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).
Technical report detailing faults with a front bumper bar and the steel pannel bodywork of a vehicle.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 83\4\ scan0036 | |
| Date | 3rd November 1935 guessed | |
| ( 7 ) FRONT BUMPER BAR. The Front Bumper Bar came adrift from the attachment to the dumb iron of the Offside at a mileage of 2,500, letting the Bar drop. The Bar got under the Offside front wheel. The speed of the car had just been checked and although the wheel skidded, the car was pulled up without damage. With a car capable of 100 MPH. with a Bumper Bar that falls off, requires a design which should be a 100% job. The present design is not so. In the first place, the piece of steel which forms a nut inside the dumb iron, has to be filed to obtain a straight pull for the stud, is faulty, and can if not fitted correctly place a strain on the stud. The method of locking this piece or nut, is, in our opinion worthless. To expect a 3/32" taper pin to withstand the shearing force when using a 1/2 inch spanner is inconceivable. The fault lies in the design not allowing sufficient margin for discrepancies that may occur in the thickness of the Bumper Bar. In this case there has not been sufficient length of thread for the nut holding the bumper bar, to the dumb iron. The nut had come up to the end of the thread and further tightening up, sheared the locking pin of the nut inside the dumb iron. There are no means of ascertaining whether this damage has been done there, the bumper bar is left with a false security. We have not re-fitted the Bar. The amount of increase of movement of headlamps and wings is very little more without the fitting of the bar. BODY WORK. STEEL PANNEL BODY BY PARK WARD. The Body Work is in a good condition. There is no sign of cracks in the scuttle, wings or Body roof. The doors are free and do not appear to have dropped. No rattle has developed from the doors or windows. It has been rain proof. The Sliding roof rattles at the rear. The Rear wings have been battered by stones. The inside of the rear compartment got into a very dirty state which was eventually found to be coming through the floor ventilators. These were stopped up. The rear luggage hinged pannel rattled. The fasteners supplied by the Coach-Builders are of poor manufacture. The cam action wears, screws worked loose, one catch finally jammed. The inside of the luggage compartment got into a filthy condition, and does so after each day's run. The Body is bad for wind noise, chiefly from the Indicator slots. The bracket for holding the scuttle on the offside was loose on the frame and the body bolt had broken off close to the bracket. Two bottom bolts had been left out by the Body Fitters also their two bolts holding their swiveling bracket on to the frame bracket had been put in at an angle, with the result that the bolts could not possibly pull on to the heads square. It is a very poor job. WEIGHT OF CAR...............32 cwt. 2 qrs. 2 lbs. OIL USED IN ENGINE..........Mobiloil. "D" Special. AVERAGE CONSUMPTION. OIL...713 MPG. PETROL...12.9 MPG. AVERAGE SPEED...............49.8 MPH. TYRES USED. India Super Special 5.50 x 18 Pressure 30lbs. Average Mileage. Front.10.668 Rear.4.500 G.W.H. | ||