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).
The condition of a vehicle after a 9,000-mile road test, detailing required repairs and design issues.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 11\2\ 02-page052 | |
| Date | 3rd December 1928 | |
| 52 Hôtel de France, Châteauroux, Indre. December 3rd. 1928 ? To: Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Derby We have received your letter of the 31st. December instructing us to hand over the car to CWB. on Wednesday 2nd. January. Your letter did not arrive until to-day the 3rd. We had already arranged with CWB. to hand over the car to him at midday to-day after completing our 9.000 miles yesterday. To do this we had considerable work on hand, as the exhaust manifold bottom bracket had become unbrazed. We had this rebrazed this morning, and also attended to the following: n/s front shock-damper control arm bearing: the bushes in this bearing had worn considerably, necessitating packing. All the brakes and brake drums were examined, the rear brakes re-bedded. These were found, as previously reported, full of dirt and water from off the roads. Front axle shots lubrication we found in an unsatisfactory condition, oil was not getting to the o/s brake operating shaft and no oil was getting to the n/s bearing of the control damper. On neither side was the oil getting to the ball ends of the dampers. These were all examined, and generally the brake rope pins, etc. were oiled and cleaned, and the car generally put in the best condition as was possible for the last 1000 miles. CWB. and EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} left here with the car at 11.30.AM There had been a snow storm and about 2 inches of snow in a very slippery condition was on the ground. We should like to emphasize the oiling of the front shock damper lever ball ends. This scheme will never work and we should revert back to the original design that is used on 12-EX. This is an absolute failure at present on the S.S. We also found that the Bijur lubricators feeding the two shock-damper control arm bearings were choked up and passing no oil. We also found the Bijur lubricator stopped up feeding the hand brake countershaft bearing. The chief trouble would appear to be the choking of the lubricators. We have been using engine oil in the Bijur pump, as was originally put in at Derby. We have had to stop the running of the 20-HP before the front wings fell on the road. We cannot understand why the design of the front wing stays has been altered to such a decidedly weak condition when our previous test over here has definitely proved that we require better stays. Our present 20-HP front wing stays are strengthened from the results of tests over here. There is not a lug left whole on any of the stays on this car over here. We are having these welded up, made into a box section up to the position where the head lamps are attached to the stays. | ||