Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 3, 1920)
AUTO SECTION FOKTY-THIRD YEAR. NO. 81. spiral 1 0 Ul 1 11 Iffl r 4r0 SECTIOE l . SALEM. OREfiOM. RATTTTmAV 4PRTT iooa - ' " " ' - , kj, w.u, i' nil w: a f ! 'vrs I Marion Company Expanding With Business Growth Ceo. E. Halvorsen, president o the Marlon Automobile qpmpany, when in terviewed regarding1 the automobile' business said: "The Marlon Automobile company was formed on July i( 1919, because we believed that there was a plain m Salem for another large, progressive automobile company, especially one which would conduct a general, auto mobile business and endeavor to give to Salem and vicinity the very highest type of up-to-date garage seivlce. The first night we had six cars In our large garage, but our business has in creased steadily until now we are plan ning to Increase our floor space to take care of the business. Our business is growing in every de partment, we offer our customers the best possibleservlce and our service will be Improved wh.ei.uver possible. We expect tills ye'ir to bo the be3t year for the automobile business ever known and we expect to get our share. Our firm handles the well known Siudebaker, Franklin and Oldsmobilo cars and we have Just taken the agency for the Commonwealth, new in this territory, but with a splendid repu tation In the East. We also handle the Master, White and Oldsmobilej Trucks, and carry a complete line of tires, tubes, parts and accessories. 500,000 Fords . Turned Out In 6-Month Period When the first six months of the Ford Motor Company fiscal year ended January 31st, more than half a million of the sturdy little Fords had left the factory ( to Join their three and a half million brothers and sisters on the world's highways. And Ford officials express confidence in their ability to turn loose the other half of the million by July 31st, when their year ends. However, thoy say that a million a year is far from the ultimate in motor! car manufacturing; and that with thel completion of the blast furnace and' body plants which Henry Ford is now building in Detroit, the yearly output rapacity Is bound to assume larger dimensions. The present capacity la 1,200,000. The blast furnace project on which Mr. Ford has been working for the p.mt three years will enable the Ford company to make Ford parts direct from the iron ore instead of buying the iron ingots and then melting them present time there are approximately 15,000 men engaged at the blast fur-! naces and in the new body plant. But it is quite probable that that number will be more than doubled once the steel mills which will bo the lar gest in America begin to operate.1 I'ord men do not attempt to place any estimate on what the produc tion of cars will be In the future, but point to the fact that they have not been able to supply the .demand for the past ten years and that at the present time there are some 230.000 unfilled orders on" file. " 'Aurora Banker ' Buys Siudebaker Special Exhibit me lamous "bull dog" feature ot the Studebaker exhibit at the recent Portland auto show, has been purchas ed by a Marlon county man, Henry I. Bents, banker and hop grower of Au rora. The "bull dog" was the big special feature of the Portland show and at tracted great attention. All exposed metal parts about $he car such as rad iator shell, projectile side lamps, trunk rack in the rear with guard rails, wind shield framed and racing model steps, are of nickel. The seat covers are a beautiful sky blue whipcord velour, and the car has a leather Victoria top. Its equipment even Includes a wicker Solf club basket which Mr. Bents maj or may not use. The car has disc wheels, finished in nickel.- - . The car owner should remember that when the clutch Is fierce In taking hold and does not have a 'slight slip, the mechanism that transmits the Power from the engine. to the drive wheels, particularly as regards pin ions, universal and the gear teeth re ceive destructive strains. Vaporizes Every Drop The Lexi-gasifier puts the gas into the engine as a cool, dry vapor. Gives more power. Re duces fuel cost An exclusive Lexington.: feature. See it today! The B.& C. Motor Co, 178 S. Commercial , Uxlngton Motiw Company ConnersrUle, Indiana, I . S. A. Guarantees Are Becoming Object Of New Suspicion Many car owners today, are being attracted by long time guarantees when buying accessories,, but the wise motorist will stop to consider whether he wants to buy a guarantee or an arti cle of dependable merchandise. More and more, the American motorist w, coming to regard. the long guarantee with a bit of suspicion. "If this article is made right in the first place," he says, "and the manufacturer is sincere in his desire to protect his good repu tation, why should It be necessary for him to shout his guarantee from the. house-tops or parade it in front of me in his effort to sell nie his product?" Such reasoning is perfectly logical Any manufacturer