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).
Letter discussing the design, manufacture, and costs of radiator stiffeners and shutter sets for a Bentley.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 150\3\ scan0280 | |
| Date | 15th December 1937 | |
| -3- 15th. December 1937. The stiffener which they have drawn provisionally (print enclosed herewith) has the tabs sweated to the flat portions of the vanes and not to the turned over portions. In their opinion and in the writer's also, this is a sounder job than the one which you show on your drawing A.97, although we have agreed that it would probably be desirable to make the stiffener in two separate pieces as on the sets already built. It is obviously desirable to use the same stiffener on both the existing Bentley radiator and on the new one in order to save toolcost, and it is therefore necessary to decide whether to revert to your type of stiffener on the new radiator or use the new type on the present radiator shutter sets which you will be making shortly. In order to settle this immediately we would like you to confirm that you have made no tools for the manufacture of this stiffener and also that you approve of the latest design, in our opinion it is cheaper and easier to fabricate. It does, however, necessitate that the shutter sections should adhere to that shown on drawing A.97, the shutters of the set which we are now returning appear to differ considerably from this section. We would also like you to confirm that this section (as A.97) will be adhered to. We should be greatly assisted and the completion of the new radiator would be very much quickened if you would ring the writer and let him have your comments on this stiffener question at the earliest possible moment. With regard to the returned shutter set, if you decide that this can be made a job of, we will send you a standard Bentley radiator and shell so that you can check the fit, gaps etc. before forwarding it to us. This can also be used as a final passing off jig for new assemblies. Referring to the scheme of mounting the shutters off a stepped pan instead of a second lower stiffener, we are drawing this scheme out at present and will let you know what conclusions we arrive at. One difficulty which crops up is that of finding room for the steps, the shutters are so close together that parts of them overlap, necessitating cut away of certain shutters to clear the rising ledge of the step. With regard to the questions of cost of the Bentley III radiator for which you wish to quote, you will recollect giving a very approximate and rough figure of what you thought this | ||