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 supplier investigating complaints about noisy speedometer flexible drives.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 165\4\ img313 | |
| Date | 21th May 1935 | |
| 86051 The A.T. SPEEDOMETER Co., Ltd. MAGNETIC SPEEDOMETERS & MOTOR CLOCKS. REVOLUTION INDICATORS FOR MOTOR CARS, MOTOR BOATS, AND ENGINES, MILEAGE RECORDERS, ETC. DIRECTORS. W. Henderson-Cleland. A.{Mr Adams} Gordon Smith. H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Buckland. CHRONOS WORKS, NORTH CIRCULAR ROAD, LONDON, N.W.2. Telephone: GLADSTONE 1136 (4 Lines). Telegrams: Aytespeedo, Crickle, London. ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO THE COMPANY. YOUR REF. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Wst.4/MA. PLEASE QUOTE OUR REF. HRB/B. WST 21st May, 1935. Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., Derby. Dear Sirs, On receipt of your esteemed favour of the 17th inst. I immediately investigated this question of noisy Speedometer Flexible Drive. I quite agree that every now and again, we get a complaint which indicates noisy flexibles, but it is rather surprising, on looking into our records, to find that during the period of twelve months ending 18th inst., we have only received 43 specific complaints of noisy cables. This covers all three chassis models. We have noted here that on a considerable proportion of these flexibles, it is obvious that the flexes have been lying in stock in an unused condition for some considerable time, and this occasions the lubricant to become solidified, so that, when the flexible is fitted up to a car, noise results. We are thinking in particular of one batch of returns of 9 flexes on the 16th April last, your Replacement Order No. R.8004, which were definitely from nine to eighteen months old. The new types of flex end will undoubtedly reduce the trouble of noise by xxxxxxxxxx centring the drive as far as the Speedometer end is concerned. | ||