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).
Various vehicle issues including electrical, exhaust, chassis, and engine problems, along with driver logistics.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 11\2\ 02-page015 | |
| Date | 18th December 1928 guessed | |
| contd :- -2- 15 the lights for all night driving. There is not sufficient charge left in the accumulator after an all night's run to work the starter motor, this meaning when the starter motor switch was pressed, the lamps went down to a dim red. Would you please let us know which way the control brush has to be moved to give us a better output from the dynamo. The dynamo brushes are very noisy at times - this is one of the features which cannot be reproduced when you wish - it comes on erratically. The silencer pipe from manifolds to silencer is distorting very badly and is now on the verge of leaving the rear silencer. There does not seem to be enough length of pipe left inside to take care of the distortion of the pipe. We shall soon be in trouble with this joint. It must be realised that the downtake manifolds and the main exhaust pipe become almost white hot even when running at 60 m.p.h. for a length of time on these roads. We are still hitting the rear of the subframe as already reported to you, although the speed of the car is being slowed up for all the depressions etc. that we know of. It is not a severe bump, but apparently the channel of the subframe is weak and easily bent. We do not think there will be any danger of the front springs breaking, and up to the present moment there has been no sign of the front hitting the buffers. In fact the front of the car is riding very well, but for the short period of the jellying. The jellying of the front of the car is not at a definite period, it is all a question of road surface. We have had it as low as 40 m.p.h. On my run down here I found that the sweetest running of the car was 70 m.p.h. We have already reported to you the serious leak of oil from the rear crankshaft bearing. Will you please let us have either a drg. or information regarding this. I wrote to Paris asking Mr. Parsons for the loan of a driver, but unfortunately in his reply he says that it will be impossible for him to loan us any drivers. We shall therefore have to get them from Derby. Re. the 20 HP. car which we presume you are bringing out. It will be very advisable to bring it out under the R.A.C. because it will be necessary that the drivers have temporary licences. As far as I am aware, none of these men have a French driving licence. We cannot procure a licence for them under possibly a month. This means we should have the 20 HP. car driven by men with no driving licences. Will you please let us have your views on these matters as soon as possible. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/G.W.Hancock. | ||