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).
Design and layout of the instrument board for a new car programme, including a sketch.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 179b\1\ img153 | |
| Date | 10th November 1932 | |
| ORIGINAL FROM DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} C. to GG. WOR.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} BT.{Capt. J. S. Burt - Engineer} B. 3. INSTRUMENTS & BOARD. We have reconsidered the problem of the instruments and board for B. 3., as viewed in the light of the new programme. (1) We take it you will use a standard RR. switchbox. (2) The speedometer and tachometer cannot be on a board well up into the scuttle on a fast car such as this, as the driver cannot take his eyes off the road long enough to see them when travelling at 100 MPH. We suggest that these 2 instruments should form a separate patch, with interior lighting on the edge of the scuttle rail immediately in front of the driver, as on many sports cars. (3) The main instrument board and switchbox must be well up the scuttle to enable the driver's leg to pass between it and the central gear lever when he wants to get out on the near side, as he always does with an open car when the hood is up. [Sketch of a car dashboard layout] (4) We presume that we could then dispense with the framed patch and use a grouped system of separate instruments on the main board which, being well shielded from the driver's eyes, could have flood lighting from under the scuttle on its own separate switch. The instruments on the board we presume would be: (1)Clock, (2)Oil Pressure gauge, (3)Petrol gauge, (4)Water temperatur gauge, (5)Red Warning lamp, (5)Ammeter. (5) We think that the speedometer and tachometer on this car should read to 110 MPH, and should be at least the largest standard instruments - i.e. 4-7/8" dia. We are going to rig up an instrument board like this on one of the bodies at Park Wards, with a view to seeing what it will look like. We are approaching Messrs. Smith & Sons with a view to buying the speedometer and tachometer together in our oval patch complete with switch and interior light. DA{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}/EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} | ||