Evening Star Newspaper, July 24, 1932, Page 38

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTO D. C, JULY 24, 1932—PART FOUR. In the Motor _World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. “Let thy light so shine that it will not blind the other fellow.” Is it not timely that some such slogan should be elucidated for those who drive motor cars in the District of Columbia and over the many fine roadways around the small area encompassed in the Fed- eral Capital? Is the time not ripe for a tightening up of the inspection of glaring headlights to keep down acci- dents during the Summer evenings, when all Washington a-wheel goes out for a drive these cool evenings? The traffic laws governing motor ve- hicles in the District of Columbia per- mit use of bright lights at practically all times. But the intent of these laws is to properly light the roadway and not to glare into the other fellow's eves so that he cannot see what is In front of him. Lighting engineers have | made remarkable improvement in the automobile lighting equipment of today, but they have not cut down the need for reduction of blinding glare. Most of the streets in the city of Washington are well lighted, far better, in !acl.‘ than in most municipalities. So are| most of the roadways near Washing- ton, particularly that drive, which is very popular with thousands of Wash- ington motorists these Summer eve- nings, over the Mount Vernon Highway along the Potomac to the home of the First President. Which brings up the | question: “Are the big lights necded at any time in traveling over a well-lighted | roadway? Cannot the local law be| amended to restrict the use of the big | headlights in_order to avoid glare on| the better lighted roadways in Wash-| ington?” | The dim headlights of the 1932 auto- mobile are practically equal in lighting efficiency to the big headlights of the | car years ago. They light the roadway | adequately on both sides and for the required 200 feet in front of the ve- | hicle. But many drivers insist on using | their big lights just the same, making | driving most unpleasant for the other fellow. who has enough courtesy to | turn on his dim lights when driving on a well lighted thoroughfare. It is no light task piloting an auto- mobile on any of the popular drives in and around Washington after dinner any evening nowadays, with congestion as it is. Why add to the growing perils of the road the glaring light menace when your dim lights carry plenty of {llumination for all your ordinary needs? Turn ‘em on where the street lights are not adequate, but leave your dim lights on when the street lamps light the roadway properly. Particularly on the Mount Vernon Highway is the glaring headlight a menace. Of course, this roadway is so wide and cars are generally so well| spaced that an accident is a rarity, | but some of the speed boys insist on assing right over against the center ine. And when they come at you with glaring headlights full on the feeling is none too comfortable. No. the glare has not yet been taken out of auto- | mobile headlights, but we can mini- mize the danger of the glare by using our dim lights on well lighted road- ways. There’'s a bad traffic spot over in Georgetown, where the Key Bridge in- tersects with M street, over a thorough- fare that carries a very high per- centage of the traffic going over into Virginia and down the Canal road into nearby Maryland. And on at least one warm night recently we viewed one oi the finest little traffic_snarls we ever have seen right at that intersection because there was no officer there to straighten it out. It all happened last Sunday evening, along about ‘8 o'clock. when lots of folks were out for an evening drive after a hot day, thou- sands more were coming from and go- ing to Virginia and other thousands | were pouring west on M street for the drive along the Canal or Conduit roads. Traffic coming east tried to turn up Thirty-fourth street to get into upper Georgetown. Traffic coming west tried to make the left turn onto the Key Bridge. Traffic going west along the Canal road tried to go straight, and th~ net result was that, lacking a direct- ing head, every one fretted and fumed in the heat until somehow, almost miraculously, it straightened itself out. There’s a traffic officer during the day at the intersection of M street with the Key Bridge roadway, but at night, when a man is badly needed there is seldom @ uniformed man to aid in di- recting that steady stream of cars. The Reservoir road, which ordinarily splits the traffic stream througs Georgetown, has been closed for sev- eral weeks. It will be opened again within a few days to traffic bound for Virginia over the Chain Bridge and for points in Maryland west of Wash- ington. But now, with e Reservoir rcad closed. all that traffic, whether bound for Virginia or Maryland, has to go west on M street. The result is a virtual doubling of the travel on M street and many traffic snarls. tions would be very materially im- proved if the authorities kept a traf- fic man on the job, not only during the day. but during the hours from dusk to 9 or 9:30 pm. A plan for placing of signs at stop streets, which in the opinion of the writer, would greatly diminish traffic ac- cidents, reduce violations of the stop- sign law, permit the parking of several cars mear the intersection and make for greater peace of mind and comfort of automobile drivers, has been sug- gested by Joseph D. Amorose of 820 Kennedy street. Mr. Amorose simply suggests that the stop sign, instead of | being placed on the near or right-hand corners of the intersection of minor streets with arterifal highways, should be placed on the left corne = doubt, in driving.” he says, ° noticed that when you approach an unfamiliar street intersection having a stop sign your vision is so obscured by the parked cars that you are almost on top of the marker before you see it, even though the parked cars are the regulation 25 feet behind the marker. You must have noticed, too, how in- convenient as well as dangerous it is to take the eyes off the road ahead and look to the right curb to see if a marker is located there. “I s t that the signs be placed on the left or opposite corner, where they may be picked up more easlly by the driver's eye.” Over in Virginia, they have done much the same stunt with their speed signs. The “45-mile limit” signs are placed on the left side of the road. where they will not be obscured from the vision of the driver by a car ahead. It works out well in Virginia, and it might work ou equally well for the, stop sign in Washington. Have you any idea how much space you should have in which to stop your 1932 car at speed on the highway? “The Society of Automotive Engineers has comptled the following table for the guidance of drivers, listing the safe margins_at which you may trail the fellow ahead and stop with safety. Thirty miles an hour, 71 feet: 35 miles, 90 feet; 40 miles 113 feet; 45 miles, 138 feet; 50 miles, 167 feet, and | 55 miles, 198 feet. These are minimum figures. brakes are not in good shape or your tires are worn, give the fellow ahead more room. Give him more room any- way. You may need it if he stops sud- denly. Mechanical Presses. The largest mechanical presses in the world are employed in the manufacture of all-steel automobile bodies, and exert a pressure as great as 1,750,000 pounds to stamp out one-plece bodiet Condi- | If your, REPAIRS GO FAR 10 AID VACATION |Motorists Warned to Have Auto Checked Before Faring Forth. BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. | A vacation from automobile trouble is in store for those motor tourists | | who take advantage of the preventive service which automobile dealers are | offering. Never before has the auto-| mobile industry and trade made such | | a determined effort to prove the point | | that the way the car serves its master |on the big trip of the year is largely | | a matter of how well he serves it before | he starts off. | In spite of the experience that has | been stored up through more than a quarter century of motor touring many | hundreds of thousands of automobilists will fare forth over the highways and | byways oblivious to the fact that last year's preventive measures may be all | out of place with this year's cars and | this year’s motoring customs. All cars |are traveling faster. All cars are trav- eling farther. There are more sudden stops, more traffic tangles, more need for high speed on hills. One new | problem after another, so that even| the motorist who knows a thing or two | is mot certain of.his experience with the car on the trip unless he has con- | | sulted the men who make it a business | to understand his particular make and model of car. Carbon May Be Trouble. | When he returns from the big trip many a motorist will express regret over not having had carbon removed before he started. Wiser motorists who |bear In mind that just because the engine does not knock when the car |is used about town is no reason to | assume that it won't knock when well | heated up and pushed hard on steep {hills. There is no better time of year |for a good carbon and regrinding job |than right now. It will save many | burned valves and a lot of piston pin| wear—not to mention worry and dis-| | satisfaction. | In the warm weather season there is | no likellhood of need for excess | | choking. Thus a valve job gets a I"break." ‘The hard riding over the road pounds the valves down and helps | to seat them. One advantage in having | | the service station do the work instead | of tackling it yourself is the fact that | | exactly the right valve tappet clear- ances will be allowed. In addition, | valves will be set true to their respec- | tive seats, and all warpage of the stems will be corrected. Checking the cooling system is vital, if the trip is to be a success. It starts with a thorough flushing out. By that I mean using a flushing compound, letting the engine idle until boiling and then removing the lower water hose connection so that the scale can escape freely. Often the lower water hose connection is weak enough to draw inward when the suction action of the water pump begins. This naturally re- tards circulation of water quite as much as a broken inside lining of the upper hose connection. If the motor thermostat seems to be doubtful in its operation better take it out for the Summer season, oil it freely |and put it aside until cold weather. | It isn’t essential in warm weather and may be the cause of serious overheat- ing. Fan Belt Deceptive. | The modern fan belt is a bit decep- | tive. It looks so thick and strong. | But its frayed edges are a warning. | Have 1t replaced if it shows signs of breaking down in this way. The new 'Many of America’s best known concerns have proved that Chevrolets cost less to run DOWN THE ROAD—Where Ignorance Is Bliss. —By FRANK BECK J T J W//.