Description of the gearbox with 3 forward speeds and the internal expanding braking system.
| Identifier | Morton\M14\ img007 | |
| Date | 18th September 1922 guessed | |
| (F). GEARBOX. The gearbox, which provides 3 forward speeds and a reverse, is of the conventional sliding type. The side shaft is driven by helical gears and has the unusual feature of being supported by in 3 bearings. The third motion shaft is also carried in 3 bearings. The third bearing on the latter shaft almost entirely relieves the spigot bearing which is sometimes unsatisfactory in the more usual arrangements. These extra bearings contribute largely to the permanency of the silence of the box, and considerably reduce the tendency to wear. There is also enclosed in the box a special worm drive for the speed indicator. The change speed lever is controlled by an internal gate and has a positive interlocking device as well as the position spring plungers. The interlocking device enables the spring plungers to be very light in action, and the whole change mechanism works with great freedom and delicacy. The hand brake lever is carried on the box, and has its ratchet below the floorboards, but unlike the usual arrangement, the teeth are on the lower side of the quadrant so that no foreign substance can fall and lodge in them, and render the ratchet unsafe, which might be a serious matter when the car is left on a hill. (G). BRAKES. Both internal expanding direct on rear wheel hubs, enclosed and protected from road dirt and oil and compensated by bevel gear equalisers of RR. pattern; the brake shoes are of thaminium, and internal and external adjustment is provided close to the point of wear. The brakes are remarkable for their smooth and effective action, the special RR. cams which have great efficiency and equality are used to expand the shoes; it is very noticeable how the rear axle steadily keeps on to the road when the brakes are applied, resulting in a straight, powerful and smooth pull up of the chassis. | ||
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).