New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-14

aud roomicr. SO almost CONTRADICTORY
din tho chassis become narrower. inns ~
10 orcat amount due 70 the rounne"
hody boing narrower at the bottom tnan
bcfore when il had more nearly Veru
cal aides Il is also due 10 the attenp,,
~ tho maker TO save both weight ana
cost bv making the chassis smailei,
Every ono knows that small frame
much stronger than large one, ana 'ne
chassis is less likely to be wrencneu az
its corners il made narrow ~ tne
front the narrow chassis gives amPIc
turning room by bending in the sues
and making a bottle neck shape. Az me
rear mounting is really made eas,er ny
getting the runboards more nearly un-
der the door. so that the step is shorter
and more nearly vertical
Several other things enter this prop,
lem. The low hung body has removed
all need for two steps TO get INTO the
seat and the deep side member OF the
frame. with the dropped apron, all make
haunting easier. While for many years
there have been attempts to get lower
construction. the gains were more iIu-
siyc than real. Underslung frames we're
tried. but very little gain resulted. 10
dav we find a number OF underbung
snrinQs at the rear in the attempt 10
cot more frame movement over the rear
axle and thus hang the body slightly
lower. We also find makers using mar
row chassis and fitting spring brackets
well outside of them TO get the springs
out where they belong without WIDEN
ing the frame or body. Body hoors are
being dropped and body sllls let out
completely. all of which add to the low
hung effect.
So universal has become the use OF
speedometers that many makers no"
provide gears on the TRANSMISSION or
propeller shaft from which snort
speedometer shaft is easily carried up
into the car. This arrangement gets
the formerly used long smart away
from the wheel with it's mud and grit
This is a feature that makes Tor clean
illness and neathess and which VIII
grow IN favor.
The cone and disk clutch have been
stronger competitors for many years
past, but every once IN while inc
plate clutch bobs up and seems 10
serve beautifully. This is really
very large disk clutch with but three
or five disks and is a quite simple cen
struction. IL seems TO deserve a bet
ter reception than it has heretofore
had.
The brake rod problem is greater
one than most people imagine. IL
seems to some utterly silly to use an
enormous rod large enough to lift sew
eral cars when the only duty IS TO
apply the brake, but cold experience
has proven that smaller rods break
~ nv
expected times. Those who have tried
small wire Of high carbon steel Ike
piano wire have found it free from
breakage and satisfactory in every way
except in appearance. To the unin-
formed buyer it looked weak and
scared him so the maker had to use
something that at least looked heavier.
This is found in wide but thin rib
bons Of steel which are wide enough
not to vibrate edgeways and flexible
enough not to break when they do not
vibrate railways. In short, they are
light, cheap and good, and yet their
shape makes them look sturdy and
both service and appearance are salts
fed.
Torsion rods are another Of the car
features that seem to come and go like
the food and ebb of the tides. For
several years il seemed that the torsion
tube inclosing the propeller shaft and
calling for but one universal JOINT
would be the final form. This seems
partly to have lost favor. and larger
proportion Of cars now use the dou-
ble-jointed shaft and take the twist
of the rear axle by a torsIon member,
which is now largely of pressed steel,
wide at the rear and nicely tapered
toward the front. That there may be
some elasticity, the front ends of these
torsion members are quite often sup
ported in spring links, which permit
slight up and down movements under
the sudden jerk Of fierce clutch or
the bounce of the car over a water
break
One of the problems of motor car
construction has been TO make the rs-
diator light and Of thin metal, that It
may be most efficient, and yet to carry
il safely over all kinds of roads, so
that it should not be wrenched and
caused to leak Mounting the core in
she'll has done something TO make this
problem easier. But one good way has
been TO hang the radiator trunnions
on springs, or at least hold them down
on the frame by springs, which could
WELD when strains tending TO wrench
the fragile structure seemed TO be at
hand. As a result, there is much less
radiator leakage than in times past, and
this delicate part is not the bugaboo
it once was.