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).
Poor machining on a steering box nut and an incomplete tool kit for car 6.EX.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 20\8\ Scan023 | |
| Date | 2nd November 1921 | |
| To ~~HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}~~} To EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} } from R.{Sir Henry Royce} c. to CJ. c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} X1027 AT CHUXLEY R1/G2.11.21. X.3923 - RE 6.EX CAR. X.1027. X.4301 Last night I had occasion to examine a certain amount of slack in the steering box of 6.EX. I do not think this is wear, but bad machine work in the nut and the thread. It is possible that I have not lubricated this thread as well as I ought to have done, but as there is no sign of any worn metal I feel sure that the workmanship of the nut and thread was defective. When you refit the car for the U.S.A. Winter equipment, will you please examine this part. While on this investigation I examined the adjustment of the ball thrust bearing on the steering column. I was very distressed to find that there is no spanner suitable for the rack nut, but in the kit I found two spanners of the right curvature, i.e., for the same size nut (magneto nut and exhaust union) and neither was suitable for the notches in the steering column nut. Please arrange to cancel one of these spanners, and make the remaining one suitable ~~see~~ for the whole three nuts, and mark it accordingly. This is a disgrace to the Works and whoever is responsible that the tool kit is suitable for the car. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||