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).
Steering rocker shaft issues in Phantom III vehicles, including a list of affected chassis.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 153\1\ scan0290 | |
| Date | 2nd May 1939 | |
| For RM{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} COPY TO BELGIUM CLOUD To Rolls-Royce Ltd. Derby............Dy.{F R Danby} Copy to Dy{F R Danby}/SB.{Mr Bull/Mr Bannister} Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} GMN.(K) 1300. Levallois Sr/VA.2/ET.2.5.39 Re: PHANTOM III - STEERING ROCKER SHAFTS ------------------------------------ With reference to Dy{F R Danby}/SB.{Mr Bull/Mr Bannister}7/MG.25.4.39, we have to-day removed the pendulum lever from the steering rocking shaft of chassis 3.AZ.208 (Sedlitz) and find it to be intact. The above is the only Phantom III car which has been sent to us for attention since receiving your memo. As requested by you, we will examine cars as they become available and report to you upon our findings. Apart from the above we have, as you are aware, had to attend to a number of Phantom III steering columns, owing to the failure of the early type cam bearing races and we think that we can safely say that, should the splines of the rocker shaft have been twisted, we should have noticed it, as we did in two particular cases, because since the first case we came across of a twisted shaft, we have always made a point of examining rocker shafts for twist. For your guidance the following is a list of Phantom III cars attended to up to date for excessive slackness in the steering column": Date : Chassis N° : Mileage : Report N° : Remarks. 3.11.37 : 3.BU. 94 : 5.828 : P-20 : Failure of cam bearing races. 18. 5.38 : 3.CM. 83 : 3.783 : P-78 : D° 23. 5.38 : 3.BT.{Capt. J. S. Burt - Engineer} 3 : 17.398 : P-87 : D° 30. 6.38 : 3.CP. 88 : 6.171 : P-94 : D° : : : : Rocker shaft found to be twisted. 25. 7.38 : 3.AZ.212 : 26.675 : P-102 : Failure of cam bearing races. 22.8.38 : 3.BT.{Capt. J. S. Burt - Engineer} 9 : 11.805 : P-108 : D° 5. 9.38 : 3.AX.201 : 12.150 : P-111 : D° 7.11.38 : 3.CM. 83 : 14.226 : P-118 : Failure of latest type cam bearing races. | ||