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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1920)
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, MARCTI 21. 1920 Mora m I u WI5RY -FEWER .HOW o Driver in Old Days Had Real Job on His Hands. ECONOMY NOT POSSIBLE But Nowadays Greatest Xeeds Are Lubrication and Intelligent Handling of the Car. Not many years ago, when the motorcar industry wa9 still in its in fancy and the chusging road usurper was regarded variously as an in strumentality of the devil or a toy of the idle rich except by those who and often those who have had suf ficient experience with the motorcar to know better, take it for granted that as long as the oil gauge on the engine registers "full" the lubrica tion problem is properly disposed of. A seized engine bearing is very in convenient and expensive, to say the least, but it is far less dangerous to life and limb than a steering knuckle1 worn through for lack of proper lu brication and ready to snap at any moment. Practically every motorcar manu facturer today supplies some form of lubricating chart. The novice should study this chart and learn the loca tion of all oil and crease cuds, and then apply this information faithfully. ! High-grade oil should always be used, as inferior lubricants are expensive at any price. Even good oil wears out in time, however, and the careful motorist will change the lubricant in the crankcase of his motor every 1000 miles, or even oftener. Carefully drain out the old oil, flush out the crankcase with kerosene, or better still, with a quart or more of fresh oil, and refill crankcase with clean oiL The used oil should not be em ployed again except for lubricating spring leaves or external parts ex posed to road dust, as it contains grit destructive to bearing surfaces. It may, however, be made usable by a thorough filtering process. Carburetor adjustments vary on the BIG RACE MEET IS TODAYl FAST RACERS TO COMPETE OX XEW LOS ANGELES TRACK. This ill Be the Last Motor Rac ing Event With Present Size of Auto Engines. LOS AXGELE3. March 20. Speed as sensational as that developed in the recent opening races will be the pro gramme at the new Beverly Hills speedway Sunday afternoon, . March 21, when th fastest drivers of the opening race will compete in a series of three 50-mile sprints. The famous drivers are repairing, rebuilding and speeding up their motors in prepara tion for the triple -sprint, and with the shorter distance set each of them will be in shape to tear' around the track, at considerably faster speed than even that of the 250-mile opener of February 2S. To the pilot making the fastest 50 miles will go the title of Los Ange les speedway champion and a special prize, in addition to a share in tne J15.000 cash prizes offered for the winners in the March 21 classic This THIS UNIQUE GUESSING CONTEST HAD ALL OF PENDLETON GUESSING. What Can You Afford for Comfort AN , & V 3 7 ..... llow long would the Chalmera Hot-Spot motor idle on one quart of graaoline? was the question, and three of the 40O EnrMei were within three Becondn of correct. During the Pendleton automobile show, March 11-13, McLean & Snavely, Chalmers dealers, put on a unique stunt to create interest. They offered a cash prize of tlO to the person guessing closest to the time. a Chalmers hot-spot motor would run, idling, on one quart of gasoline. An officially-measured quart can full af gasoline was attached direct to the carburetor and the gasoline tank disconnected. The test was made on the third day or the show, with half the town looking on. Three of the guesses were 70 minutes, and the motor idled 70 min- utfs 3 seconds to the dot. owned them, whose private opinion were unpublishable economy of op eration was of small moment. The question was not: ,-How cheaply can this machine be run?" but rather. -Will it run?" Gasoline was hardly more than waste product, sold at a very low price and of tests that made the prob 1cm of carburetion a simple one, even in winter. The trouble was the rul rather than the exception, for prac tically every machine of that early day was undertired. The tendency was to apply narrow tires to high wheels to secure more clearance and better riding qualities, writes David Friedman in the Brook lyn Eagle. Needless to say, mechani cal refinements were still in the em hroyo stage and delicate working parts were rashly exposed to the de structive effects of road dust and the elements. Driving Thrm AVnjl I.uck. Under such conditions. It may be readily imagined, economical opera tion was more a matter of luck than of intelligent care. Today . conditions have changed. Motorcars are no longer vehicles of chance. They are aggregations of highly perfected units, combined to form a harmonious, smoothly operating whole. Working parts are carefully protected from all destructive agencies except unavoid able natural wear and tear. Tires are liberally proportioned and even the more pretentious motor cars of today are light compared with the road monsters of the past. The motorist prides himself today not so much on the number of miles he covers in a given time as on high gasoline mileage and freedom from tire trouble. It is almost a foregone conclusion that a motorcar in reason able repair will get there and back, jet even to the enthusiast endowed with much worldly goods, there comes a glow of pride when he tells how he cut down gasoline consumption or in creased his tire mileage. Only the experienced motorist, tak ing a personal pride in his machine, can realize the satisfaction economi cal and efficient operation entails. Many learn what they know about economical maintenance in the school of experience, but a more fortunate few have profited by the experience of others and avoid the rock-strewn byways. Intelligent Driving Nrrded. "How can I save money in the op eration of my, motorcar and maintain It at its highest efficiency?" This . question could be answered in a sen