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).
Fully floating axles, engine slow running, body design modeling, and spring interleaves.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 173\4\ img219 | |
| Date | 5th November 1935 guessed | |
| (sheet 9) without experiencing any trouble. Increased offset, if it can be safely used, has very useful features. Our fully floating axle gives more slacks than the semi-floating or three-quarter floating type which are universal in the U.S.A, but it is doubtful whether this is sufficient reason for making this rather radical departure in design. (16) Engine Slow Running. We got some information on this which may be useful. But American cars do not get very good slow running as a rule, and are apparently content with what they get, the noise insulation preventing the idling noise being noticeable. (17) Body Design. All the firms make scale models of future body designs, which include the bonnet and radiator grille, but Briggs especially go to very great trouble and expense in model making. A small scale model is made exactly to size and from this a full size model in wood and clay is constructed and finished off as to paint work, exactly like a finished car. Subsequently a full sized wooden model is made which can be sat in, so as to get seating position, steering, cushions etc. as required. These models are used to make the full sized drawings for the body makers. The drawings are made on aluminum sheets, which have been covered with white paint. The alum avoids shrinking and the drawing can be painted out if no longer required. They have no panel beaters in America, and for any sheet metal work, even the simplest, they have to make formers. (18) Spring Interleaves. Chrysler Corporation have done a good deal of work on this, but I was only able to speak to their Mr Trevor Frances on the telephone. He said they had tried oilite but found difficulty in guiding. They got the best results from interleaves made by the John T. Weston Corporation of Philadelphia, and those by the Thompson Corporation of Akron, the latter being the impregnated paper type which squeaked on Olley's car. Frances, however, was positive they were quite quiet on Chrysler. They also tried Bakelite with good but | ||