‘//,* 4 d/w belt probably will not stretch, but it is well to check this before getting under way. There is a hint here to start preparing for the Summer trip as early as possible. Repairs and adjustments, like a vaccination, have to “take.” Consideration of the fan is largely a matter of noting if the bearings are properly lubricated. Observe whether the fan rotates as fast as it should when the motor is speeded up. Often a fan will not operate at a speed pro- portional to that of the motor, in which case overheating can be expected. ' ‘While at the front end check the slack in the timing chain. Nothing is more baffiing than to have a timing chain| break or jump sufficlently to throw the motor out of time. ' Some timing chains have automatic adjustments. Others have manual ad- justments, while still others have no adjustment at all. A service man can make the test and adjustment of the manual type in short order. Where no adjustment is provided, and if the chain has gone for about 10,000 miles, it might be wise policy to replace it. An advantage in buying the better grade chain recommended by the serv- ice department is the fact that you get one already stretched. You can have it installed with assurance that vou didn't go wrong in not letting well enough alone. And those brakes! Don't be satisfled with a mere adjustment for equaliza- tion. Sometimes brakes will become better as they are in process of being tested. By all means have the front wheels removed, the old grease cleaned | out, and the bearings packed with fresh | grease of a consistency sufficient to guard against having any of -it work out on the front brake drums. | Space does not permit covering the entire subject, but once started on a check-up any owner is assured reason- able relief from break-downs and tie- ups. Take a vacation from trouble by packing up your troubles now in the service station's repair kit. | The speed of a car is of inestimable | value to doctor and patient. ! MERICA'’S most successful firms have this one policy in A common: very strict requirements about hauling equipment. And with few exceptions, these soundly managed organizations use six-cylinder Chevrolets. One look at their cost records and you would understand why. These records prove that six-cylinder Chevrolets cost less for gas, oil and maintenance than any other trucks—regardless of how few or may have! And every experienced truck buyer knows that, all other things being equal, the most economical truck is the most sensible investment. But Chevrolet makes many more appeals to your good judg- ment besides unexcelled economy. And most of them can be traced to the same source— Six-cylinder smoothness makes the rugged, vital parts />~ Drwine A cAR N /" FREE -WHEELING PRESENTS 7/ ANOTHER MOTORING PROBLEM EACH DRIVER MUST FIGURE OUT FOR HIMSELF. IF HE ACCELERATES AS MUCH AS APPROACHING A SToP AND LET UPON THE GAS SOONER. War on Noise. The war on noise has spread to the field of automobile manufacture, with many of the 1932 models featuring noise-proof construction. Free-wheeling and silent transmissions have served to accentuate body noises. As a result, manufacturers have devised various methods of body-silencing. This has brought the all-steel, welded body into greater prominence. These bodies are welded into a single unit. With no J?}ln“ to squeak, they are surprisingly quiet. how many cylinders they the six-cylinder engine. | BIG SLUMP SHOWN IN ROAD BUILDING | Tremendously Decreased Program | Seen for Coming Year, Says Markham. |of “After a determined effort for many | months to keep up road building throughout the States to relieve unem- | ployment, the State Highway Depart- | ments are faced with a tremendously decreased program for the coming year,” announced W. C. Markham, ex- ecutive secretary of the American As- sociation of State Highway Officials. This statement is based upon very definite returns from virtually all of the States, covering the programs outlined for the first thrce months of 1932, compared with actual figures for the same period of 1931. “Due to a pleading local demand to give employment to ‘the pick and shovel brigade’ many State Highway Departments have found it necessary to deplete their State funds during the past Winter by doing heavy mainte- nance work, or grading, to permit of this character of employment,” Mr. Markham said. Drain Stale Gas. If your car has been in storage for several months, the gasoline should be drained from the tank and fresh gaso- line put in. Gasoline does get stale in | storage. It loses somre of its anti-knock qualities, becomes less volatile, and is more inclined to leave resinous sub- stances which clog valves and interfere with the efficient operation of the motor. A “radio” spark plug, which elimi- nates the raucous noises of ignition in-| terference has been developed by en-| gineers last even longer. Six-cylinder power permits the use of bodies with a larger bulk capacity. Six-cylinder speed hauls bigger pay loads in shorter time. handling ease, combined with comfortable cabs, reduces driver turnover. And back of this sturdy, economical truck is one of the world’s largest service organizations, ready day and night, to provide fast, expert workmanship at flat-rate charges among the lowest in the industry! These are facts, established by America’s leading fleet owners. And now is the time when facts alone should guide you in buying hauling equipment. So—when buying one truck or a hundred, call in a Chevrolet dealer. In addition to furnishing further proofs of the advantages already listed, he will show you that Chevrolet prices are among the lowest at which trucks are sold. CHEVROLET MOTOR COMPANY, DETROIT, MICHIGAN, DIVISION OF GENERAL MOTORS one. | brought around what she