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).
Letter from a piston manufacturer discussing the inability to find a suitable stock piston and proposing a custom design.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 148\1\ scan0303 | |
| Date | 27th December 1940 | |
| MANUFACTURERS OF ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO THE COMPANY & NOT TO INDIVIDUALS "HEPOLITE" REGD PRODUCTS ON AIR MINISTRY APPROVED LIST . ADMIRALTY . WAR OFFICE . CROWN AGENTS TELEGRAMS AND CABLES 'RINGS, BRADFORD' CODE: BENTLEY'S TELEPHONE: 11100 (6 LINES) HEPWORTH & GRANDAGE LTD PISTONS . PISTON RINGS . GUDGEON PINS . LINERS ST.{Capt. P. R. Strong} JOHN'S WORKS BRADFORD LONDON SERVICE DEPOT 78, YORK WAY, KINGS CROSS, N.1. TELEPHONE: TERMINUS 8737 (3 LINES) TELEGRAMS: VACHIT, NORDO, LONDON MIDLAND SERVICE DEPOT 120, SNOW HILL, BIRMINGHAM TELEPHONE: CENTRAL 1371/2 TELEGRAMS: HEPLEX, BIRMINGHAM SCOTTISH SERVICE DEPOT 75, MITCHELL STREET, GLASGOW TELEPHONE: CENTRAL 1748/9 TELEGRAMS: HEPOLITE, GLASGOW WESTERN SERVICE DEPOT 27, REDCLIFF STREET, BRISTOL, I. TELEPHONE: BRISTOL 21277/8 TELEGRAMS: HEPO, BRISTOL YOUR REF. OUR REF. WAW/JS.{Mr Johnson's Secretary} DATE 27th December, 1940. PLEASE REPLY TO: LONDON OFFICE, SENTINEL HOUSE, TELEPHONE NO: HOLBORN 9200. 46, SOUTHAMPTON ROW, W.C.1. Mr. Salt, Messrs. Rolls Royce Ltd., Chassis Experimental Department, BELPHER, Derbyshire, Dear Sir, Referring to our previous letter to the effect that we were searching our records with a view to finding a piston of somewhat similar dimensions to that as fitted to your own car type, we would advise that we have now completed a lengthy search. Unfortunately we have not been successful in locating a design of sufficiently near dimensions as would enable a rationalised comparison to be made with the weight of your existing piston. Thanks to the laws of contrariness it was our finding that when a piston was located which would have been suitable as an example for calculating weight comparisons, it was invariably of a varying type to your own - as you will appreciate when one is looking only for weight difference of perhaps two ounces any differences which can only be approximated and not exactly calculated make the example useless. We should like to suggest another plan for this, namely that if you will send us drawings of the particular piston in which you are interested we will then make up a design embodying the lightest sections at various points as taken from other makes of pistons of about the same bore size and engine performance. Hypothetically if the 3.1/4" Chrysler showed the lightest crown section and that one of the Dodge range uses the lightest gudgeon pin bosses, these would be the dimensions which we would use and so on throughout the piston. After submitting the design to you we would then be perfectly willing to make up such a piston and fully machine in order that the direct comparison would be available. Handwritten: File Pistons general 125/6 | ||