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).
Technical observations from a visit to the Lagonda Works.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 128\1\ scan0284 | |
| Date | 8th November 1937 | |
| By.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} c. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} 1104 1204 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls}2/AP.8.11.37. LAGONDAS. During this week-end we paid a brief visit to the Lagonda Works. We discovered one or two rather interesting points. (1) Their frame, which they buy from John Thompsons, with the cross welded in position and the centre of the cross a welded construction, costs them £9. 10. 0. (2) On the new 12 cylinder car they have forged Duralumin rear spring anchor brackets. As Lagondas have done this all along, they are not frightened of it and obviously save weight thereby. (3) They have changed from Girling to Lockheed brakes because of the uncertainty with the former as to which front brake will do more work and, hence, which way the car will pull. (4) They are using a servo spring like our clutch servo on the brake pedal to neutralise exactly the pull-off spring in the drums. This certainly contributes to light actuation and might be worth trying on Bentley 50. (5) The Factory cost of their four speed gearbox with synchromesh on three gears is £55. 0. 0. The synchromesh is of the Rolls-Royce type, the inside cones being made of Duralumin, grooved by a 4-start thread about .075 deep and wide. (6) They are having considerable trouble with their torsion bars which they have to re-set after a few hundred miles on the road. Cook, who is now at Vauxhalls, says they have had similar trouble until they managed to get an exact Brinell figure for the bars, after which they could take out all permanent set by six applications of an 8% overload. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} | ||