Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-08
Accessories
Point WAY
ToFuture

-U0OHO
II you want to know what
motoring will be like in 1860
there's an easy way to find out.
AL the automotive prophet
need do is take quick look at
the current offerings in the &C.
cessory market. Equipment has
always pointed the way ahead
In automobiledom, and today the
future looks unusually bright.
Scores Of clever, attractive and
important fitments stand ready
to make old cars newer and new
cars more capable.
Running the gamut from rain
coats for convertibles TO road
sanders for checking skidding
with power brakes the accessory
counter is overlooking with &C
cessories that help cut operating
costs and trouble.
Many of the newer improve
ments will be standard or OPP
tional equipment on new cars
within the next few years, but
progressive owners are taking
advantage of the opportunity to
enjoy these new benefits now.
Installation. in most cases, is
surprisingly easy.
Extra Protection
Even though it has reached
a high state of efficiency the en-
CINE still is target for inventive
genius. The accessory folk are
determined that the protection
of the power plant under the
hood of your new car shall not
be limited to conventional ef-
ficiency devices. They see it
equipped with dashboard gauge
that shows you the quality as
well as the quantity Of crank
case oil. They see this oils tenn
perature cleverly regulated py
special warning device.
There are trick metal rods
which dangle from the radiator
cap into the coolant to prevent
1t from accommodating rust. and
many devices to heat the en-
gines coolant in cold weather.
Inside the oil filter shell there
is a special sheet of expendable
magnesium which neutralize
acids in the oil. and a special
crankcase oil drain plug which
works on the acid of the oil at
that point too. This latter plug
is magnetic SO as to pick out
abraSives. Such plugs are also
available for the transmission.
Performance Meters
Since the car of tomorrow will
have a vacuum gauge on the in
strucment board to indicate en-
CINE efficiency you may as well
enjoy this advantage today.
Many motorists are already using
a performance meter which is
entirely self-contained and which
tells much about the braking
system as well as the engines
health.
There are now available self
adjusting tappets for engines
without hydraulic valve filters,
and special silencing oil-soaked
pads for quoting valve train
noises in overhead valve engines.
Much attention is being paid
to meeting service problems such
as vapor lock. A new eliminator
of this trouble employs the
principle of a snorkel tube.
Fuel regulators are quite 1u-
merous. Another interesting de-
vice is an automatic control
which re-starts the engine OF a
car with an automatic transmits
sion.
Fuel Warning
No matter how modern the
chassis and body of your car the
accessory folk have ways and
means of putting it ahead OF the
procession. You can, for in
stance, have a device to warn
when the gas tank is running
low, or a portable air cooler to
make summer driving more
pleasant.
There's a simple foot con-
trolled, completely manual, wind
shield washer that is opening up
new field.
Many types of stabilizers are
available for improving the &C
ton of front coil springs, and in
line with the new developments
in spring suspension there are
traction bars which can be in
stalled on cars to make them
handle their driving and braking
torque more gracefully. Highly
desirable is a brake fluid indi-
Gator which tells at "a glance If
the system has sufficient fluid.
There are many different types
of fitments for the brake and
accelerator pedal, ranging from
devices that extend the width of
the pedal to those which provide
left-foot braking and left-foot
throttle control.
Then there are the combina-
ton brake and accelerator pedals
for one-foot split-second control.
Convertible tops now can be
protected with a plastic rain
coat" that fits tightly and which
can be used in rain or merely
to guard against factory smoke.
Bug screens to protect the front
of the car are also prophetic OF
future DEVELOPMENTS,