knows when he aa vertises his product, that he Is making his name familiar to thousands of pros pective customers. He spends a goodly number of dollars annually to do this, and to get value received from this ex penditure, his product must live up to all that he says about it In his ad vertising. A fair guarantee on motor car accesosrles Is practically impossi ble, because the service which any ar tiole can provide depends vervlarcoiv upon the care which the owner gives It Any guarantee for a specified length of time or specified amount of service must necessarily be based on averages. For this reason, the careful man Is made to pay for the acts of the careless man. Take tires as a familiar example: Two tires of the same make and of same quality throughout, will be sold to two men under a definite mileage guarantee. This mileage guarantee is based on the average mileage of these tires In the hands of all users. One of these tires may go to a motorist, who never gives a thought to his tires until they are flat,. He runs them under in flated either because he does not hnow th pressure In them or-he Is too lazy to find out. He rides blightely In the stretcar tracks or scapes along the curbing . simply because Is careless. The man who buys the other tire gives it a fair show to live up to its reputa tion. He gauges his tires properly, drives where he should and as he should, watches the little cuts and re pairs them before thev ret worse. That man gets real mileage from his tires but In the long run, lie pays for the guarantee given to his more careless brother Another striking exnmple Is storage batteries. The average storage battery will give good service if it Is given good care. The best battery made will not last its full life time, If it Is abused and ignored. The battery which Is al lowed to become dry or is overworked or is frozen or overhe&ted must neces sarily give up the ghost earlier than one wnicn nas naa a rair chance to make' ornnri. The ftnpnlflerl e-tmrnntep on a storage batFery does the motorist not one whit or good if it won t start lils car in an emergency. You cannot crank a car with a guarantee any more thn.n vmi can inflate a tire and aret home on it with a mileage guarantee. To set "or time the distributor, full retard the spark and set the distributor gear contact -or segment so that it Is Just about to leave the No. 1 cylinder carbon brush, then mesh the gears, being particular to see that the break er points are just at th.point of open ing. " aive stem guides are best removed by driving them out from the top, us ing a hard wood block or a piece of oft metal, avoiding possible. Injured to the guide. fV """" - AUTO ANSWERS Larry D.Stone fOMMOST AUTOMQTIVk ' fNMSM SWT TRAM -KAC1 DRrvtn. The Capital Journal, starting with During the war Stone served as an this issue, is Inaugurating a series of official inspector of airplane engines educational articles on automotive' f"d fr"! one.to an.hetr," thn leadinz factories where the Lib- subjects entitled "Larry" I-ssor.-"jrety motors were being built. Sever; Thev are being conducted by Larry years before he had retired from the O. - M 1 1, . .1 1 ! . " . . . oiuur. uiib ui inn leaumK favo uitv- auto racing same, dui wnen in war era of the country, but better known waa over Stone re-entered the racing as an automotive engineer, having, game ani waa quite a prominent fig been rated as among the ten leadv ure jn the 1919 dirt track races, ing automotive genii of the day. I Among some of th 3 b'g events in Racing automobiles, because of which he participated were the auto their special ad delicate mechanism j rttcea at the jowa state Fair at Dea demand the attention of the best en-JMoileSi tne Wisconsin Stale Fair at glnejrs and mechanics. Years of ser- Milwaukee; the Labor Day Motor vice on the race track, many hours! Deruy at Quincy; the Wichita Inter of hard study In the shop -and exper- natonal sweepstakes and the Dallas ience on hard tests, have taught Lar-1 American Legion Races. During prac ry S'one many lessons which may be ticaUy the entire 1919 season he drove of benefit to the readers. tne famoU8 Minerva race car and in In the next of this series, the read-1 lnstance, at Burlington. Iowa, era cf the Capital Journal will b giv- narrowly escaped death when he went en an idea of the life and experience Qver the 20 foot banUed.up turn, of Larry Stone which will show how;th three fenoes an landed , , no .a im in uj a. itauici iui inauj . . . f . . . Ttlh. , n-ihntprt to readers of the auto section. This article will be by Bill Briten stein, well known writer In sporting and racing circles, who will cite some of the qualities which make Stone an outstanding figure in automobile and auto racing circles. I In each issue Stone ' wili answer pickle field, unnecessary recklessness and Stoiu drew down a three months suspension and had his racing license revoked for 90 days. But Stone still followed the race game. Ross Marine, the Chicago millionaire, owner of the speedy Peugeot Blue, hired him to "... i j . . , , e ...... . 