tence or thoroughly explained in a full-sized book, but it all simmers down to these requisites: Intelligent manipulation, proper lubrication, ac curate adjustment of carburetor, and periodic inspection of all working parts. The writer hesitates to say which Is more important intelligent manip ulation or proper lubrication for it is hardly possible to over-emphasize the. importance of .either of these re quirements. Careful manipulation means not merely the skillful han dling of the gear-changing lever, the throttle and the brakes, but the acquisition of an almost instinctive faculty, the indefinable "feel" of the experienced operator; knowing just when to throw out the clutch, when to throw back into second speed, just how rapidly the motor can accelerate in an emergency, and just how long it takes the machine to come to a stop on various road surfaces when dry or wet. Self-confidence is an excellent qual ity In a motorist, but over-confidence is likely to be very dangerous to the novice. The beginner should never permit the temptation to "let 'er out" get the better of him, particularly when he is not certain that any emergency of the road that might arise will find him alert and prepared to do the proper thing. At high speed, there is little time for thought and a moment's hesitation has proved fatal. "Make haste slowly" is a good motto to follow and if observed will save the novice much trouble and expense. Look After Steering Knuckle. Lubrication, on the other hand, while no less important than intelli gent manipulation, is a much simpler process. This very absence of diffi culty often leads to the neglect of this most necessary function in the care of a machine. Many novices, I various makes and some vaporizing devices are adjusted at the factory with no provision for road changes except for idling. Adjustments where possible, should be made according to the conditions under which the ma chine is operated. The greatest economy in gas consumption is pos uible mainly in warm weather and on good country roads. A weak mixture operates more eco nomically than a richer one. When the mixture is too lean, however, the motor will stall readily and will sput ter and pop back until the motor is hot. Winter driving and city traffic require a richer mixture than road travel in summer. It is needless to add that an overrich mixture is even more unsatisfactory and should not be resorted to in any case. Carbure tor adjustment should .not be at tempted until the principles govern ing the process are clearly understood. The last mentioned requiste, peri odic inspection, is so all-inclusive that it would be impossible adequately to discuss it in an article of this kind. CHEVROLET MEX TSE "490" That Number Obtained for Phones Whenever Possible. The figures 490 have a great sig nificance in the Chevrolet organiza tion. The best-known model in the Chevrolet line is the 490 and wher ever possible Chevrolet dealers work 490 into their business organization. The Imperial valley dealer has 490 for a telephone number. The tele phone number of the J. G. Griffin company, a Los Angeles agency, is Broadway 490, and the Los Angeles retail branch has 490 for the license plates used on the company's demon strators. To get this number Sam Brown of the Los Angeles branch made application early in 1919 and closely following his application came those of many dealers who wanted the same number. BAD PLACE IX THE HIGHWAY Between Cottage Grove and Sagi naw Is Lots of Mud. EUGENE, Or., March 20. (Special.) Rains of the past two weeks have made the Pacific highway between Saginaw and Cottage Grove, where the new grade skirts the hills on the west side of the Southern Pacific tracks, almost Impassable. So declare motorists who have passed over that stretch in the past few days. Not alone local motorists but a number of tourists have complained of the bad condition of this piece of highway. As soon as the weather settles and im provement is no longer needed, this tretch probably will be macadamized. Is the largest purse ever put up for short-distance competitions. As this will be the last race staged on the new Los Angeles speedway un til the Thanksgiving day classic, which is expected to complete the racing year in this country, as well as to decide the national champion ship, almost as big a crowd as that which witnessed the opening race is expected to attend. Many enthusiasts from other cities of southern Califor nia, and from other parts of the state, were unable to witness the opening classic on account of its double post ponement because of weather con ditions. Jimmy Murphy, hero of the recent contest, is one of the favorites or the sprints, especially in view of the fact that he has also been credited with the fastest single lap yet made on the Beverly track, his average speed be ing 115 miles an hour for the lap. His Duesenberg teammate, Tommy Milton, is another. There will un doubtedly be the same thrilling wheel-to-wheel brushes between the leaders as in the opening event, but whether it will be Milton and Klein, Klein and Boyer, Boyer and Pullen, Pullen and Murphy, Thomas and Vail, or a different arrangement of com petitors, no one can tell. One thing is certain. Not one of the daredevil speeders expects to slow up a second of the 50-mile dashes, for the man with the "heaviest foot" will win. ino car 1s expected to break up in such a short distance, and even if this were the case the drivers would all be willing to chance it, as their present steeds will be scrapped in most instances after the race, on account of the new regulations calling for cars with 183 cubic inch piston displacement, beginning with the In dianapolis event. May 31. Following are the drivers in tomor row's races: Jimmy Murphy. Tommv Milton, Duesenberg; Joe Thomas, Joe Boyer, Koscoe Sarles, Ken Goodson, Frontenac; Eddie pullen, Richards Special; Art Klein, Peugeot; Ralph de Palma, Ballot; John de Palma, Mer cedes; Bennett