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).
Proposal to resolve a piston supply crisis for post-war chassis caused by a moulders' strike.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 77\3\ scan0027 | |
| Date | 8th November 1919 | |
| R.R. 235a (500 T) (S.D.408. 26-4-17.) Bm. 2/156/13. COPY. To-R.R. from CJ. Copy-to-BJ. WGR. Bn.{W.O. Bentley / Mr Barrington} GT. PN.{Mr Northey} H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} Gx. BP. Re Post-War Chassis. X.3437 If it were not for the moulders' strike, we should have endeavoured to overcome the present piston crisis by not allowing any further chassis to leave the works until they had been fitted with split pistons. To adopt this course would mean dislocation of the works, the discharge or suspension of many hands and some hundred or more chassis, which are now ready for delivery, would be lying at the works and some hundred or more bodies would be lying at coachbuilders and we should have a hundred or more disgruntled customers waiting for their cars. It behoves us, therefore, to find a middle road out of this crisis. It is, therefore, proposed:- 1. That the first split pistons should be substituted in the 20 or more engines which have been delivered with pistons which have been condemned, inasmuch as they are not up to the 2-LW standard. NOTE: The 2-LW standard is the standard of the engine which was exhibited to us here on an open body having a square end. We tried this engine from cold on the lift and, although there were knocks at the outset, these knocks disappeared as the engine heated up. When the engine was heated up, it was not an engine which was so silent that you had to stoop down to find out whether the engine was turning or not but it was felt that it was an engine which would not seriously damage the reputation of the R.R. engine for exquisite approach to silence. 2. The next lot of split pistons are to be fitted to the chassis at the works which at present have not satisfactory pistons of the 2-LW type or have no pistons at all. 3. Any surplus over and above the split pistons required under Clause 1 and the split pistons required to meet the Works production of chassis (see Clause 2) are to go to the coachbuilders fitted in cylinders in which they have been tested at the Works and these pistons and cylinders will replace the pistons and cylinders of engines at coachbuilders | ||