1 questions which will be propounded cmB' " by readers of the auto section.- The cars lur " p",uu -same may deal with any auto problem I 80n- tne a"t0 Pol, king, who also which confronts any reader or may" I owns the famou Jumbo Be,nz- en' deal with auto race data and dope. . I Sine as mechanical super- The questions may be eher sent Visor Until the daring driver could ge: direct to Larry D. -Stone, 'care -of , back int0 the race Bame again Auto Editor of the Capital .Journal,! stone has tne "Ptation of being In either case the questions will re-' better acquainted with more raoe cars ceive the personal attention of Lar- than ther auto expert. During ry Stone, who will make ai effort to' tne winter months he has been it answer thera quickly and .litniigent-1 Kansas City overhauling the famoits ly. Fiat-Golden for a fast season on tFe Following the descriptive article of!dlrt tracks. Starting this month In the author of this column, v ill be. the Texas Stone wlU race throughout the first of "Larry's Lessons." LARRY D. STONE :, v-. T By Bill Breitenstcin. Before the readers of the Larry's Lessons column hear the auto wort's of wisdom from Larry p. Stone hinf. self, it will be well, to say a word about Stone and tell Just how and why he is qualified to tjach lessons and answer the auto queries which hi. will do from week to week. . Stone in his day has beeiran Inde pendent race driver, an A. A. A. race driver and a licensed pilo In the In ternational Motor Contests associaton, the latter being the governing body of practically all the dirt track races in America. Much of Stone's practical experi ence which has made him such a fig"Ure among auto engineers Is due to his early training with the Knox and Alco firms In the days when cars of that make were popular. As a test ing engineer Stone had many exper iences thnt were both exciting and tt structlve. His participation in var ious "hill-climbs" of more or leFs ancient auto history, he was always a leading figure. Stone has piloted or superintended the driving of many cars on lona hard grinds, which were part of fao tory tests. He has been the skipper of trail trains through the desart sands of Nevada, along the precipi tous slopes of southwestern Montana in the Big Hole country; had charge of one of the first army truck trains sent Into Mexico in the Villa pursuit and for a time was In charge of trav elling mission, in which a complete miniature church was taken from place to place on wheels. According ,to Stone, his chief diet at that time was raw "Billy-Goat" meat. season as a- licensed pilot in the In. ternatlonal Motor Contests associaton iHe will keep In constant touch with his headquarters in Kansas City and will answer all auto questions sent through the Auto Editor. Classed as an expert In pneumatics, Josef Hofmann, the celebrated pianist, Is the Inventor of a shock absorber which hi been nntented In Eurone. Glaring Light Problem Solved On Lexingtons There la one' great basic essential that has not kept pace with the motor car proper. That Is In the matter of headlights. An automobile must have lights that the driver may see where he is going. It must have lights for protection, for safety, but so design ed aa to protect other cars on the road. First there were oil lamps, then gas lamps, then electric lamps. With the advent of electricity, the ten dency in automobile lighting was to greater candle power. Today, on the modern automobile, lights have reach ed almost search-light intensity. Con sequently they have been a constant menace to other - cars on the road, so great a menace that ot the 000 persons killed annually in automo bile accidents, it is estimated 33 per cent are the result of blinding head lights As a direct result of th"e glare menace, the headlamp dimmer, num erous reflectors and lenses were de signed. But the dimmer, because 1 does not give sufficient candle pow er for the driver to see clearly ahead, especially In the country, to avoid road hazards, has not solved the question, nor have the numerous other devices. , Two States Scientific. With almost prophetic vision, the Society of Illuminating Engineers, composed of the world's greatest authorities on illumination, after an exhaustive study of the problem made a .report in which the results obtained by the tilted or controlable reflector were held to offer the only ideal solution f the problem. In 'this report, recommendations were made that were incorporated in the New York anti-glare law, the only sclen tifically drawn law In the nation with the sole exception, of that of Califor nia. . ! And the Society of Illuminating Engineers is the authority that gave America Its present uniform railroad headlamp regulatory laws. Two big automobile companies, whose engineers have been constant ly working on the glaring headlamp problem, have perfected