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).
Examination of car shock dampers, detailing issues with valve holes, connecting links, and steering.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 5a\3\ 03-page016 | |
| Date | 24th August 1931 | |
| X5840 To Mr. From G.H.H. Hotel de France, Chateauroux, FRANCE. 24/8/31. 12.C.IV. We held the car up yesterday to make a general examination, and attend to the shock dampers. I was given to understand that there were no holes in any of the valves fitted to these dampers. We found, however, that the rear dampers had three holes drilled in the H.P. valves, and therefore have blocked these up. The front dampers, upon checking up, we found that the N.S. felt very light, whilst the O.S. was OK. Upon dismantling the front dampers, we found to our astonishment that the E.S. damper had two holes in the H.P. valve, whilst the O.S. damper had no holes in the H.P. valve. It is my surmise that this condition has been accidental and not purposely fitted up with these conditions, and we therefore have blocked up the holes in the E.S. valve of the E.S. shock damper. I should very much like to draw your attention to the spring loaded rear shock damper connecting links. The present design is an impractical job in production and will lead to a number of troubles if left as at present designed. In the first place, to erect the spring loaded connecting links, it either requires two men on the job or a tool will have to be devised for the erection. The reason being that the spring is too long and the load is too great to compress sufficiently to start the screw of the bottom pad. The spring has to be compressed to enable the bottom pad to be screwed into the link. Another very bad feature, and which we found had happened in our case, in erecting the connecting links the plunger when passing through the asbestos grommet had torn the grommet up and blocked up the oil-way. It is impossible to prevent this with the present design as the stem or plunger of the bottom contact comes out of the guide at the top, and it is blindly fitted during the erection of the connecting link as mentioned in the first part of the report. We had to make new asbestos packings and trust to luck that we had not again blocked up the oil passage. I enclose a rough sketch showing the position as reported. AS-HS.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} A.S.Roberts returned here yesterday having finished with P.T., and handed the car over to the Sales Officials and Mr. From Robert's remarks, P.T. was generally satisfied with the car but however took strong objection to the steering. G.H.Hancock. J.H. | ||