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).
Customer complaints regarding Bentley Chassis B.65-AE, including bonnet knock, vibration, and damper issues.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 3\6\ 06-page134 | |
| Date | 7th February 1934 | |
| To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} X6553 7.2.34. Re. Bentley Chassis B.65-AE. R.{Sir Henry Royce} Summers Esq. Visit to Mr. R.{Sir Henry Royce} Summers. Complaints made by Mr. Summers. He complained bitterly of bonnet knock and the result of damage to the scuttle by the ends of the bonnet knocking into it. The reason is, excessive clearance of the bonnet side plates at each side of the Radiator which allows the radiator to swivel and bump the bonnet. A design of rubber buffers should be got out to stop the swivelling movement of the radiator, but not the sideways movement. A complaint was also made of the side bonnet plates vibrating between the bonnet fasteners. To overcome this the Owner had fitted strips of felt approx. 3/16" thick 12 inches long along the bonnet rest on the chassis frame. This appeared to cure the vibration, and would be well worth while our copying. Front Wing and Head Lamp Movement. There was excessive movement of the Front wings and Head Lamps. We were able to reduce this movement 30% by tightening up the torque reaction dampers, but there was still considerable movement of the wings. The Owner having had a trial run on the open Bentley where the movement of the wings is practically nil, is sceptical why one car should be free and the other not. Spare Coil Bracket. The bracket is made in too thin a material and vibrates. The Owner has had one made in several gauges thicker material. Noisy Tappet. There was one outstanding tappet that could not be cured by adjusting the clearance. (The chief cause of noisy tappets after delivery is distortion of valve seats in the cylinder head). Hydraulic Dampers. The O.S. front damper had practically fallen off. The bottom bolt had disappeared. The working loose of the dampers on the frame can only occur through inadequately tightening the bolts up in the first place, or interference | ||