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 and construction of Graham 8 coachwork after 10,000 miles of road testing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 126\1\ scan0178 | |
| Date | 3rd January 1935 | |
| X4707 To E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/FD.{Frank Dodd - Bodies} c. to Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} c. to Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/FD.{Frank Dodd - Bodies}6/KW. 3.1.35. Graham 8 Coachwork Report. This car has completed 10,000 miles under English road conditions without any attention to the coachwork. At the conclusion of the above mileage there were no body noises or rattles and the mudguards were in excellent condition and quite free from fracture. The body, wings, and valances are of pressed steel construction, the sheet steel thickness being .042". The roof is of leather cloth, underneath which we have a felt lining, followed by wood lathes running the length of the body, spaced every two inches. Across these are the body rails. This avoids drumming. There is a wire mesh aerial built in the centre portion of the roof. This must be a standard fitting as on this chassis no wireless set is fitted. The body wings etc., have been dismantled for inspection and weighed - attached sheet shows various weights. The impression one is given about this pressed steel body and its components is the flexibility of all the parts when separated. The parts are so well bolted together as a whole, however, that it becomes one rigid mass. The body is bolted to the chassis at seven points per side, the last three points resting on body brackets outside the frame, the first four points bolt direct to the top of the frame. The body is also bolted at four points in the frame cross member, the bolts being taken through the sheet metal floor and wood body frame. Rubber strips .1875" thick are used for insulation. There is no question of the body bolting to the dashboard, as this is part of the body. The whole of the body floor is of pressed steel stiffened with corrugations, with detachable covers fitted where access is required to chassis parts. | ||