Cars - http://maxpages.com/carsinhistory/C

Crankshaft pulley: A wheel attached to the front end of the crankshaft which is connected by fan belts to the fan, the alternator, and other devices so that the rotating crankshaft can drive these other parts as well. The crankshaft pulley usually has timing marks located on it, and these are necessary for checking and adjusting timing with a timing light. Also called a "harmonic balance wheel."

Crank throw: The part of the crankshaft that the connecting rod fastens to. See crankpin.

Crate: 1. A framework of wooden boards for protecting something during transport. 2. A vehicle which appears to be unreliable and ready to fall apart.

Crazing: Many fine cracks in the paint surface, resembling crow's feet.

Creeper: A platform on four small caster wheels that allows you to move around easily while lying on your back under your vehicle.

Crosley: The 1950-52 Hotshot/SS models are milestone cars.

Cross hatch: See cross-hatch.

Cross-hatch: Checkerboard design of the inner surface of cylinder after it is honed.

Cross-hatch coat: Checkerboard application of paint to be sure of a continuous paint film. One medium coat is usually followed by a second medium coat in a perpendicular direction.

Cross member: A brace or strut which provides structural stability for the sides of a frame -- often in the shape of an "X"

Crossover: See heat crossover.

Crossover gearing: A bicycle gearing system whose shift sequence involves moving from the lowest to the midrange of gears on the smaller chainring, then crossing over to the larger chainring for the remainder of the gears.

Cross section: See section width.

Cross-shaft lug wrench: See lug wrench.

Cross-shaft lug wrench: See lug wrench.

Cross shaft: The shaft in the steering gearbox that engages the steering shaft worm, the cross shaft is splined to the pitman arm.

Cross three: A spoking pattern in which a spoke passes over two and under a third spoke before being attached to the rim.

Crotch rocket: See sportbike.

Crowbar: A iron bar tool with a crook at one end with a forking device for removing nails, etc. The other end has a wedge shape.

Crown: The tread area of a tire.

Crown radius: The measurement of the curvature of a tire tread between the shoulders of the tire. Expressed as a percentage, it indicates the relative flatness of the tire tread area.

Crown width: The distance of a tire tread shoulder to shoulder measured along the buffed contour.

Crude oil: Unrefined petroleum as it comes out of the ground. It forms the basis of gasoline, engine oil, diesel oil, kerosene, etc.

Cruise control: A feature that keeps your vehicle moving at a set speed. Old cruise controls were mere throttle control units which kept the engine speed the same. When the vehicle approached a hill, the vehicle slowed down noticeable going up and speeded up going down. Later models used vacuum controls to push or pull on the accelerator rod. Newer models use electronic controls to accomplish this task. It can be turned off by hitting the off button or touching the brake pedal. The resume switch allows you to return to the pre-set speed after brake disengagement. The coast switch slows the speed down and the accelerate switch increases it.

Cruiser: 1. Any motorcycle designed to be ridden long distances. 2. Motorcycle riders who ride long distances.

Cruiser bag: !!!.

Crumple zone: An area of a vehicle that is designed to compress during an accident to absorb the energy from the impact.

Crush height: The precision insert bearing must fit the bottom end of the connecting rod in order to transfer friction heat to the connecting rod. The insert will protrude a small amount above the rod bore parting surface. This distance is called the crush height. When the rod halves are drawn together, the inserts touch before the halves, thus forcing the inserts tightly into place.

Crush washer : !!!.

C spanner: See C-spanner.

C-spanner: A wrench whose end is shaped like a C, used to loosen the lockring on a bottom bracket of a bicycle.

CSSA: Acronym for "Chambre Syndicale Suisse de L'Automobile et Branches Annexes" (Switzerland).

CTC: Acronym for "Chrysler Technology Centre".

Cubes: A colloquial term for cubic inches, or cubic inch displacement of an engine.

Cubic capacity: See displacement.

Cubic centimeter: (cc) Metric measurement of engine displacement. 1000 cc = 1 liter (litre) which is about 61 cubic inches (61.02374409). Thus a 428 cubic inch engine is 7 liters (428/61) and a 2 liter engine is 122 cubic inches (2 x 61).

Cu. ft.: Abbreviation for "cubic feet."

Cu. in.: Abbreviation for "cubic inch" (also C.I.).

Cubic inch displacement: See displacement.

Cubic inch engine: !!!.

Cunningham: The 1925-1948 models are classic cars. The 1951-55 models are milestone cars.

Cuno filter: A filter made up of a series of fine discs or plates pressed together in a manner that leaves a very minute space between the discs. Liquid is forced through these openings to produce a straining action.

Cup: See adjustable cup, bearing cup, cup washer, and fixed cup.

Cup holder: A device to hold a coffee cup or pop bottle.

Cup washer: A washer that is dished.

Curb weight: The weight of a vehicle without passengers or payload, but including all fluids (oil, gas, coolant, etc.) and other equipment specified as standard.

