TOURING WITH RAYMOND SPEARS 
From coast to coast with the most experienced auto-camper of the day 
will perhaps save the car. Tourists com- ery at some favorable camp ground 
A utomobile troubles, break 
downs and all other varied dif¬ 
ficulties from mere rattles and 
squeaks to the serious disastei s that 
require the wrecking crane, are gen¬ 
erally—I was going to say in¬ 
variably—states of mind. Feai 
and dread as much as reckless¬ 
ness and actual folly lead to 
mechanical difficulty. For lack 
of a burr the bolt is lost, for lack 
of the bolt the springs fall out, 
and for lack of the springs the 
car breaks down. 
There are things the driver 
and his companions cannot help. 
The scoundrel speedster or road hog 
can only be guarded against by giving 
every other car, coming or going, not 
only the due half, but, where feasible, 
all the road. Mere courtesy demands 
that the stranger 
conforms to local 
highway cus¬ 
toms. But safety 
requires that no 
least known 
chance ever be 
taken unneces¬ 
sarily. 
Chances that 
lead to trouble 
are failure to 
tighten up all 
burrs, clamps, 
saddles, and 
parts. Loose¬ 
ness anywhere 
is disclosed by 
jars, rattles and 
squeaks, and 
those who do 
overmuch rem¬ 
edying with the 
oil can, unac¬ 
companied b y 
wrench, pliers 
and screwdriver 
may pave their 
way to difficul¬ 
ties. First tighten up, and then oil. 
monly carry an extra gallon of motor 
oil on the running board, and when the 
engine heats, pour in a quart or two 
immediately—but making sure that the 
Two things are necessary to be a success¬ 
ful auto-camper—equipment and knowledge 
of how to go about it. The former is readily 
obtainable. The latter is admirably sup¬ 
plied in these articles by Mr. Spears. 
oil pump feed is working, that one or 
other cylinder is not burning out, that 
there is plenty of water in the radiator, 
and that the spark is not retarded. 
My own practice is, in case of any- 
Photo courtesy Wenzel Tent Co 
AT THE END OF THE DAY 
- en. o, me da,, ^ve mernad^^ca™ w,m - “ 
A mixture of gasoline in cylinder oil 
squirted on springs and into joints 
quiets a car marvelously. Gasoline 
thins the oil, and carries it deeply in the 
crevices and through contacts. Oiled 
springs mean a car at least a half more 
comfortable on rough highways, and 
they save trouble of breakage. The 
theory is that the gasoline carries the 
heavier oil globules into the rubbing 
places. Old crankcase oil, when filtered, 
is excellent for this purpose. A gallon 
can full carried along into arid lands 
thing out of the normal, to look after 
it. Literally, twenty seconds work with 
a monkey wrench, in time, may save the 
balance of the trip. If the difficulty is 
beyond my own abilities or equipment, 
the first service station has a trouble¬ 
hunting and repairing job. This means 
finickiness. Often one overdoes the 
keeping in order—apparently. Trouble 
And during the long dinner hour, at 
noon—two hours, really—a few min¬ 
utes with the oil can and tools have a 
reward out of all proportion. This 
meticulous care may not wholly 
avail, but there is nothing on the 
road that pays a higher sure- 
thing dividend in troubles es¬ 
caped. 
Every car, they say, has some 
weakness, some particular trouble. 
Mine has one of the worst, a 
weak rear end which tears out 
occasionally, and I add greatly 
to the axle trade, in proportion 
to my mileage. No garage ever worked 
over my motor that its power wasn’t 
remarked—and that power is a wonder¬ 
fully soothing, nerve-quieting posses¬ 
sion when we confront the pitches, the 
long grades, the 
- - _ =~| hard going of 
deserts and 
mountains. Just 
the knowledge 
that one can get 
himself out, if 
he gets in, is 
one of the surest 
preventatives of 
troubles. 
A placid, 
even - tempered, 
unhurried 
driver has far 
and away less 
trouble than the 
jumpy-, nervous, 
pestered and 
speed - making 
driver. Nearly 
all troubles hap¬ 
pen in after¬ 
noon, or toward 
the end of a 
day’s run. I am 
almost inclined 
to say, any kind 
o f automobile 
trouble is a state of mind. Tourists 
will do well to go into camp just before 
anything happens, a suggestion not so 
much of a paradox as it seems. 
When, toward the close of a long 
drive, or when one has gone too far, 
or when the nerves begin to break- 
temper shortens, the machine seems 
about to fall to pieces, the motor heats, 
com P es n anyhow-so what’s the use? But the running parts begin to knock-the 
mechanical difficulty follows neglect thing to do is stop. Go into camp. At 
sooner or later, and generally sooner, least pull out beside the road ar 
if one does not spend a half day twice throwing down a tarpaulin hang up 
a week under and inside of his machin- (Continued on page 595) 
