1931 REO Royale 11 mile Test drive, hit 50mph

Need to have the car to Tom's for 8/1 for pickup by Intercity. Going to do a dry run down and back on Monday. 70 miles.

Clutch pedal. Not noticeable driving but you can sure hear it in the video. Will be fixed today.

Like everything else Victor it is just practice. So far every car I have ever driven is easier to shift than my RR was.

The up shifts are easy if get to the right speed. Downshifting to second is still an adventure.

Travis, the standard Royale ratio is 4.07 with the optional being 3.77 on the Convertible Coupe and 3 window. I imagine my car has the 4.07 which is not a bad ratio. The gears go like this:

1st 3.12
2nd 2.10
3rd 1.25
4th 1.00 Direct.

So the bigger gap is between 2nd and 3rd.

That explains it, much taller final drive than I’m used to. My car would already be in direct drive by the time you got out of second. Strange transmission gaps on that trans. Almost seems like you probably could skip 3rd on level ground.

On level or slight decline you can skip first. Although that would explain why we had to remanufacture 2nd gear. Thing is if I don't catch first before I come to a stop I'm not gonna catch it. Hopefully I don't run into that stopping on a hill.

The 4.07 is a nice rear end for a 1931 car. Basically the same as Duesenberg open car rear ratio.

4.07 is a great gear for a prewar car. Especially one as big as this.

I imagine 50mph is nice and quiet with 4.07 gears.

Not to worry, it has been replaced every few weeks. But I know what you are talking about. 70 mile drive planned for Monday with the tape off and hubcaps on. Basically as the car is going on the trailer.

Cool. Sorry, that was just my micro-managing shop owner coming out.

Old school masking tape was the worst, especially if it got wet. You learn that lesson early.

You don't use anti-freeze?

Typically no. Distilled water, cutting oil for lubrication and no-rosion. I'm not a fan of anti-freeze, if you don't change it regularly it destroys the engine. It also runs hotter than water and I've had foaming issues with non pressurized systems.

How much cutting oil do you typically run in a system? I’m switching to water because I had constant foaming and coolant loss problems before. Doesn’t lose a drop on straight water. I have the cutting oil but haven’t added it yet because I wasn’t sure how much.

According to Ed 4 to 6 ounces with 6 being a lot. So that is what we did.

My Stearns runs cool with water on an 80 degree day and will border line overheat with a 50/50 mix on the same day. I've become very negative on anti-freeze and optima batteries. Neither of which were designed for prewar cars.

Aren't you in the North East? Do you worry about freezing?

Yes and no. It is stored in heated storage and we would need extended heat out and extended cold for there to be a problem and I would react to it. The real risk is transport in the cold. Hence the magnet that will go on the dash.

Thanks Steve!!!