CHAPTER
XII
SOME WORTHWHILE ACCESSORIES
[Interior
Heaters] [Rugs for Comfort]
[Emphasis on Safety]
[Improving Appearance]
[Accessories for Touring]
As
has been stressed when discussing engine
modifications, a Minor in its standard form offers
first-class value in relation to the very moderate
initial price; the enthusiastic owner who requires
those individual touches that contribute to safety,
comfort and appearance, however, will seldom begrudge
the additional outlay. The items described in this
chapter can be obtained from most accessory dealers
or can be ordered through a local garage.
Interior
Heaters.
High among the more expensive
accessories which have now come to be regarded almost
as essential in temperate and cold climates is the
interior heater and demister, which is, of course,
available as an optional fitting on all models. The
design supplied by the Morris Motors can be quickly
and neatly installed by a dealer or owner. Once one
has experienced the extent to which a heater contributes
not only to comfort but to safety in driving during
the winter, one will find it difficult to dispense
with this invaluable accessory.
There
are, of course, a number of other reasonably-priced
heaters of the recirculatory type which can be fitted
by the owner himself without a great deal of difficulty.
A recirculatory heater is so termed because it does
not draw a supply of fresh air from outside the car;
instead it draws air from inside the car and circulates
it through the heating element before discharging
it directly into the driving compartment and also
through demisting nozzles fitted beneath the windscreen.
Rugs
for Comfort.
Although an efficient heater
is fitted, the passengers may sometimes complain of
cold feet in very cold weather. A good car rug is,
therefore, a worthwhile accessory whenever long journeys
are undertaken during the winter months — and not
only elderly passengers appreciate the luxury! While
any woollen rug will, of course, serve the purpose,
modern fur-fabric driving rugs, preferably of the
double-sided type obtainable from the St. Leonards
Garage, Ringwood, Hampshire, have a softness and quality
which must be experienced to be appreciated — in addition
to a distinctly luxurious appearance. Being made from
all-wool pile, they wash well or can be dry-cleaned,
and literally wear for years without losing their
appearance.
For
really snug comfort, improved appearance and reduction
of noise and vibration, a set of lambskin car mats
can be added. The "Snuglamb" mats (from Maskell Fur
Processes, Ltd., Grove Works, Horley, Surrey) have
the added advantage that they are very easily cleaned,
since the wool is specially carded to allow dirt and
grit to be shaken out. The lambskins are backed by
non-slip rubberized felt, so that the mats stay in
place without the necessity for fastenings, and are
moth-proofed during manufacture — really practical
features plus a touch of luxury at a modest cost.
Emphasis
on Safety.
To turn from the question of
driving comfort to safety (surprisingly often the
two are synonymous), when one is forced to drive close
behind other vehicles in wet weather the spray of
mud and water that accumulates on the windscreen is
not only a source of irritation but can be a serious
danger. The value of a windscreen washer such as the
Trico should not need stressing.
Such
essentially practical items as driving and fog lamps
are not only invaluable during night journeys but
also improve the frontal appearance of the car. No
experienced driver would be without a fog lamp during
winter driving, while a good road lamp should give
a long, anti-dazzle beam that enables reasonably high
cruising speeds to be maintained without recourse
to the main beams of the headlamps. Most drivers find
that double-dip lamps, if correctly aligned, give
insufficient range when dipped, except for quite modest
speeds.
The
easiest method of mounting auxiliary lamps is to fit
a combined lamp carrier and badge bar; Castle's Unit
Development, Ltd., of Church Gate, Leicester, make
an excellent range of lamp mounting pillars and bars
which experience has shown to be both rigid (an important
point) and extremely well plated.
A
fire-extinguisher should be regarded as an essential
item of the equipment of the car — not a luxury.
The conventional pump-type extinguisher filled with
carbon-tetrachloride (C.T.C.) is quite efficient provided
that it is regularly examined and tested, but the
modern, compact pressure-filled C.T.C. extinguisher
is greatly to be preferred. Better still, a
small extinguisher charged with chlorobromomethane
represents the most efficient fire-fighting instrument
available to the motorist. For example, the smaller
size of Bradex extinguisher, measuring only 5.5" in
length and 14" in diameter, has the fire-extinguishing
capacity of a conventional pump-type C.T.C. extinguisher
of many times its size. It produces a cloud of fire-deadening
gas that will extinguish any petrol and oil-fed fires
of the seriousness likely to be encountered in a car,
literally within seconds.
Other
accessories which directly or indirectly contribute
to safety are an electric cigar lighter, exterior
wing mirrors and an exterior visor mounted above the
windscreen. The latter shields the eyes from dazzling
sun and protects the driver and passengers in the
front compartment from the heat of the sun when this
is shining more or less directly through the windscreen;
in winter it helps to keep the windscreen free from
snow, particularly when the car is parked in the open.
The Spartovisor (made by London Bankside Products,
Ltd., The Runway, South Ruislip, Middlesex) is a particularly
good example.
Even
the best visor, however, cannot protect the eyes from
the dazzle caused by reflected light — and this can
be a major cause of eyestrain during a long trip.
The most effective answer is a good pair of sunglasses;
the Polaroid type score in this respect as they completely
eliminate the dazzle caused by reflected light, whereas
conventional tinted lenses merely reduce the overall
intensity of the light passing through them.
