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Motoring.
BY ?? mFFEREXTIAL.'
5.000 & 'tear.
That the Dodge Brothers' car is popular
all over Australia is instanced by the fact
that Halden's Motor Body Builders have
been constructing during the last thres
months about 100 Dodger bodies every
?week 'which* are distributed among the
five States of the Commonwealth. This is
at. t.he rate of 5,000 a year.
M, M. *± A
0 OoloniaJ Motor Bodies.
When interviewed recently. Mr, James
A. Taylor, of Holden'3 Motor Body
Builders, Ltd., stressed the advisability of
full standflrdieation of motor car bodies,
and gave some interestine particulars of
the favorable' effect this Australian indus
try has upon a!]ied trades. \Mr. Taylor
stated that the Australian mantifacbure of
motor car bodies^ became possible when
the embargo waa placed upon importation
during war time, and this gave the Aus
tralian manufacturer an opportunity of
showing his capabilities. Mr. Taylor said
that the firm ne. represents was the first
to grasp the possibilities of the situation,
and the present governing director went
to Melbourne in August, 1917, and attended
a meeting of motor traders which has as
sembled, to discusa the production of an
Australian motor body. The company's
director offered to build a standardised
body at a price that surprised the trader?.,
who expressed doubt as to tlie success 01
the undertaking. Contracts were placed,
ft.nd the fulfilment of these was the neces
sary initial impetus to the establishment
of the company on a sound footing.
Effect of Standardisation.
The organisation planned by Mr. E.
Wr Holden, B.Sc, provides for the hand
ling of material in such a manner that
any waste of time 1e prevented, and has
allowed for expansions of . sections of the
factory without in any vray affecting, the
economic handling of work in progress. Re
ferring to the- effect of standardisation,
Mr. Taylor stated that it has meant that
e vast number of well-paid workers are in
constant employment, and this in itself
is most desirable for the industrial deve
lopment of Australia. Not only are the
workers of this trade benefited, but hun
dreds of workers in allied trades are placed
in equally assured positions, as this firm
alone pnys more than £50,000 a year for
Australian leather, and is a large buyer of
timber, mostly Queensland maple. Ocn:e
quently, tbe timber industry is able to
permanently employ several hundreds of
workers. In addition, horsshair is a very
big item, and this, of course, is also Aus
tralian. The effect of standardisation to
the buying public has been that it is in
the position of buying the best material
a-nd workmanship at almost half the cost
of an individually built body.
In conclusion, Sir. Taylor remarked that
full standardisation so cheapens the work
manship that it allows the very best mate
rial being used in the construction.
Spare Motor Parts.
Without the knowledge of Parliament,
tlie Minister of .Customs (Mr. Rodgcrs) has
altered the classification of spare motor
parts from chassis parts to vehicle . parts.
The effect of this is that the duty on spare
parts such as connecting rods, &c^ has
b-sen increased from 10 per cent, to 55 per
pent., and the Chamber of Automotive 'in-
dustries states that the whole of this in
crease in duty must be paid by the con
sumer, as the profit on spare parts haa al
ways been small. Mr. H. W. Harrison ad
vises that the Royal Automobile Club will
deal with the matter at the next meeting,
and decide on some action to support ob
jections to what is undoubtedly a high
handed move on the part of the Customs.
Department.
A Four-cylinder Air-cooled Engine.
The four-cylinder oil-ooled engine is now
being fleriouely considered bv the techni
cal staffs, of some of the big motor works.
The other day (writes a contributor to
'The Light Car and Cyclecar') 1 was
shown the parts of a fouvr-cylinder mono
bloc oil-cooled engine, the first sample of
which lias been on the road for some
weeks. In this engine the cylinder block
is submerged in the crank case, the de
tachable head earr'-ing the valves being
well filmed, and it is the only part out
side the casing. There are only five cast
ings in this engine, which is said to be
remarkably cheap to produce. A novel fea
ture of trie design is the fact that a small
urttaiatoris fittecTin the orthodox position,
in order to cool the oil, which is circu
lated through it by means of a rjump.
- AUSTRALIA N-MADE FUELS.
One of the most important automobil*
demonstrations yet he.d in Australia was
that organised last Saturday by the 4uto
mobile Club of Victoria. It was a demon
stration by 55 motor vehic.es of various
typos to prove that cars, motor lorr.es,
tractors, and motor cycles will function
perfectly on Australian-made fuels, either
alone or compounded with petrol. The
run was in no way a competitive one, the
vehicles being simpty driven on fuel' nomi
nated by the entrant over an unduiaiing
course Irom Clifton Hill to E'.tham. Most
of the vehicles used t'heir standardised
carburetter systems, in a fevv instances
ppec-ial atomisers being installed. The
range- of fuels used comprised benzol,
alcohol, shale spirit, crude spirit in full
strength, or united with ,benziiie. At least
50 per cent, of the liquid used had to
iomprise Australian produced fuel. The
event was more than a success — it was a
triumph. The vehicles, during fhe run, ap
peared to pull just as well as on benzine.
