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).
Suggestions for bonnet anti-rattle packing and a new thief-proof locking system.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 66\3\ scan0021 | |
| Date | 2nd December 1919 | |
| Contd. -3- The mechanism has never been known to give trouble or develop wear through non-attention to these grease cups. Some form of oilless bearing was suggested. (It was proposed in the afternoon conference that the bearings could be of a fairly self-lubricating material like Morganite or white metal. But in any case, to prevent rust it was thought well to pack the shafts with vaseline or heavy oil during assembly, and to arrange a screwed plug in the end of each shaft through which it could be loaded with vaseline when the car was taken down at the service station. A similar plug to that used on the brake equalizer shafts was suggested as suitable). X.3421 Anti-rattling packing for the bonnet. Strips of fabric, sample of which I am taking to England, are habitually fitted at the service station, after the car has been run for a few months, to prevent the bonnet rattles which develop, through wear occurring between the bonnet and the shoulders on the radiator and dashboard which support it. The fitting of these strips (which are universally used on cars over here) is found to be effective in stopping bonnet rattles. It was thought that some such arrangement should be incorporated in the bonnet design. Making the car thief-proof. It was considered quite undesirable to abandon the present steering-column switch, as this is such a characteristic feature of the car. It was believed that the best protection would be a spring-lock on each panel of the bonnet and an ignition-cancelling switch in the instrument board, all three using the same key. The key could only be withdrawn from the instrument board switch when the switch was open, and the bonnet could not be opened without the key, since the lock would click shut, as the panel was lowered into place. This system is already used on a larger number of the better class cars, with the only difference that the instrument board switch is the only ignition switch on the car. A switch such as is required is used by the Delco people on their standard ignition control box for the instrument board. I am taking a sample of this control box to England. In the case of the Delco the key also locks the lamp switch. It is used for the bonnet locks, also. Thus the car cannot be driven nor the lamps interfered with unless this key is used. Contd. | ||