. The metal variety op- erates something on the order of two links of a chain. Such joints must be lubricated, and rattling is heard when they start to wear out. Either type of joint may break if the car is driven hard when they are worn out. The metal kind is especially likely to give out if driven without lubricant However, a shrill squeal from the joints warns of the approach of this condi- | tion. | When it s necessary to press a little {on the clutch pedal to stop a clicking ound in the clutch, the chances are | that there is some trouble with the coliar that is connected to the pedal and which serves as a means of pulling the clitch plates apart so that the gears can be shifted. When you press on the pedal a little, you simply ap- ply pressure to this collar and its bear- ing, and thus check the noise. The trouble may be due to a number of | things, ranging from improper lubri- cation to wear or misalignment of the collar bearing. Don't leave the car in reverse gear for parking If it is equipped with a backing light. . 1t the spark con- trol is in the instrument board, occa- | sionally look to see if it is fully pushed {in. . . . Don't coast in neutral unless you are an expert in getting back into high gear while the car in in mo- tion. . Go slower around curves and have fewer ‘“mysterious” punc- tures Have oll changed when the engine is warm . . . and remem- ber that acceleration always wastes gas. (Copyright, 1920.) {RULING ON TAGS MADE BY MARYLAND COURTS Purchase Held Not When Employes Use Company Cars for Trips Home. Necessary Use of a company-owned automobile by an empioye for trips to and from his home in Maryland does not necessi- tate the purchase of Maryland license tags when the car is not used for pleas- ure after business hours, it has recently been ruled by the courts of Maryland. The cases were defended by the American Automobile Association, in which three motorists, using cars owned by firms located in the District, used the cars going to and from thelr homes in Montgomery County, Md. Two of the cases were dismissed when it was shown that the employes’ cars were only driven to and from thelr homes and not used for pleasure. The cases dismissed by the Maryland Circuit Court were those against Ken- neth R. MacIntosh and Robert F. Car- ter of Montgomery County, who testi- fled that the cars they used were kept overnight in their garages but were not used for pleasure purposes. The court held that a Maryland li- cense was necessary for T. Frooke Amiss of Montgomery County, wi:o said that the car he used was for pleasure purposes as well as business. The Nation's three great inter-de- pendent industries—steel, railroads, au- tomobiles, z ' | MILADY’S MOTORING Road Scouts Meet to Prepare Service For Motoring Tourists This Summer America’s motor touring army, which | held under the auspices of the National will number 45,000,000 this vear, will Touring Bureau of the American Auto- be moved with greater dispatch as a mobile Association and is primarily for result of a conference of American |the purpose of developing accurate road Automobile Association road scouts now | information {rom the four corners of underway in the Capital. | the United States. The meeting, always staged on the | The American Automobile Association eve of the Summer touring season, is road scouts are continualiy on the high- ways of the Nation, logging highways, reporting detours and generally actin |as the vanguard of motordom. They travel in special-built and equipped | Eimer Jenkins, manager of the Amer- | plated fenders, altimeter, compass lnd| the msot approved lights and horns. | automobiles and at all times respond to | ican Automobile Association National | | the call of motorists for assistance and | Touring Bureau, is presiding over the | | information. C. G. Gale, one of the transcontinental “envoys of the highways' drove | Washington for the conference in | car that has been pronounced the finest and most completely equipped car in the country. Approximately $2,500 s represented in_ special equipment and accessories, whlch extends to chronium- | conference which Gale, J. M. Broderick, W. D. Allen, 'O | Darden ' Allen,_A. M. Duriing, B. A’| Trimmer and F. G. Rinn. Beventy-five million citizens are made Span Placed by Tide. ‘The huge lift span of the new bridge Across the dropped into place by the tide. San Francisco Bay was | The an is more than 300 feet long and of metal was carefully pla which held it just above its final resting place. the place prepared for it. is attended by Mr. |Weighs 613 tons, and this great mass ced on barges the level of | At high tide | the span was floated into place and as | the tide receded it dropped snugly into The_opera- happier, healthier and better by auto- |tion was entirely successful, although mobiles, it was a very delicate one. R PRODUCTION SCHEDULES DROP ;Larger Manufacturers Say | Slackening Demand Causes Downward Revision. o Several of the larger manufacturers this week have announced a downward | revision of schedules for the remainder of May, asserting that a noticeable slackening of demand has occurred, according to B. H. Cram, president of | Cram’s Automotive Reports, Inc. They are unanimous, however, in stating that production’ for the first | balf of the month has been maintained at peak levels. Nevertheless, beginning with the current week, output is cer- tain to reflect a decline, more or less | gradual, depending upon the effect of seasonable influence upon demand and preparations for the intreduction of | new models. | “Since the output of the first half of | the month has been so heavy, it is doubtful whether the totals for May | will reveal any appreciable deviation from those of the previous month. This first indication of an appreciable slack- ening has been some time overdue. Failure of the expected eurtailment to | appear has aroused considerable specu- | lation among observers as to possibility |of a state of overproduction seriously | affecting the industry’s condition dur- | ing_the balance of the year. Producers who have announced the downward revision of schedules attrib- ute the falling off in demand to this cause in part, although it is unde- | niable that it is also largely seasonable, Foreign sales of American motor ve- hicles in 1928 totaled 825,113. The Dodge 4-wheel internal-expanding hydraulic brakes on the new Dodge Brothers Six will spoil you for any other type — perfect equalization, maximum safety, velvety smoothness, self-adjustment, easy operation. This feature alone makes a Dodge ride a - new experience in motoring. Try it out. EIGHT BODY STYLES: *945 10 #1065 r.0.3. DETROIT Convenient Terms DODGE BROTHERS SIX @ CHRYSLER MOTORS PRODUCT . s e coie SEMMES MOTOR CO., Inc. etz st nw. H. C. Fleming Motor Co., Hyattsville, Md. Leonardtown Motor & Hardware Leonardtown, Md. Lusby Motor Co., Prince Frederick, Md. Co., Open Sunday and Nights Main 6660—Night Phone Main 1943 E. B. Semmes, Inc., Alexandria, Va. Mitchell Motor Co., La Plata, Md. Frye Motor Co., Leesburg, Va. Prince Georges Motor Co., Forestville, Md.