thought was ' a sinaller car and took her out for a| Milady’s Motoring BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. A salesman 1s sald to have married a prospect in order to sell her a ca Probably & sin of commission. Sometimes the salesman is right when he urges you to buy the larger model. Cars often look larger than they are when on the showroom floor, and if you get them out on the street | the larger ones may look none o bulky. ~~ No one knows this better than a young woman who, after returning from a trip to Honolulu, decided to countermand her order for the larger coupe and take delivery of a smaller A few days later the salesman demonstration. She did not know un- til she became enthusiastic over the car that it was the larger model which she had originally ordered. It was too beautiful a day to rip off the garage doors and bang up the rear of the car, but this is how it happened Early in the morning she opened one of the doors to step out to look over the garden. Later when she went to back out the car she did not notice that the other door was still closed. Then crash! I might make this into a rule that if you don’t open both doors better not open any. Here's another rule that appeals to me Whenever 8 certain _experienced woman driver takes the wheel she first secs that the hand brake is set. Then she feels the shift lever to see if the gears are in neutral. Next she looks to see if all the doors are closed. This policy has saved her many an embar- rassing—many & risky—moment in starting. Watch that driver who speeds past and who then cuts into line in front you. He'll invariably slow down. Just as & matter of precaution it might be well for you to slow down & little as he passes, since this will pre- vent you from being too near when he cuts into line again. Just lifting vour foot from the accelerator should be enough to check the car's speed when you are in conventional. The road was s little muddy and as she applied the brakes she cried out that the car was skidding. As a mat- ter of fact she wasn't even applying the brakes enough to slow down the wheels. It takes a little experience to be able to detect sliding wheels quickly, MOTOR OlL_ “BEST OIL IN THE WORLD" Good oil, as you know, is the lifeblood of a motor. Poor oil is its death - warrant. Autocrat Motor Oil ranks as “Penn- sylvania’s Best.” By its use you avoid all lubrica- tion troubles. Try Autocrat and learn the vast superiority it has over. the regular run of motor oils. but it usually happens that the rear .|end will move a little to the right or | left if the rear wheels lock. Also the | speedometer dial will drop to zero. It requires considerable presence of | mind, but if you are ever faced with an impending collision, or if the car leaves the road, try to switch off the ignition. There is far less danger of fire if the ignition is off, and fire is becoming a more and more serious hazard in the accident situation, T've been looking over some facts and figures supplied by an automobile dealer. He took in a car for a $400 allowance on a new car purchase, spent $45.50 reconditioning it and sold it for $485. Fair enough. But doesn't it suggest an idea to the woman who is driving her own car or who will be consulted when the family car is to be traded in for a new one? Often by making a small investment in the old car a better allowance can ‘b(' had for it. Had the owner of the $400 car mentioned above spent the | $45.50 reconditioning it the dealer | could have allowed the original owner | the full price paid by the buyer. Deal- ers do not usually desire to make a profit on the cars they dispose of for buyers of new cars. By spending a little money by way of investment in the dealer’s service station you may be able to gain enough to cover a full set of tires next year. A little knowledge still is a danger- ous thing. Only yesterday I discov- ered a friend and her daughter trying to make the starter pinion snap out of the flywheel gear by rocking the car back and forth in gear. So far, 50 good. But they had left the ignition on and did not realize that if the motor had taken a notion to start there might have been trouble. Even a backfire might have started a lot of grief. An advertisement stresses the idea that if an appeal were made to women there would be fewer husbands trying to get along with outmoded, run-down cars for “economy's” sake. Here's a true story that goes this one better: ‘The daughter of a business man rode home from the city in a cheap used car which a friend of her father’s, a | banker, had just bought. He made a few apologies about the transportation “‘economy” he was practicing, but the | girl was unimpressed. That evening she told her dad. The next day dad opened up an account in another bank. | preferring to do business only with the prosperous. Don't we all? You will drive longer upon AUTOCRAT than you have ever dared to drive upon any other oil, and it drains from the crank case with all the “look” and “feel” of an oil that has gone hardly 100 miles. ALTOCRATTHE OIL THAT 13 DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER Beware of Substitutes Try Auwtocrat the next time you need oil, and judge its edvantczes for yourself. At the Better Dealers 30¢ AQUART ANy wo. 5* BAYERSON OIL WORKS, COLUMBIA 5228 Six-cylinder CHASSIS PRICED AS LOW AS 3-TON MODELS WITH $ BODIES AS LOW AS @}-TON MODELS WITH BODIES AS LOW AS T *345 460 *670 All prices f.0.. b. Flint, Michigan. Special equipment extrg Low delivered pricesand easy G. M. A. C.terms. CHEVROLET . SIX CYLINDER TRUCKS