Rear axle pinion bearing failure on a 3.5-Litre Bentley and a proposed 10,000-mile test for a replacement.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 82\2\ scan0009 | |
| Date | 22th January 1934 | |
| 4553a See also File V3807 (Bearings) To Hs. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Sg. {Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} Copy to Wor. {Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} F. {Mr Friese} BY. {R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} EP. {G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} Mx. {John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} Hdy. {William Hardy} DA. {Bernard Day - Chassis Design} G. re 3.5-Litre Bentley. Sg {Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} 8/E22.1.34 Referring to Hs. {Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} 6/KW.20.1.34 I am naturally sorry to hear that the bearing on the rear axle pinion must be regarded as a definite weakness, and I had not previously in mind that there had been so many failures. I thought the only one was on the last 10,000 mile test run in France. I note that the makers of ball bearings claim that they can supply us with a bearing that can stand up to the job and that it will fit in place of the present one. The idea of running a car with this bearing 10,000 miles or more in England as quickly as possible seems a good one and I gather that the test will start this week. I presume daily reports will come through just the same as for cars in France. I note that the opportunity will be taken to test a number of other items as xlistedxxx on Page 2 of your memo. I am not clear as to whether the car will be returning to Derby every night but, if so, I hope that special instructions will be given that no work is to be done on it other than that which would be carried out in the ordinary way if the car were in the hands of a customer. Sg. {Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} | ||
From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).