142 



Popular Science Monthly 



How to 



Build Bucket 

 Automobiles 



Seats for 



A THOROUGHLY satisfactory pair of 

 bucket seats may be built from the 

 following specifications. Seats of this type 



The popular bucket seat as it is ap- 

 plied to the chassis of an automobile 



are very popular among sportsmen who are 

 rebuilding used cars into speedy roadsters, 

 as well as with the prominent race drivers, 

 because of their light weight and simplicity 

 and economy of construction. 

 - Two pieces of sheet metal are required 

 for each seat. The back and sides may 

 be cut from a piece ^]/2 ft- long by 

 2 ft. 4 in. wide, and the bottom from 

 a piece i ft. 9 in. square. A rather 

 heavy metal that will withstand 

 hard usage should be selected. 



The greatest difficulty in 

 this kind of work is in 

 obtaining a pattern. 

 The dimensions are 

 given so that they 

 may be laid off with 

 the aid of a rule and 

 a pair of dividers or 

 a compass. These 

 dimensions should 

 be followed closely 

 so that there will be 

 n o difficulty i n 

 assembling the seat. 



The pattern for 

 the back and sides is 

 shown in the draw- 

 ing. As the bottom 

 lines are very diffi- 

 cult to compute accurately, it is much 

 easier to cut the metal as shown, and then 

 remove the surplus after the bottom is 

 riveted in place. , The upper edges are 



generally folded over or rolled about a wire, 

 to give a smoother and stiffer edge. 



A strip I in. wide along the lower edge of 

 the pattern for the bottom is folded up to 

 form a means of holding the cushion in the 

 seat. The metal should be first cut to the 

 outside dimensions, and then the pieces 

 between the lugs cut away. The lugs then 

 may be turned up and the bottom secured 

 in the seat by means of rivets through the 

 lugs and the sides or back. One rivet of 

 fairly large size in each lug is sufficient. 

 Large-headed rivets spaced evenly will 

 have a decorative value. 



As the metal for this work is usually 

 rather light, braces may be applied to good 

 advantage; A form which is simple and 

 effective may be made from a piece of 

 strap-iron bent at right angles, one end 

 being riveted to the side and the other end 

 to the bottom. 



The picture shows a seat of this kind in 

 a converted roadster which has been suc- 

 cessful on the track. This is a t^^pical ex- 

 ample of the location and appearance of the 

 bucket seats. — S. E. Gibbs. 



O' 



Pattern for cutting the sheet metal 

 to shape the seat-back and bottom 



A Cork Substitute for the Toilet 

 Flush-Box Ball 

 NE of the most troublesome devices 

 to repair about the home is the 

 rubber tank bulb in the flush box of 

 the toilet. The rubber bulb itself 

 does not wear out, but the brass 

 bushing into which the stem is 

 screwed becomes loosened so 

 that the bulb does not fall 

 squarely into its seat. 

 This condition will 

 result in leakage. 



It occurred to me 

 that a cork ball 

 should serve this 

 purpose as well as a 

 rubber bulb. Ac- 

 cordingly a cork ball 

 was purchased from 

 a dealer in rubber 

 goods and a small 

 hole was drilled 

 through it. A brass 

 rod of the same di- 

 ameter as the old 

 brass stem was 

 then secured and 

 threaded at one end for a length to 

 equal a little more than the diameter of 

 the ball, which was placed between two 

 nuts, A and B, with an extra nut at B 



