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).
Competitor analysis, focusing on Packard crankshafts, rear-engined car designs, and rear axle configurations.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 173\4\ img218 | |
| Date | 5th November 1935 guessed | |
| (sheet 8) at least one flanged bearing, but there seems a possibility that the strips can be flanged out, as is being done in one case. We have brought back a drawing of the Packard crankshaft (V.12) for comparison of stiffness etc. with our own. On this engine they use copper lead bearings in the connecting rod big ends with .0015" clearance. The journal bearings are, and always have been, babbit. (14) Car Arrangement. Everyone was said to be interested in rear engine cars, but actually we only came across one car, and obtained some information about a second car in process of construction both of Briggs Bodies. A more particular description is given in another report. Zephyr was intended to be a rear engined car, but at the last minute Mr Ford got nervous. Mr Tjaarda of Briggs says the engine must be in front of the rear axle or the car becomes unsteerable, and in consequence the seating accommodation is limited on a given wheelbase. He says, however, that with a streamlined body the space occupied by the engine cannot be utilised for passengers in any case because of head room, and thus no actual loss of accommodation takes place. In the car we saw six people had been provided for on a 125" wheelbase by seating 3 on each seat. The second car has detail modification as to the front suspension and engine arrangement. There seems to be a lot of work to do on this type of car. It seems unlikely that one will appear for some time yet. Front drive did not seem to be attracting any one. The tendency is to push the engine more forward still and bring up the rear seats. We saw at Briggs Bodies models of future cars showing this, wider bodies seating 3 per seat seemed also to be favoured. Rear Axles. (15) The banjo axle is still the most popular type, but both G.M. and Packards were of the opinion that the straddle mounted pinion was to be preferred to the overhang type, and could quote figures in support. Packards professed themselves perfectly happy with their 2" offset hypoids. They thought we should find the gears easier to make and quieter with this offset instead of our own of much less amount. They denied any trouble with the increased sliding. We at one time ran a 2" offset gear on EAC.7 | ||