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).
Comparison of American and English chassis manufacturing, focusing on rigidity and its impact on bodywork.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 125\1\ scan0154 | |
| Date | 23th January 1935 guessed | |
| -2- rattle, at the same time giving more clearance on the other side which will allow water to creep in. Also, due to flexing of chassis, the front body brackets and centre body brackets are sometimes the cause of the sunshine roof becoming tight and again leaking, due as stated before, to the corresponding twisting of the body. I believe the American method of chassis manu-facturers is far in advance of our own in two or three aspects. In the first place, if an American car producer has a new body design, he immediately appeals to his coach-builder to build a body to fit to his new chassis and the coachbuilder tests same and carries out experiments. From these he is able to see any chassis distortion and he immediately tells the chassis manufacturer that he re-quires a strengthening cross bar in a certain position on the chassis. Again, the American chassis are much wider than ours, giving less overhang from the main body support to the extreme outside edge of the body. Thirdly, I believe their chassis members are infinitely more rigid than the English chassis. Their bodies are invariably pressed steel or composite which ismainly steel with wood inserts, but they do not worry at all about clearances, and again, in some cases the bottom sides of the body are integral with the chassis, being the same member (Morris). For instance, their doors have a good 5/16" clearance round the shuts. To prevent rain and draught entering they insert a special piece of rubber of a section moulded to fit the aperture, which it is impossible for us to obtain in this country, and it is also unsightly. We have had a unique experience recently in fitting Enclosed Limousines and Landaulettes on the new 25-HP. Daimler chassis. From our Service records it is outstanding that we have never had a Park-Ward Daimler body back for adjustments to doors or running boards or windscreens. This proves to a certain extent our theory as regards chassis flexing. In the 40/50 and 20/25 Rolls-Royce chassis deflection or whippiness is not so pronounced, therefore, our troubles are not as great as in the case of the Bentley chassis which we know is much more flexible. On the Daimler which appears to be a much stronger and more rigid chassis, no trouble is experienced. | ||