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).
The failure of an off-side front hub ball race on a Buick.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 125\3\ scan0147 | |
| Date | 21th March 1940 | |
| 1049 To Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/AA.{D. Abbot-Anderson}6/B.21.3.40. Re: The Buick. As you know, I was using this car last week and was held up due to the collapse of the outside ball race of the off-side front hub. At the time of the failure the speedometer was reading 9651 miles. The failure was apparently due to the collapse of one of the balls. There was no indication of overloading as the tracks were in excellent condition. I attempted to push the cage back into shape - it was split in one place - so as to proceed to a garage but was only able to get about another mile further. After I had obtained a new ball race from the Service Station in London, I found upon dismantling the hub once again, that the ball cage had split in another place as well and on this occasion the locking washer was damaged. I fitted a new race and proceeded to a garage where I welded the tongue on to the locking washer. The collapse occurred at about 20 m.p.h. on a right-hand corner in a very twisty road. No doubt you have now seen the faulty race which was left in your office. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/AA.{D. Abbot-Anderson} | ||