Hill, Delage; John White, White Special; Ira Vail, Phil brin; Reeves Dutton, Stutz: "Cliff Durant, Eddie Hearne, Chevrolet and Eddie O'Donnell, Hudson Special or meteor. NY motorist can point out the comfort fea-' tures in his car. Probably you can suggest a number of other things. But his car likely has dif ferent comfort features from the next Comfort to some owners may mean deep cushions, easy springs, roominess. Others will-mention a well balanced chassis, easy steering, snug curtains. Many men think of com fort as freedom from squeaks, knocks, rattles. The FUELIZER Another Exclusive Packard Feature Permit us to demonstrate this "little miracle. " WHY shouldn't a man have all the comforts combined in one car? Surely in these practical days, nobody will confuse comfort with mere luxury. REALLY complete com . fort that saves the peace of mind and energy of an important man is an economy. Such a car might easily pay for itself. Let us call your attention to one fact: You will find more important men, whose keen business judgment everyone admires, riding in Twin Sixes than in any other make of car. In all our experience with automobiles, we know of none which can so thoroughly justify its purchase as the Twin Six Ask the man who owns one PORTLAND MOTOR CAR CO. Tenth at Burnside St. WHOLE RIM.TORX OFF RACER Unusual Accident Occurs at Recent . L9 Angeles Races. In the great speedway races run on the various race courses of the coun try many thousands of racing en thusiasts have felt the thrill that comes from witnessing a freak per formance on the track. Cars appar ently under perfect control suddenly skid and crash through the fence or a driver may come out of a turn so fast that his car describes a circle before resuming its forward journey r a car may suddenly lock Its brakes nd catapult diagonally across- the track into the fence. Such instances are not uncommon. In the early days of racing throwing a tire from a re volving wheel was almost standard practice and racing men expected it constantly. Now, however, with the wonderful improvement in tires and the methods of holding them to the rims, such occurrences are extremely rare. It is seldom tnat a. tire parts company with its car unless the en tire wheel works off the axle. It remained for Art Klein, however, to introduce a new tire-disappearing "stunt" into ' racing history in the 250-mile championship race just held on the new Los Angeles speedway. While lpading a field of veteran drivers at a speed, of 104 miles on hour in the 183d mile, Klein's right rear wheel collapsed in such a man ner that every steel wire spoke was sheared off clean at its junction with the rim. His three-wheeled mount crawled about crazily on the track for an instant, while the sheared-off rim with its mounted Goodyear tire ! kept rolling down the race course, j When finally captured this Goodyear ' tire was Intact and still perfectly I mnnntaH althnnrh it 'i o anhiiir.tafl In ' a terrific strain when the rim parted from the spokes. This is the first time within the memory of racing men that a freak performance of this character has happened in automobile racing. nnnrnmnimi IMIBffllMlflllHlfflM Remove grease, oil and acids from your clothing at once by using a cloth moistened with 'gasoline. ANNOUNCEMENT The popular PEERLESS piston ring, introduced in this locality and the state of Washington by W. H. Banes, of 44 North Broadway, will hereafter, together with a line of ignition parte, brushes and special garage equipment, be handled and distributed in the States of Oregon and Washington by the Motor Equipment Co. The new member of the firm is Mr. 0. C. Potter, formerly in' the truck and tractor line in this locality. Mr. Potter will have charge of the sales end, while Mr. 'Banes will devote part of his time to sales, but most to service. It will be the policy of the new firm to continue the splendid service'established by Mr. Banes and to add in connection, ignition in all its branches, as well as special garage equipment. Mr. Banes desires to thank the garagemen of Oregon and Washington for their liberal endorse ment of the PEERLESS piston ring and wishes to advise them that their wants in the ignition line will be as carefully attended to as is the Piston Ring department. " It will be our policy to ship, if possible, all orders within one hour from the time that the same is received. MOTOR EQUIPMENT CO. 14 N. Broadway, Portland, Oregon. Phones Broadway 3327, 3308.. A y ANOTHER TIP M V for otor Truck Owners There are many times when the owners of light or medium-capacity trucks feel the need of a heavy-duty machine, but the pur chase cost is too great and they decide to continue with their present equipment and lose the extra profit. -This experience has also come to operators of the largest trucks. To those truck owners who want to meet this sit uation and double the hauling capacity of their machines we offer the complete LEE LINE TRAILERS DUMP BODIES -1 LOADERS ' "The Lee Line Makes Motor Trucks Pay" William L. Hughson Co. 60 N. Broadway at Davis Broadway 321 San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Portland. Oldest Motor Car Organization on the Pacific Coast. Install the time-tried pistora risi ' II HI ! ! IMIW b' W VUW IH iMlll! "Ill I'l'ill.l' I ' nil. For nine years these rings have stood the test made good. And time is the severest test of any product. , To Control Excess Oil Use A tpeciml ring for mot on tht pump oil. Uie in the top groove of each piston, la the lower groom ate McQuiy-Norra S3oc Pittoa Rings; Genuine McQuay-Norris oo Piston Rings, by their uniform action on the cylinder walls, have stopped piston ring leakage, increased power, decreased carbon and saved fuel and oil. They are made in every size and over size to fit every make and model of motor. Your repair man can get the proper sizes for you promptly from his job ber's complete stock. McQuay-Norris Mfg. Co., St. Louis, u.s.a. 411 iiiiiiiiMiiiiiniiiiin 9
