April 10, 1975 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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April 10, 1975 |
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"Calamity Jane" was taken out to Port Huron High School to give driver training students
an understanding of tile importance of good car maintenance.
Late last summer, a
young Port Huron, Michi-
gan, woman hit it lucky
twice. Her first bit of for-
tune was finding a buyer
for the 1966 model car she
was selling.
Her second stroke of
luck was being alive.
An official of the Car
Care Council (CCC) hap-
pened to be looking for a
car just like the one Susie
Smith ~not her real name)
was driving. The CCC was
seeking out a vehicle cur-
rently being driven, yet in
such poor condition that
it was a menace to the
driver and other people
on the road.
After purchasing the
• 'accident going someplace
to happen," the Council
dubbed the vehicle "Ca-
lamity Jane," and used it
to inaugurate a nation-
wide motorists education
program.
Among the dangerous
conditions plaguing the
car were defective brakes,
bald tires, misaligned
wheels, bad shocks, faulty
steering -- any one of
which could have helped
cause a fatal accident.
The car's exhaust sys-
Help is offered
in setting up
local program
Are you interested irt
helping launch a Calam-
ity Jane-type program
in your community? If
so, you can get details
on how to proceed by
contacting the Car Care
Council, 17000 Execu-
tive Plaza, Dearborn,
Mich. 48126.
tern was rotted away, a
condition made even more
hazardous by the fact that
body and undercarriage
rust provided a tailor-
made conduit for lethal
carbon monoxide fumes.
The water pump was
loose and leaking, head-
lights misaligned and the
ignition system so badly
neglected that starting
the car was a major task.
A CCC spokesman re-
marked, "Jane was emit-
ting so much pollution
that the analyzing device
couldn't even record the
-amount. Emissions knock-
ed the needle clear off the
dial."
The Council used Calam-
ity Jane, with roof painted
a luminous red for DAN-
GER, as a center piece for
Car Care Week in Port
Huron. The car was towed
(not driven) to various
locations to show students
and other groups how
neglected a car can be
and still be allowed on the
highway.
"Jane" also was the cen-
ter of attention in an
Emissions Check Lane
program sponsored by the
local Jaycees.
CCC reports that the
week helped build interest
in car care in the Michigan
community. It also accom-
plished another aim.
One local observer put
it this way, "It makes me
shudder to think that a
car like that was operating
on our streets only a few
months ago. And I bet
there are a lot more like
that one. When the (bleep)
are we going to get com-
pulsory vehicle inspection
in this state?"
Michigan is one of 19
states that does not have
a compulsory inspection
law.
The three ty of tires prevalent today
BIAS
BELTED
BIAS
RADIAL
Keep eye on
tire inflation
You may want to invest
in a pressure gauge to
keep frequent tabs on
your tires. Proper pressure
for tires is generally given
in a location inside the
driver's compartment of
the car --- sometimes on a
glbve box door or inside
the door post. Keeping
tires properly inflated
saves on tire wear, gas
consumption and provides
safer going.
AVOID HIGH SPEED
Save gas by avoiding
high speeds. Observing the
recommended 50-55 mile
limit on. the open road
makes for fuel economy.
• ~i/i~i~ i• ; :'
ROCKY HEMBROFF
CRAIG CHAPMAN
Page S-8 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, April 10, 1975
language
of drive
By JODY CARR
Among the inner circle
of the auto parts world, it
is said that the unsung
hero of all unsung heroes
is the fan belt, or drive
belt. It drives a lot n~ore
than just the fan.
Ask any generator, wa-
ter pump, power steering
pump or fan. These com-
ponents will vouch for the
drive belt, without which
they would be looking for
another way to go.
However, this is not why
the drive belt has earned
its reputation as the good
guy. It is esteemed, be-
cause the last thing it
wants to do is let its bud-
dies down. This means it
doesn't want to let you
down, either.
Still, the best of drive
belts can't last forever.
When one breaks, your car
may overheat, your bat-
tery may die, your power
steering may give out or
your air conditioning may
quit.
You may experience a
couple of these traumatic
situations simultaneously.
So your drive belt tries to
help you anticipate trou-
ble by providing a unique
combination of audible
and visual warnings of
impending problems.
First, look for ,visual
signs of old age. Twist the
belt. Notice that it is V-
shaped, fitting into a V-
shaped pulley. The sides
of the V on the belt are
what do the driving. Are
they cracked, frayed or
glazed?
This may be enough to
tell you that Old Faithful
wants to retire.
Or the belt may signal
you audibly, by screeching
when you accelerate the
engine in neutral. This
may be nothing more than
looseness, which can be
corrected in a jiffy. But if
excessive looseness is al-
lowed to persist, slippage
results, and that means
rapid wear.
Finally, when the belt
point, it may emit a click,
click sound, especially no-
ticeable at idle. It will
speed up as you accelerate
the engine and sound al-
most like a noisy valve.
This sound is caused by
a large crack, or separa-
tion, in the belt, which
• hits the pulley with each
revolution. It is a symptom
of advanced old age, the
brink of failure:
If old faithful drive belt
does snap all the way,
you're in for trouble. So
keep an eye and an ear
open for signs of failure,
and ask your automobile
service man to check into
it right away.
ALIGNMENT SAVES
FUEL, RUBBER
Tests reported on by the
Motor Vehicle Manufac-
turers Association showed
that improper front wheel
toe-in alignment of only
V4" can cause about a 0.3
miles per gallon economy
loss. It can also lead to
premature and expensive
tire wear.
*CAR TRAILERS & TOW BARS
• ELECTRONIC TUNE-UP GEAR
*BRAKE-TOOLS • POLISHERS
• SPRAY PAINTING EQUIP. * SANDERS
*JACKS & STANDS * BODY GRINDERS
*BODY & FENDER TOOLS
Shelton's complete rental store.
1209 Olympic Hwy. S. 426-1091
~_-_-_-_-v%.%.=_%.-v-_%.%.-_'~_--_-_'=_-_-.
5th and FRANKLIN
426-3357
Les Rodgers
"Les Rodgers has loved to work with cars since
he was old enough to pick up a socket set.
Now, at 32, he has 14 years as a professional
mechanic under his belt and a well-earned
reputation as one of the finest men around
when it comes to cars."
Rob Settle
"Rob is a Bandag 'scholar'. He has attended
Bandag's Technical School in California and
was a member of the class that broke all
previous school records for capping the greatest
number of flawless tires in the shortest period
of time."
Marry Settle
"Marty is still working on his 'old*hand' status,
but he's already spent four years working
part-time in the shop. He'd be around more if
we didn't have to keep fighting the SHS athletic
department for his spare time! Marty's already
figured out that he likes the management side
of the business and plans to make that his
major in college."
First Cota
Carey Settle
"Before he started working full-time, four years
ago, Carey had spent six summers working in
the shop. He has done every job there is to do
when it comes to tires, including running the
entire capping department. He now handles a
lot of our passenger and light-truck tire
service."
Steve Settle
"Steve, like both Rob and Carey, has spent a
lot of time in our capping department. He, too,
has worked every summer since he was in the
seventh grade. Since Steve started full-time, he
and Rob have worked primarily with our
industrial tire customers."
Merv Settle
"Me? Well, I've been in the tire business in
Shelton for 20 years. That gives me a little edge
on the young faces you ,see here. But there's
one important thing you should know. ,When
you deal with us it doesn't matter whose face
you see because you'll get the same good
service from anyone here. That's what our
business is based on... professional service
that satisfies YOU, the customer.
426-8104
Thursday, April 10, 1975 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 5-5