devices which represent the farthest advanoe in the way of anti-glare"-devices. They are Reinsulation Of 'Storage Battery Mistaken Idea It has come to our attention, says Mr. Degge, that owners of Willard thread rubber batteries are in soma cases being advised, reinsulaxion la nec essary. This dvice la either given through ignorance or for monetary gain. - . " We, as an authorised Willard Serv ice Station, will replace free of charge, threaded rubber Insulation found defective in any way, regardless of age.. standard equipment on Lexington an Cadillac ears. Deflecting; light Used. Both devices make use of the sam principle, that . of moving the re flector so as to deflect the projected,' beam of light, differing only In oper ating details. When in the upward position they throw a powerful light strong. Car Care Should Be Habitual Is Dealer's Claim ' "The care of an automobile is real ly no care at all if it is done In the right way," says F. O. Delano, of the Salem Automobile Company, local dealer in Chevrolet passenger and commercial cars. "Motor car trouble usually result from putting off adjustments that should be regularly attended to. Ia most cases the cause can be traced to -the carelessness of the owner and could easily have been prevented. "Proper care begins with the pur chase. A car should be chosen whose) . weight is so nicely balanced that there , is no undue strain on any vital part. The materials should be light but Springs should have ampl ' several hundred feet ahead. But in the driving. tr tilted position, the light is confined to a level below the' eyes of the driver of an approaching car, yet lighting the road distinctly (load that may be put ln the Dody and the car. Road To Newport From Willamette Valley Improved Newport, April S. Automobile own ers will be glad to learn that the road into Newport from the Willamette val ley will bo greatly Improved this year. The Lincoln county court' has turned over the improving of the road be tween Toledo and Newport, a distance of eight miles, to the state highway de partment. The state waa to ballast the road with rock and the county was to do the grading; now the state will let the contract and superintend the construc tion, the county putting up the cash for its share. The road between Toledo and Newport will be finished early in JulJ which brings Toledo, the county seat, very close to Newport, the largest town in the county; , play to protect all mechanical units, from the chock of the road. "Above all It Is important that tha motor has ample power to move any to take It wherever necessary. "Such a car as this Is easy to take care of because hard use does not affect It. But even so it should have regular and Intelligent attention from those who depend upon its service. "Just as a horseback rider runs his eye and hand over his animal be fore he mounts, so the automobile) driver should inspect his machine. A glance under the hood, with the motor, running, attention to any sound that is not in tune, a measurement of gas; water and oil, and a test ot wiring and even tires, should all become a matter of habit. "These are Just a few high spots) the careful owner takes into consider ation. He always gives them his at tention at the start. Making sure that they are, right ln the begtrnlng soon becomes second nature. "The practice of a rapid Inspection ot vital units costs nothing and saves all unnecessary annoyance and ex pense in the end." , - Don't run In ruts, cor tracks or against curbing. The side walls of a tire are much thinner than the tread In case the - lights fall because of and will not stand this kind of usage, trouble in the system it Is possible to i The London "growler" type ot operate them directly from the genera-1 horse-drawn cab-drivers are fast d la tor by disconnecting and tapping the! appearing from the streets of the Ensr battery leads separately to prevent pos- I lish metroplls, due to popularity ot slble shorts. I'taxlcabs. 4 GUI, STORAGE 1 BATTERY t! ; 1 Vti rnaai Maft.tuacatitjua. WIRE wheels, wood wheels and disc wheels all have 'their boosters, but everybody1 agrees on rubbtr tires. When everybody knows the advantages of Thnadtd Rubber over ordinary insulation, the demand for it will be as universal. - DEGGE & BURRELL Auto Electricians . 238 North High Street Through Service we Grow'1 A lilt i i ! - n 2 The Commonwealth Four-Forty is a splendid car selling for $1595, Master and Oldsmobile Trucks ready for delivery, . i We will take your order for a White Truck. We conduct a general automobile business and we invite your patronage. Our garage is always open. Our air and water service station is very accessible. Gas sold at all hours . . We operate a modern, up-to'date repair shop and we have abundant floor space for storage. Cars washed and polished. United States, Goodrich and risk 1 ires Complete line of Accessories and Parts Marion Automobile Company 235 S. Coml. St. SALEM Phone 362