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 Ethyl Export Corporation regarding the American motor car situation, including radiators, spark plugs, and overdrives.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 150\1\ scan0154 | |
| Date | 30th July 1936 | |
| CABLEGRAMS: ETHYLPORT, LONDON. TELEGRAMS: ETHYLPORT, SOWEST. X1282 ETHYL EXPORT CORPORATION Incorporated in the State of Delaware, U. S. A.{Mr Adams} with limited liability. THAMES HOUSE, MILLBANK LONDON, S.W.1 Head Office: 135 EAST 42ND STREET NEW YORK, U.S.A Telephone: VICTORIA 1441 30th July, 1936. W. A.{Mr Adams} Robotham Esq., Experimental Department, Messrs. Rolls-Royce Ltd., Nightingale Road, DERBY. Dear Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}, Many thanks for your letter of the 29th July, and I note that Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} is away. I am taking my holiday starting from the 7th August and will be away until the end of the month. As soon as I return, however, I would like to come up and have a talk with you on the motor car situation generally, and also as regards sparking plugs. I did not make a special report on the motor car situation, but I have gleaned one or two things which might be of interest. I did not see anything startling in this line except a rather nice chassis frame, of which Pearson has full details I believe. I also saw a very neat oil radiator which is being fitted on Packards, and this is manufactured by the Harrison Radiator Company, Lockport, N.Y. This job is hydrogen brazed throughout and will stand prodigious pressures. It also seems to be quite a good radiator. I had a letter from West yesterday asking me about spark plugs, and I am afraid we have not been very helpful to you on this because the mica plug is not used in the States for automobiles. However, I would appreciate it very much if you could send me some new and defective plugs, as suggested in my previous letter, in order that our laboratory can go into the matter more thoroughly. Have you tried some of the Champion spark plug types, because they appear to operate very well in a number of hot running engines in this country. I drove a number of cars, such as Chrysler and Cord, which are fitted with over drives, and this seems to be the thing to aim for where one has long stretches of straight road ahead. The Cord system is not in the nature of an automatic over drive but more in the form of a 4th speed. With reference to cadmium and also lead bronze bearings for automobile use; they have had trouble with the former type when the oil in | ||