One tractor hauled a trailer carrying four
tons ri m9tor covers. It was a motley
procession to look at, but one fraught with
great possibilities, for anything that will
Fielp to develop our own fuel resources is
of inestimable value to the automobile
movement in the Commonwealth. Nox
-that the Automobile Club of Victoria has
drawn public attention to the fact that
all descriptions of motor vehicles can be
run on home produced fuels or 50 per cent,
of same, it should go further, and organise
a home fuel consumption test, over a
lengthy course, say from Mebourne to
Lakes Entrance and back— a distance of
about 400 miles. Such a test would prove
valuable, as correct data would then be
available as to the mileage avid cost of
sunning on the various fuels..
_A Novel German Machine.
.A novel feature of the automobile show
recently held in Berlin, was an automobile
(says fhe ''Scientific- American') which is
in some respecis a reversion to first prin
ciples erf the 'horseless carriage' type,
while ill others it embodies the latest aero
dynamic riata. The machine, which has
been christened the 'Raindrop' auto by
its designer and builder— -Herr Rumpler,
the well-known airplane constructer— -h&M
« minimum 'air resistance, and is ' propelled
byva motor of small horse-power compared
to the size and type of car it propels. Th«
leading points about this new auto ara
given herewith. 'To begin with, the car a«
a whole is shaped like a raindrop, whidu
assumes a perfect streamline form— toa
shape of least resistance. This form haa
been carried out from the ground u#» Tha
chassis has it, as well as the body itselt
This shape results in the elimination of -
much discomfort that is suffered by paa-
sengers of the usual type of automobile,
Gucn as noiBe. heat and smell from - th#
motor, and of dust arising from the road.
' » ? * ? ? ?
Chassis Construction.
The chassis is constructed of two wid»
pieces of pressed steel bowed like the ihoSl -
of a boat. The front axle passes through
the frame without touching it ' and flexibii
springs connect the two. The unsprung
masses, which produce swaying, are r*
duced to a minimum, while the epringsuo
ported nesses that stop it form the -manr
mum. weigTit. The result is' that the body
sways but slightly, while the wheels cling
to the ground and bounce but little. Conr
senuentJy, there is very little wear on tha
tyres, and the car is extremely steady*
riding. Since the main weights are located
in one spot, the car, when turned out -n
its eounee, regains the road again quickly
without tipping. The springs are very
flexible. *? theoretically perfect suspension
ie provided, while the placing of the seat*
between the a^ea minimises by one-hall
tho motion imparted by road shocks to
these. The driver's seat is in Jront, *4n
the middle, jufib back of the wont axle,
?He has a clear new of the roaj and can
run the car muoh better than when ha
sits a considerable distance back from tha '
front end. as-is usua.. 'The variable weight
—the passengers— being placed in th*
middle does not affect in the least tiba ,
relative load of the fr^nt and rear axles,
while the constant weight is located at thd
two ends,' the driver Deing in front and
the motor block behind. ^heBe weights
are always there when the car is running,
and they keep the load constant upon thd
two ax.es. With the ordinary car tha
motor and transmission, as well as tha
driver are both in front. *nd thuB
(-he rear axle is but lightly loaded,
Trhile with this new car the loa£
ings of the front and rear axiefl
is practically the same. As the driving
and steering wheels are properly loaded*
skidding is impossible in wet wea-ther,
while with the old style car this is a se
rious defect.
Other Features.
The motor transmission and rear axla
form a unit which swings about the rear
axJe somewhat to allow for road shocks^
&c. The number of. parts is the lowest
possible, great simplicity being obtained,
and the length of the motor block being
kept very short. The motor is a edxr
cylinder, water-cooled one, of the Y type,
with a third pair of cylinders vertical ia
the middle of the Y. The centre of grs-
vity is about 70 mm. (2| in.)) lower thaa
With much heavier cars of ordinary con*
etruction, whereby the stability is io
creased very greatly, and curves may be
taken without danger at high speed. - Me
chanically this new Rumpler automobile {?
very good indeed. It has no belts, chains,
or universal joints, -yet in spite of all
this the rear axle is spring-supported. Ita*
impulse and acceleration at starting, ana
the brake moment in stopping, as well M
the 'set' of the wheels, are all technically
correct. The front wheels do not hit tha
frame and wear the tyreB in making sharp
turns, and wherever there is rubbing frio
tion, proper lubrication is provided. Tiie
front axle is mounted independent of tha
frame; and passes through it without
touching it. The air resistance of boto
body and chassis js reduced to a mini*
mum by streamlining to the shape of a
drop of water falling. This drop form ia
strongly maintained, both with open aa
well a-s with olosed cars. The roof of
the limousine has the form of an airplane
-vvHig, or aerofoil in profile, whereby ate
resistance at high speed .is reduced. A
?comparison of the Rumpler with the old
style eara as to cross-section shows tha
former to have but a fraction of the air
resistance of the latter. The outside IS
completely smooth; the mudguards are ru
dimentary airplane wings; the lamps and
spare rim brackets do not project, .but ara
built into the body itself. The ep&if
wheels are neither on the side nor behind
the car body, but are oonceailed in tha
chassis. The front springs as well as tiha
rear ones. are fully built in with the exoeifc
j£ion oft'he rear ends of the latter. Merelf
the ends of the axlea project beyond tne
chassis frame and make air resistance.
The exhaust is ingeniously concealed o|
the extreme rear end of the car. The'
clutch pedal and brake lever are inside'
the body, while the running boards can be
folded up when the car is under way. The
oil consumption is reduced to a minimuoL
and special provision is made to assure
no deakage. ' «» ''
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