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).
Investigating a customer complaint about rust on a 20 HP chassis, caused by fitting untreated steel parts instead of sheradized ones.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 56\3\ Scan138 | |
| Date | 20th June 1923 | |
| X4272 eft. c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} BY/27/H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} 20. 6. 23. ------------------------ 20. HP. CHASSIS. RE SHERADIZED PARTS. ----------------------------------- Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} has been down to W.W. and R.{Sir Henry Royce} complained bitterly to him about the amount of rust on his car. The parts pointed out to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} that were causing the rust were the fittings on the undersheet, and he informed R.{Sir Henry Royce} that he could not understand it as all the parts were supposed to be sheradized to prevent rusting. When Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} informed me of R's complaint, I was so certain that the sheradized parts were being fitted that I took him into the Erecting Bay to verify this, but to my astonishment I found we are still fitting the steel parts that have not been sheradized. I made enquiries why this was being done and was told that there were no complete sets of sheradized parts in the Stores, therefore they have continued fitting the untreated parts. I consider this procedure to be absolutely wrong as we issued instructions on the 12th January in our memo BY/TWD{T. W. D???Aeith}3/GMK. 12. 1. 23. that the parts were to be sent for sheradizing as soon as possible so that no delay would be caused in fitting. There are at present in the Stores 50 sets of sheradized parts with the exception of a few small bits, and these have been lying there for a matter of three months without being drawn upon. Will you please look up this matter immediately and let me know why the sheradized parts have not been used, as I want to write and give R.{Sir Henry Royce} an explanation. We attach for your information a complete list of parts that should be sheradized. BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} | ||