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 Goshawk-11 model's road test, detailing weather conditions, a puncture, and an investigation into steering lever inclination.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 46\2\ Scan104 | |
| Date | 4th April 1922 | |
| COPY. X4086 EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} from HY.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} Laval, April 4. 1922. 5-Goshawk-11. On April 1st. car covered 355 miles and on April 2nd. 258 miles. On this day the weather was very bad, pouring with rain all day and the roads very heavy and running with water. Had one nail puncture. On April 3rd. covered 258 miles again. Weather very bad again. Gale blowing. Near side rear tyre cut through by sharp stone. Have today received telegram from R.{Sir Henry Royce} saying he is almost certain we are mistaken re. bent steering levers and that they are at their natural inclination. We have this morning taken dwon the cross sterring tube and carefully measured the incline on the cross steering lever ball ends and find that the slope on the odd side one is .156" in 2" and the near side one .125" in 2". The ball ends are also looking backwards slightly but this may be due to the tilt of the axle. I have with me two arrangement drawings obtained from BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} before leaving. One is of the old front axle and is numbered F.50208 and the other is of the new front axle as fitted to the latest cars and is numbered N.scheme 999. The old drawing shews the cross lever spheres to be inclined inward and measures on the drawing .078" slope in the length of 2". The new drawing, however, shews the ball pieces to be vertical in the front elevation. Will you please let me know by return what position the ball ends really were in when new. I have taken it that they were as the latest drawing supplied to me N.999. The new levers which you have despatched have not yet arrived or I should be able to compare them with those now fitted. To test the off side lever we disconnected the near side end of the cross tube and found that when the joint was adjusted up that we had to spring the tube to bring it up to the level of the other ball end and that the fitting on the end of the tube which carries the contact pieces had been bearing hard on the neck of the ball piece and had worn into it slightly the load being taken partly on the neck and partly on the ball. If this lever was ever fitted up properly it has certainly bent in use although it is possible that it may have been incorrectly made in the first place. Hy.{Tom Haldenby - Plant Engineer} | ||