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).
Vehicle performance issues with the gearbox, steering, and brakes, and proposing design modifications.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 46\2\ Scan144 | |
| Date | 10th April 1922 guessed | |
| Contd:- -2- The gear lever working out which occurred every day in the early stages of the run has ceased to occur and it had not happened for some time now. Whether the hard spots in the direct drive gear have worn themselves down or that the shafts are in alignment, I do not know, but I do not know of any other reason why the improvement should take place. The outstanding features of which one might complain on yesterdays run were the jolting of the steering when on rough roads, and the inefficient and squeaking brakes also the rattling of the shock absorber ball joints. I believe that stiffer brake drums on the same lines as the 40/50 would make a lot of difference to the brakes and if H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} agrees I suggest that a set be tried built up as follows a loose ribbed drum being bolted to a flange :- We are pleased to hear this as this fault is rather exceptional to this car. It was one of several produced with corrected alignment methods, and others are quite O.K. This car certainly did suffer from the top gear being tight to engage at certain places, a feature which was taken up with the Wks. to prevent recurrence (re. faulty gear more than faulty alignment). This complaint appears to have been overcome on G-Goshawk-11 as shown by its first test by fixing of plain thrust bearing in the steering column as suggested by H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} and we are anxious to hear of the general behaviour of the steering during the cars' run across France and the car well "run in". As regards the brake drums, those on G-Goshawk-11 have a deeper flange than the actual standard called for. G-Goshawk-11 is actually as per the latest drawings and before leaving the Wks. the brakes were satisfactory for effectiveness and absence of squeaking. ************************ ry. | ||