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).
Dashboard discrepancies on chassis GFT-102 with coachbuilder Park Ward.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 55\1\ Scan081 | |
| Date | 28th October 1931 | |
| -> S/W. (Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}) c. to Sft.{Mr Swift} c. to BP. c. to BY/Cgh.{W Clough} LID{A. J. Lidsey} x599 Secure HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} [RECEIVED STAMP] W GFT-102 - R's CAR. With reference to our telephone conversation of yesterday afternoon, the writer is sorry he was after all unable to get along to Park Ward's Works to look into the question of the reported discrepancies in the dashboard of this chassis as compared with the standard. However, the matter was thoroughly investigated this morning when we were able to compare the dashboard with Blue Print F-57938, kindly sent us by BY/Cgh{W Clough}, and found them to agree. We were also able to discuss the matter with Park Wards. We found they had made a very rough and ready comparison between the dashboard of GFT-102 and the dashboard of GFT-24 which happened to be in their Works. They assumed the dashboard of GFT-24 to be dead accurate, whereas we find that it is not so, but that on the contrary it is about 5/16ths of an inch low at one corner and about a 1/4 of an inch low at the other corner. This, combined with the crude methods adopted by Park Ward & Co. for making their comparison, was responsible for their report of the discrepancies in the dashboard of GFT-102. We have now made it quite clear to them that the dashboard of GFT-102 is correct and they are going ahead with the scuttle of their body to suit. Dealing now with GFT-24, there is no need for you to take any action because Park Wards have mounted a body and adapted their scuttle to suit the dashboard and are now in fact about to deliver the car to the customer. They claim, however, that it is not uncommon for them to find a dashboard to differ from the standard as shewn in the coachbuilder's drawings we furnish. This, of course, was the complaint made by many coachbuilders at one time, but we were under the impression you had taken steps to eliminate the possibility of anything but very minor variations. However, we are going into the matter further checking up dashboards of other chassis in London to see whether Park Wards are justified in their claim that variations are not uncommon, and will write you again on the subject shortly. | ||