Popular Science Monthly 



599 



How to Construct a Simple Cyclecar 

 Starter 



A RELIABLE home-made starter 

 for cyclecars, or other light cars, 

 capable of being operated from the seat, 

 can be made in the following manner: 



Drill a ^-inch hole in the end of a 

 strong piece of wood, i in. hy \]A, ins. by 

 3 ft., shown at A Fig. i. Make a bear- 

 ing by fitting in a piece of steel or brass 

 tubing. Make another hole B ^s in. in 

 diameter, about i ft. from the first one; 



y 



Fig. 1 . Wooden 



lever and anchor 



for chain 



and fit in a bearing. 



I/. I'r. Kw 1 



Bend a piece of 

 steel, }/2 in. by 3^ in., into a U-shaped 

 form as at C. After drilling holes in the 

 ends, connect this piece to B b\' means 

 of a bolt. 



Saw off the crank of the car a few 

 inches from the bearing. It must then 

 be tapered and a 14-tooth motorcycle 

 sprocket keyed and bolt- 

 /TiAME ^^ o^' ^^ shown in Fig. 2. 

 Place a spring on the in- 

 side of the casing to bear 

 against the engaging rat- 

 chet, thus forcing it to 

 catch when the sprocket 

 is turned. Fig. 2. To 

 throw this ratchet out 

 after the engine has start- 

 ed, a small wire or cable is 

 run from the seat to a 

 bell-crank, and this forces 

 the sprocket and 

 ratchet out. The long lever-arm 

 is now fastened by the bearing A 

 at some convenient place on the 

 frame, allowing for a free move- 

 ment back and forth. The piece 

 C is then bolted on at B, Fig. i, 

 A wire rod, attached to C is 

 fastened to a chain, which passes 

 over the sprocket and connects 

 with a coiled spring. When 

 the arm is pulled forward, 

 this spring draws it back. 

 The relation of parts is 

 shown in Fig. 4. 



To operate, the wire f^'^; ^" ^^^' 

 lever fastened to the seat is tachment of 

 first released, allowing the wooden lever 



Fig. 2. Mo- 



torcycle 



sprocket on 



crankshaft 



ratchet to spring into mesh. The lever- 

 arm is then pulled up with a jerk; this 

 spins the engine over from one to two 

 turns, depending upon the size of the 

 sprocket and the distance of B from A. 

 When the motor starts, the wire from 

 the seat is drawn back and the ratchet is 

 pulled out of gear. In case the motor 

 kicks, the lever simply flies out of the 

 hand and falls down on a spring cushion 

 or on the wire rod. No damage is ever 

 done by a kick, since, by the time the 

 engine has turned o\'er once, most of its 

 energy is lost. The main advantage 

 over a crank lies in the increased leverage 

 derived, and also in the greater number 

 of turns which can be given the engine. 

 With this starter, the greatest amount of 

 force is delivered just at the point when 



Fig. 4. Rela- 

 tion of parts, 

 as applied to 

 cycle car 

 cranking 

 from the side 



the engine has its highest compression, 

 which makes it desirable for magneto 

 ignition. There is positively no danger 

 of getting a broken arm with this starter. 

 The diagrams are for a cyclecar, 

 cranked from the side. By means of a 

 series of pulle>s and wire cable, the same 

 principle ap[>lics where the engine is 

 cranked in front. — X. S. McEwEN. 



Removing Tires with a Clpthes-Pin 



SINGLE-CLINCH bicycle-tires may 

 be quickly removed by means of an 

 ordinary clothes-pin. Separate the 



prongs of the clothes-pin until it splits. 

 The larger piece may be used in prying 

 the bead of the tire away from the 

 hooked edge of the rim, and also for lift- 

 ing it over the edge. Use the other 

 prong to prevent slipping back into the 

 curve of the rim. — G. M. Morrison. 



