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POPULAR NOV. 1965


35 CENTS

MECHANICS

PM's Suburba-car contest!


DESIGN A BODY-WIN THIS CHASSIS!

PLYFOAM: Exclusive first report!


NOW! BUILD ANYTHING IN FIBERGLASS!
DESIGN A BODY FOR THE

WinThis
H OW would you like to be the lucky
guy to own this one-of-a-kind Sub-
urban Car? You'll find it the hottest thing
as it appears in the photo (minus brief-
case and umbrella). Then you can add
your own prize-winning body and sport
on three wheels for scooting about the the coolest puddlejumper in town.
neighborhood. Your wife can use it for You need not be an artist or designer
picking up groceries, running errands, to win. The quality of the drawings you
carting the youngster to school. And you enter will not be a factor in the judging.
could be the envy of fellow commuters in Your entry, however, must be shown in
breezing up to catch the 8:05. drawings to a scale of 1 inch equals 1 foot.
Equipped with a fine Honda engine, this The drawings must include a side, front,
sporty two-seater will stretch a gallon of rear and top view of the body you design,
gas like a rubber band, and it can dart in fitted to the dimensions of the chassis
and out of parking spots like a rabbit. shown below. The materials you plan to
How do you win it? Simple—you design use must be indicated on the drawings,
a body for it and submit your design to and you should label any special features.
PM Suburba-Car Contest, 575 Lexington You may also attach a written descrip-
Ave., New York, N. Y. 10022, postmarked tion of your Suburba-Car body and may
no later than Dec. 20, 1965. There's nothing submit a model, if you wish, to help the
to buy; nothing to build. If judges select judges interpret your design. However,
your design as best, the powered chassis such additional material is not essential.
shown at right and on the cover, will be Only the design itself will be considered
shipped to you lock, stock and barrel, just in the judging.

88 PM
PM SUBURBA-CAR AND

Chassis!

Entries will be judged as follows: ning design yourself. So the materials you

1 Appearance. Your S u b u r b a - C a r
should draw admiring attention
wherever it goes. You may give it sleek
specify should be readily available and
adaptable to your design. Where com-
pound curves are involved, you may wish
sports-car lines, or the conservative lines to suggest Plyfoam as a material, after
of a small family car. You may want to reading our exclusive report on page 146.
make it look like a beetle, a bus or a tear- But you are not limited to any one ma-
drop. In any case, the lines must be pleas- terial. The judges also will consider
ing to the eye. Your design may soon be whether your entry can be built with the
parked in your driveway and you'll want tools (including power tools) that can
to be proud to have it there. be found in a well-equipped home work-
shop, so don't plan on using a commercial
2 Utility. The chassis has been de-
signed, in overall size, to carry two shop.
persons and two large bags of groceries.
Does your body design take full advantage
of this chassis space? Have you provided
4 Safety. In most states a car must
have the following equipment as a
minimum: safety-glass windshield, tail-
easy access to the storage compartment lights, headlights, brake lights, turn signals
such as the body provides on the vehicle and wipers. Don't overlook them. They can
shown on page 84? Are your doors of be found in most auto-supply stores and
adequate size, and so placed that members may be specified in your design.
of your family won't have to be contor-
tionists to get in and out of your dream
Suburba-Car?
5 Economy. No limit is set on cost of
building your design. But, judges
will take into consideration the estimated
Ease of construction. If you win, re- cost of your completed Suburba-Car in
3 member you'll be building your win- (Please turn to page 242)
89
NOV. 1965
v

If you want to Motorized Humidifier


(Continued from page 240)

STOP SMOKING (between 30 and 40 percent is the ideal for


most homes). Since the furnace blower
runs oftener in cold weather when more
here's how! moisture is needed, the unit tends to main-
tain a fairly consistent relative humidity,
once adjusted. For fully automatic con-
trol, add a humidistat which works like
a thermostat to turn the unit on only
when it's needed. You can buy one for
under $10.
The amount of maintenance will depend
on the mineral content of the water you
use. I supply softened well water to my
unit; since it contains a fairly high con-
centration of sodium carbonate, a white
sludge forms in the pan that has to be re-
moved monthly. When water has a low
solids content, you'll have to clean pan and
drum only once or twice each heating
season.
When the system is connected with a
domestic water softener, be sure to shut
the unit off during the regenerating cycle
or a brine solution will be carried into the
pan which could cause corrosion. ***

Win This Chassis


(Continued from page 89)
relation to its value. Obviously a Suburba-
Car should cost less than a ready-made,
full-size family car or sports car.
* Don't forget to write your name and
address plainly on every sheet of paper
you submit, and tape it to your model, if
you decide to submit one.
Entries will be judged by a panel of ex-
perts including William L. Mitchell, vice-
president, styling staff, General Motors
Corp.; Gene Borniat, vice-president and
director of styling for Ford Motor Co.;
Franklyn Jacoby, ASID/IDI, PM's design
consultant; and Wayne C. Leckey, manag-
ing editor of PM's Shop and Crafts. The
decision of the judges will be final, and
professional designers, as well as Popular
Mechanics employes and their families,
are not eligible to compete. Contest is
void in states where prohibited or re-
stricted by law. All federal, state and
local laws apply. All entries become the
property of Popular Mechanics, and only
one prize is to be awarded.
The winner of the Suburba-Car con-
test will be announced in our March issue,
with a sketch of the prize design. For
nonwinners who want to build the chas-
sis for themselves, complete plans will
begin in our April issue.
Good luck! By spring you may be driv-
ing a handsome new short-tripper that
you designed! ***
242 PM

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