Cure: A process of vulcanizing raw rubber through the application of heat, pressure, and time to permanently shape and set the rubber at the degree of hardness desired to protect it from the effects of normal operating temperatures and wear.

Cure time: The time required at a reference temperature for a compound to reach optimum physical properties.

Curing: Process of heating or otherwise treating a rubber or plastic compound to convert it from a thermoplastic or fluid material into the solid, relatively heat-sensitive state desired in the commercial product. When heating is employed, the process is called vulcanization.

Curing gum: A soft, tacky rubber compound used in retreading and repair to facilitate bonding between different rubber compounds and between plies, etc. Also see cushion gum.

Curing rim: When retreading a tire, a special rim that supports the inflated tire during the curing process.

Curing tube: In retreading a tire, a heavy tube within the tire that provides pressure to force the casing against the matrix during the curing process.

Current: 1. The movement of free electrons through a conductor. Also see alternating current and direct current. 2. The most recent model vehicle (i.e., made in the same year as the present calendar).

Curing: The final drying stage where the paint reaches maximum strength.

Cushion: See seat cushion.

Cushion gum: A soft, tacky rubber compound used in retreading and repair to facilitate bonding between different rubber compounds and between plies, etc.

Custom: 1. A restyled or modified vehicle. 2. A new body mounted on an existing chassis.

Customer: A person who is at least potentially able to purchase something. Good customer service involves providing the customer with the best answers to his questions and the best choices to meet his needs or wants.

Customize: 1. To restyle or modify a vehicle. 2. To mount a new body on an existing chassis.

Customs duties: Customs duties levied on imported goods under the Customs Tariff.

Cutout: 1. A form of bypass valve, located in the exhaust line, that can be used to divert the flow of exhaust from one pipe to another. Often used to bypass the muffler into a straight pipe. See exhaust cutout. 2. A device to connect or disconnect the generator from the battery circuit. When the generator is charging, cutout makes circuit, when generator stops, cutout breaks circuit. Also referred to as "cutout relay," and "circuit breaker." 3. A portion of a panel which has been removed so that a cover can be inserted.

Cutout relay: A device to connect or disconnect the generator from the battery circuit. When the generator is charging, cutout makes circuit, when generator stops, cutout breaks circuit. Also referred to as "circuit breaker." See cutout.

CV joint: Abbreviation for "constant velocity joint."

CVMA: Acronym for "Canadian Vehicle Manufacturer's Association" on http://www.cvma.ca/.

CVT: Acronym for "Continuously Variable Transmission." See infinitely variable transmission .

Cycle: A vehicle with one or more wheels (usually spoked) where the rider/driver straddles the vehicle as a bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc. It also includes other vehicles adapted from a traditional cycle where the rider/driver no longer straddles the vehicle (recumbent cycle, four-wheel side-by-side pedal powered vehicle) Obviously the distinction blurs with automobiles -- are they a cycle?.

Cycle car: A term used to describe the very light production automobile made prior to 1922. It was usually made from motorcycle parts and generally powered by single-cylinder or twin-cylinder engine. They disappeared when genuine light cars appeared.

Cyl: Abbreviation for "cylinder," as in 12-cyl. engine.
Cylinder: 1. The round chamber or hole in the cylinder block that houses the pistons and where combustion takes place. Also called "bore" or "barrel." 2. Any tube-like device. See brake master cylinder, cylinder bore, cylinder head, cylinder sequence, cylinder sleeve, and wheel cylinder.

Cylinder block: The basic framework of the engine to which other engine parts are attached. It is usually a casting and includes the engine cylinders and the upper part of the crankcase. Also see engine block.

Cylinder bore: The cylinder holes.
Cylinder head: The detachable metal (aluminum or iron) section that is bolted to the top of the cylinder block. It is used to cover the tops of the cylinders, in many cases the cylinder head contains the valves, it also forms part of the combustion chamber. It has water and oil passages for cooling and lubrication. It also holds the spark plugs. On most engines a valve cover or rocker arm cover is located on top of the cylinder head. Some engines have just one cylinder head covering several cylinders, while others have separate heads for each cylinder. In some motorcycle engines and small engines, the cylinder head is not detachable -- it is cast with the cylinder which forms a blind hole.

Cylinder hone: A tool that uses an abrasive to smooth out (hone) and bring to exact measurements such things as engine cylinders, wheel cylinders, bushings, etc.

Cylinder liners: A cylinder sleeve.

Cylinder sequence: The order in which the cylinders are located on a vehicle. It is important to locate the number one cylinder to check and adjust timing. In some cars it may be at the front of an engine on U.S. built cars and at the rear of some foreign cars. Also see firing order.

Cylinder liner: See cylinder sleeve.

Cylinder sleeve: A replaceable cylinder liner or tube, it is made of a pipe-like section that is either pressed or pushed into the block. If the cylinder cannot be re-bored to an oversize or if the liner has been damaged beyond repair, the cylinder may be re-sleeved.

Cylinder wall: The inner surface of a cylinder.

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Page Updated Sun May 20, 2001 8:08pm EDT