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).
Clearance issues with a new three-bladed wiper and suggesting alternative experimental chassis for testing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 167\5\ img179 | |
| Date | 12th October 1936 | |
| S/W. Copy to Ev{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} (signature) F.{Mr Friese} DODD. Please note WST. Hn.{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders}8/MK.12.10.36. & OHS. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} (signature) Three-Bladed Berkshire Wiper. Your Ref: Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wst.7/JH.10.10.36. Park Ward found there will be insufficient clearance between the front edge of the steering wheel and the screen glass for the inside blade of the new wiper. This was feared when you first talked of trying a three-bladed wiper on 38-EX. *Colonel Defries of the Houdaille Hydraulic Suspension Co. Ltd. personally went out to Park Ward's works at our request to investigate the matter and he was very doubtful then whether it would be possible to accommodate the inside blade, or rather whether there would be sufficient clearance in front of the steering wheel for the driver's fingers to clear the blade as it travels across the glass. When they received the wiper, Park Ward found this to be the case. Of course, to increase the clearance would have meant re-building the entire front of the body, a very costly procedure. We still feel that your test of the standard two-bladed wiper will be a useful one to us as we are not infrequently asked for information about the Berkshire wiper and we recommend that the three-bladed wiper should be tried out on the further experimental body which Park Ward are about to lay down for the Wraith II chassis, No. 24.G.6. If you agree, it is essential that Park Ward should be notified at once so they may allow sufficient clearance in front of the steering wheel. Alternatively, you might like the three-bladed wiper to be tried on the body it is proposed that Barkers should build for an experimental P.III chassis. Handwritten note: Wst EV{Ivan Evernden - coachwork} has suggested 24-9-6. in a memo to Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Hc/B Hn.{F. C. Honeyman - Retail orders}✓ | ||