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 heat in the rear compartments of 40/50 HP cars and a coachbuilder's proposed solutions.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 74\3\ scan0172 | |
| Date | 31th August 1926 | |
| X3908 S/W. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD}/Hn{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders}8/MH{M. Huckerby}31.8.26. Heat in Rear Compartments of 40/50 H.P. Cars. You will no doubt be interested to learn that following your recent report of your investigations into this trouble, we have circulated Coachbuilders recommending them to line the undersides of the rear floor, seat and heel boards with sheet asbestos. One Coachbuilder in acknowledging receipt of our letter writes as follows:- "Your letter of the 27th inst. on the above subject has been carefully considered by us, the more especially in view of the fact that our 40/50 H.P. Demonstration Cabriolet No.77-HC. suffers badly from the same trouble of the heat inside the car. On this car we made a particularly careful examination of the floorboards and they are a really tight, good fit everywhere, so that there is very little possibility of the heat actually penetrating the joints of the floor boards. It must be so great as to be transmitted through the floor board itself. It has occurred to the writer that it would be a much more satisfactory and simple method of keeping the heat away from the bodywork to put a sheet of fibre, cork lino, or other non-conducting material on top of the chassis frame so as to case this in, and that this could well be done before the body is mounted to the chassis. This would not only have the effect of interposing a non-conducting barrier between the silencer and the bottom of the body but would provide an air space between these two parts through which air would be continually passing and thus assist in keeping the floor of the body cool. We quite realise the objections would be, first, that it would render some of the greasers and the back axle inaccessible and, secondly, the frame would have to be drilled with a number of holes to hold the materials which would be much best fitted underneath the top web of the frame, so far as the body builder is concerned. PTO. | ||