Show Steel Gains On Wood for Strength Greater Safety Possible hie with Metal By ISRAEL KLEIN Science Editor NEA XEA Service Five FI years ago the steel all body was such a novelty that only one car carIn carIn carin In every twelve t on tho the roads was equipped with It H. By the end of ot this year we are promised every other automobile will have ha discarded wood In body con con- construction except as u floor boards and scat frames Thus the steel body Is brought before us In the automotive field just lust as u steel sted has won its place in railroad car carand carand carand and in other fields of construction That It has reached this height by sheer superiority ty over wood d dro from ro all angles is the contention n do of o L L. E E. engineer of the Edward a. a 0 Budd Manufacturing company which started the practice of ot steel body building back in 1914 Members of the Society of Automo Automo- Automotive Automotive Automotive tive Engineers heard deClare de declare de- de declare clare that the steel body Is stronger lighter quicker and safer than that built a a. wooden frame and they watched him prove the difference by hanging equal weights from a block of wood and a strip of steel to show how much more moro the wood sagged under the same strain I THINNER POSTS POSSIBLE Today Toda In place of the broad wood wood- wooden en posts at a windshield and doors there l ere are eP thin hollow steel frame members that are just lust as sturdy if It not more so than tho the wood and that afford a aneater aneater aneater neater and more snappy appearance More Important Is the additional area of vision the narrow comer corner posts afford That they are so narrow de despite de- de despite spite Ite their Job lob of holding up the front doors door and the roof root Is ls all aU the more re- re re The wood all body today of course cOUtu Is s an antique except In the case cose of the flexible fabric body that Is being tried out on many cars In Europe and on i E d El These Th e photographs taken from ex ej the same point compare the safety factor of the steel tc l and wood bodies Notice the wider range ran of ofis vis- vis visIon vision isIon Ion from the steel Interior at d right due du e to the narrower comer corner post one or two In this country Most bodies are arc either el ther all steel or consist of wood frame construction with a layer of sheet steel or aluminum STEEL USED FOR FINISH ISH The strength of the composite body of panel steel and wood frame how how- however however however ever still lies in the wood the steel covering coveting offering only a a. basis for a a. amore amore more attractive e and smoother finish than the wood body bod was wu able to af af- af ford tord The steel all body has the same ap ap- as the composite body and yet jet et offers additional strength and safety In fact the thinner posts en enable en- en enable enable able the body builder to design a 0 car that looks sleeker and lower than the cars of steel and wood construction In addition to this there Is the ad ad- advantage advantage advantage vantage of greater roominess in an steel all-steel body points out The smaller sectional area of ot the steel body leaves that much more room for the occupants |