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).
Correspondence regarding water boiling issues on Chassis No. 16-IM and the fitting of a new, deeper radiator.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 24\4\ Scan140 | |
| Date | 12th August 1924 | |
| S/W. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}15/EM/12.8.24. Re. Chassis No. 16-IM. Nicholls for Ubertalli. Referring to EP{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer}/HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}4/T8.8.24 and BY/FM1/K11.8.24, Mr. Nicholls was able to meet Mr. Ubertalli when in Lyons during the Grand Prix. As the result, he has persuaded Mr. Ubertalli to send his Car over to England at the earliest possible date. When P.N. was over there, he met Mr. Ubertalli who complained very bitterly to him in regard to his water boiling troubles. We note that the only thing you can suggest is to supply the Customer with a radiator having a matrix 1 1/2" deeper than the one at present fitted. B.J. agrees to this being done, but P.N. is very doubtful whether this alteration alone is going to overcome this Customer's trouble. We understand that P.N. also suffered very severely from water boiling on the Car he used in France. Will you please do whatever is necessary to put the new radiator on order forthwith. When you receive the Car, we presume you will examine it in conjunction with R's recent memo - R2/M8.8.24. addressed to HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}, as there may be things on the Car such as number plates, or lamps, obstructing the flow of air to the radiator. In view of the fact that practically all 40/50-HP R.R. Cars boil under mountain climbing conditions on the Continent in the summer, we were rather surprised to note that when you had the opportunity of making the radiator deeper by reason of the fact that it was specified to be higher, you did not take advantage of increasing the radiator's surface. We were under the impression that this was always being done and we are rather surprised to note that on Mr. Ubertalli's Chassis the radiator had merely been lifted up about 2" leaving a space at the bottom. B.J. would like to know whether the position of the fan is altered when the radiator is raised. When you have fitted the new radiator to Mr. Ubertalli's Car and done whatever is in your opinion advisable to overcome the troubles, B.J. wishes you to arrange for a competent man from the Works to go out with the Car and hand it over to Mr. Ubertalli and demonstrate to him that the water boiling trouble he complained of has been remedied, and bring Car back if not O.K., in which event it will be thrown on our hands. | ||