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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).
Construction and rattling issues of Bentley bodies, with recommendations for improvement.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 84\1\  scan0259
Date  25th April 1934
  
X204

W/S.

To C. from EV.{Ivan Evernden - coachwork}

c. Gen. Wks. M.{Mr Moon / Mr Moore} Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} Bx.
Hm.{Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs}

re Bentley Bodies.

With reference to your memo C.A/C.23.4.34 concerning the construction of the Bentley bodies, I have not replied at once because the answer needed further investigation.

I agree that so far nobody has been able to show me a complaint concerning the weakness of the structure of any of the Bentley bodies.

I did not say that I had examined the Trials Coupe about which there had been complaints of rattles but that Messrs. Park Ward Co/Ld. had tried the car and were prepared to assert that none of the complaints concerned the structure of the body, the rattles emanating from the fittings.

In view of the very marvellous results in durability, silence and freedom from rattle which the Americans are achieving I would recommend that we should go as far as is possible in the same direction by utilising sheet metal wheel arches in the bottom side, sheet metal floor and sheet metal wells for the feet, together with cast Alpex centre and screen pillars.

Even with the sheet metal bottom sides and wheel arch on the experimental Bentleys after a long mileage (somewhere about 75,000) our bodies are developing rattles. The mileage which has been put up on customers cars so far is relatively small and that of the trials cars, though greater, is not a safe index inasmuch as the cars receive constant attention whilst their journeys are mostly on good roads.

We think that the estimated cost of 44/10/- per body quite cheap especially when one considers what one gets for it.
  
  


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