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).
Pivot changeover and the development of water excluders to fix brake judders on Bentley cars.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 84\2\ scan0271 | |
| Date | 22th January 1935 | |
| To Wor.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} from Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} +206 ROOT Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}5/KW. 22.1.35. Pivot Changeover for Bentley. Replying to Wor{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager}20/R.{Sir Henry Royce} 21.1.35. Answering your queries in order - (1) We have now completed our tests on the new water excluders. We have handed a sketch of the parts required to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer}, who is preparing a design. (2 & 3) This depends upon when the design is finished. Tools for the pressings will be required, but RHC.{R. H. Coverley - Production Engineer} considers that these will not be very elaborate, and could be made in two or three days. (4) We should say that this largely depends upon the type of front wing that is fitted. With the Panhard type of front wing which is now standard on the Saloon Bentley, black would probably be quite satisfactory. Apart from these detailed points there is the question of whether we ought to rush in with a new water excluder on all cars without having run any road tests. The complaints we are hoping to cure by this modification are of low speed judders after the car has been washed, and brakes ineffective after the car has been washed. After talking to the Repair Dept. and Kingsbury it would appear that the total number of complaints of wet judders which have been recorded is about 30. The complaints of ineffective brakes are rather more numerous, but in almost every case the owner has now accepted the fact that he has to be careful after the car has been washed, and no longer worries about it. From our point of view the wet judders complaints are the ones which worry us because they may lead to fatigue of the pivot. We therefore recommend that we should go ahead as hard as we can to produce 30 or 40 sets of the new water excluder, and at the same time continue our road tests. In the meantime, the customers who have definitely complained of wet judders should not have their pivots changed until the water excluders are ready. | ||