Improving
Appearance.
Of distinctly practical value
are loose covers which are available in a very wide
range of fabrics and patterns and which not only protect
the original upholstery and thus enhance the value
of the car when the time comes to sell it, but which
are easily cleaned and add a touch of distinction
and colour to the interior of the car. The covers
manufactured by Kladwell, Ltd., of 62 Albion St.,
Glasgow, C.1, or by Karobes, Ltd., of Leamington Spa,
Warwickshire, can be recommended for their impeccable
cut, excellent quality and the ease with which they
can be fitted without wrinkling.
A
set of chromium-plated wheel trims greatly improves
the look of the wheels without interfering with the
flow of air to the brakes or, in most cases, preventing
the use of snow chains or wheel-balancing weights.
Those made by K. F. Ward, Ltd. CStyla Works, Garrison
St., Birmingham, 9), are not only beautifully designed
but are made in stainless steel and thus retain their,
appearance almost indefinitely.
Bumper
overriders of the type fitted to De Luxe models not
only improve the appearance of the car but provide
protection against the locking of bumpers or damage
to the coachwork. Similarly, the exhaust deflector
is an attractive fitting which performs a very useful
job in deflecting the exhaust fumes downwards, preventing
discoloration or rusting of the rear bumper by acid-laden
fumes. It also prevents the formation of unsightly
marks on the garage doors or on the wall when the
engine is run with the tail-pipe close to such surfaces.
Accessories
for Touring.
One of the few aspects in which
the Minor does not compete quite so favourably with
some modern, cars is in luggage accommodation. For
normal trips, of course, or for long journeys on which
only the driver and passenger occupy the car, the
space is adequate; but with a full load of passengers
and a lengthy tour in prospect, a roof-fitted luggage
rack will be invaluable. It is sometimes possible
to hire a rack for the period of the tour (the advertisement
pages of the motoring journals should be consulted)
but a good rack is usually a worthwhile investment
and can enhance the appearance of the car. The "Regal"
roof rack (made by Frank Bros., 129 Kingston Road,
New Maiden, Surrey), for example, is fitted with ash
slats that give it a most attractive appearance.
A
different approach to the problem is to substitute
the special boot lid manufactured by
Alexander Engineering, Ltd., of
Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, which virtually doubles
the luggage space and, in the opinion of many owners,
improves the appearance of the car.
A
driver who undertakes long tours and possibly tows
a caravan will be interested in another accessory;
the electric shaver, which can be operated from the
car battery or from three small 1.5-volt dry cells,
as in the case of the Philishave; or the Remington
Auto-Home model, which operates from the car battery
or alternatively can be plugged into a mains electricity
point. Both can be recommended from personal experience.
A
car radio probably shows up to its best advantage
on a long run, especially when one is driving alone.
There are available relatively inexpensive transistorized
models (such as the Pye range), the fitting of which
should be well within the capabilities of a do-it-yourself
owner.
A
corner of the boot should be reserved for a small
emergency kit of spares as an insurance against being
stranded by the roadside. The following list includes
only those items that an owner might be expected to
fit without calling in expert assistance. A
local Morris dealer will often be prepared to supply
most, if not all, of the items on a sale-or-return
basis, crediting the cost of any parts that are returned
unused at the end of the tour.
A full set of lamp bulbs and
fuses. Two or more sparking plugs of the correct type,
or a set of "harder" plugs if long periods of fast
driving are likely. A set of ignition contact-breaker
points, condenser and preferably a distributor rotor
and an ignition coil. A windscreen wiper blade.
A spare inner tube (this can be used also with a tubeless
tyre, if these are fitted). A box of tyre valve
"inners" and valve caps. A roll of insulating tape.
In
some countries supplies of good-quality lubricating
oil are apt to be expensive and a half-gallon or gallon
tin is a useful stand-by. A supply of distilled water
in a polythene container, is often invaluable: remember
that a pint will top up a thirsty battery only a few
times, so play for safety if the weather is likely
to be very hot.
Finally,
before leaving the subject of touring, there is one
item that usually finds a place on the parcel shelf
when the car is taken abroad — the foreign phrase
book! For owners who have no aptitude for languages,
or who will be passing through a succession of countries
or may be travelling to outlandish parts, there is
an enterprising modern version of this old stand-by:
a pocket-sized book in which a thousand everyday items
and situations are illustrated by line sketches. There
is no dictionary and no vocabulary; one simply points
to the picture. Appropriately enough, the title of
the book is See What I Mean. It is published by Mills
and Boon, Ltd., of Grafton Way, Fitzroy Square, London,
W.1.
For
those who wish to pick up at least a conversational
knowledge of a foreign language, however, the Interpret
courses in French, Italian, Spanish and German, prepared
by the Visaphone Company, of 10 Bayley St., London,
W.C.1, provide probably the easiest solution:
they consist of three long-playing gramophone records
that provide a surprisingly extensive vocabulary,
together with an illustrated book in which the dialogue
on the records can be followed and translated. Such
courses are usually fairly expensive but the Interpret
versions (intended for the tourist rather than the
student) are very modestly priced.
Of
course any companies or products mentioned in the
text may not exist today and any prices listed are
of course no longer valid, so take company and product
refernces with a grain of salt.