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).
Improvements for car instruments, instrument boards, and petrol gauges.
| Identifier | WestWitteringFiles\O\January1926-March1926\ Scan139 | |
| Date | 16th March 1926 | |
| HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}) TO BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer}) FROM R.{Sir Henry Royce} DA.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}) (At Le CanadelHenry Royce's French residence.) C. to CJ. BJ. LHS.{Lord Herbert Scott} E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} RG.{Mr Rowledge} PN.{Mr Northey} WOR.{Arthur Wormald - General Works Manager} ORIGINAL PHANTOM & INDIA. INSTRUMENTS ETC. (Handwritten: X5530 V3896 X8530 V8490) INSTRUMENTS. I am very pleased with these on 7-EX., also with the cream white face and black hands. Cannot we get these moving towards adoption? INSTRUMENT BOARD. I am still of my old opinion that the instrument board should be carried by the dash, and not by the scuttle. We should continue to have the face board removable from the front so that it can be of suitable wood or metal to agree with the decoration of the body. It might be considered that we could use an aluminium permanent board which could be covered by the coachbuilder in wood or metal, or polished. Personally I prefer wood as a finish. PETROL GAUGE. (Handwritten: V3896) There is a serious (though small) error in the petrol gauges, that is, the glass face depends for its clearance upon the washer underneath it. This is quite unreliable; it distorts, gets out of place, and the glass is screwed down so that the indicator is worse than useless. In seeking for a suitable washer a pair of copper asbestos ones were fitted which seem to be quite satisfactory, but the gauge should be made sufficiently clear not to depend upon the washer. Also exactly suitable copper asbestos washers should be tried, and something adopted at once as the fault is absurdly chronic and inexcusable. I pointed out that always the finger should revolve clockwise while filling, and it seems also downright stupid to have a face and hand so near the same colour. Make a black hand and white or creamlike face (vitrious enamel.) There is no need to wait to improve this gauge as suggested here; it is so bad now, and can do no harm to alter. The filler should be at once of the larger pattern, and the small present standard ones should be fitted with the air escape near the top. (Handwritten: V8490) The remarks yesterday about the cutout are urgent, and the stops should be fitted to all, especially those with bronze or aluminium body. This stop may not be necessary if all the parts have the same co-efficient of expansion. I think it would be better to use rivets only to secure the disc. The screws cannot be got out after riveting. We corrected our cutout by squeezing the casting in the vice. R.{Sir Henry Royce} | ||