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).
Recommending the scrapping of Cadillac gears for the Phantom III gearbox after testing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 125\1\ scan0322 | |
| Date | 12th January 1937 | |
| 1052 Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry{Shadwell Grylls}11/R.12.1.37. CADILLAC GEARS - P.III GEARBOX. The original suggestion to try the coarse pitch gears came from the Experimental Dept. as a copy of American practice. In the early experimental days with very few gears to choose from, experimental boxes were quieter with Cadillac gears than R.R. gears. We suggested that 50 sets should be tried on production. After trying 12 boxes, Mx.{John H Maddocks - Chief Proving Officer} says that the slight advantages of quieter side-shafts and less 2nd speed whine were outweighed by the increased chunking. Since then the Works have been able to make R.R. gears as good for noise as the Cadillac ones. We now know from road and dynamometer testing that the increased loads of the Cadillac gears are likely to give trouble. The nuts retaining the shaft locating bearings become loose. In view of this, we recommend scrapping the £112's worth of Cadillac gears. Among this scrap there is not enough for one complete gearbox. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} | ||