The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-01-11
ADVANCE I'M
EQUIPMENT IS
VERY MARKED
Automobile Journalists Are Call
ing This the Equip
ment Year"
SELF-STARTERS ARE
NOW NECESSITIES
Electric Lighting and Starting
Devices Are Becoming
Very Common

Visitors to the Thirteenth National
/ Automobile show which opened Sat
urday In Madison-sq. Garden and
Grand Central Palace, will be literally
amazed at the advance that has been
made during the last session in
pleasure car construction. This
does not mean that many radical
changes have been made in me
chanical construction, but refers
mere particularly to- the very
complete equipment that Is being
offered. Editors OF the various auto
mobile trade journals refer to 1913
as IAN equipment year" and the visit
or at the show will find that fully 80
per cent OF the car manufacturers are
furnishing their cars with more essen
tial accessories than ever before and
more than was ever dreamed OF only
four years ago. This equipment does
not include lot OF superfiuous and
useless parts but such devices which
make for more eficient operation and
ease Of control Of the car with less
labor for the driver.
For instance, where only three
years ago only two manufacturers fur
nished self-quarters with their cars.
this year there are scarcely dozen
cut OF nearly 200 pleasure vehicles
that are not equipped with some form
OF motor starter which does away with
the laborious and dangerous method
OF starting the car by hand. These
starters may be divided into Ave class
es follows: Electric, compressed air,
acetylene. gasoline or other volatile
liquid and spring starters. The first
type TO appear as an Integral part OF
car was the compressed air starter;
then came the spring starter and
then that depending upon the explo-
sion OF acetylene gas in the cylinders
TO start the motor. At last years
show 33 per cent OF the cars on ex-
htbition were equipped with acetylene
starters; IL per cent with compressed
air or gas and only SO yer cent with
electric starters. This year II IL est
mated that more than so per cent OF
the cars will have electric starting
lighting systems.
one prominent manufacturer of ac-
cessories will exhibit an electric start
ing and lighting system which con-
sists or separate generator and
motor. The generator may be driven
from any suitable part OF the engine
while the electric motor Ia designed
TO be placed either on the transmits
sion housing or at the front Of the en-
CINE. The small electric motor which
weighs only "a pounds and Is rated at
l-3 horse power has a fly wheel ut one
end and at the other worm which
meshes with a worm gear driving the
motor shaft or the transmission shaft
Many drivers. remembering their ex-
perience with balky and back-firins
engines, ask the question, what hap
pens to the starter In case OF a back.
kick?' In the electric starter men.
toned above the Blackjack is taken
care OF by an ingenious arrangement.
The worm gear is slipped In the shaft
and held In position only by friction
under the tension OF spider spring
similar In construction TO the shock
absorber made by the same company.
The tension is sufficient to transmit
i the power, but in case Of violent
back-fre from the engine, allows the