Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
3/25/24 9:52 a.m.

My disgust with new cars and all that they entail has had me perusing Marketplace and CL looking at old cars. More of a daydream than a serious search. I needed another vehicle like Carter needed more peanuts.

But then this thing popped up on Marketplace, trades only. It wasn't just another Ford A or T, which intrigued me since I love something different. He was only wanting pre-1950s cars but on a whim, I sent a reply offering a trade for the Bentley. The Bently was a dream car of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it but it is every bit as complicated as any new car on the market and worse than some. I was willing to trade it for something from a simpler time. 

A little bit of back and forth and we agreed to meet about halfway to take a look-see. Naturally, it was pouring rain Saturday morning but the meet was still on. I had planned to tow the REO back to town so I hooked up a trailer, loaded up my eldest son and eldest grandson, and with my middle son driving the Bentley, we headed south to the Walmart parking lot in Beaufort SC. The trip down was uneventful and we parked in an empty spot on the outskirts of the WM parking lot and waited for the REO to show up.

For some reason, I assumed the REO would show up on a trailer. Travel from where the owner lived in Bluffton SC to the meet was about 45 miles. Rain had been coming down like a cow pissing on a flat rock most of the night and morning but about 10 minutes after we arrived at the Walmart, here comes the REO. He had driven it those 45 miles, at 45 mph, with manual wipers, no defrost, and rear-only drum brakes. I was pretty much instantly sold when I saw it rolling down the road. I prefer a well-loved driver over a trailer queen even with the bumps and scratches of daily life. One of my issues with driving the Bentley was the fear of scratching the damn near perfect original paint. The REO doesn't have that problem. 

So we showed each other what we had and closed the deal. Paperwork signed, I loaded the REO on the trailer and we headed back to town. It was about 80 miles back to my house. That's farther than I wanted to drive a car that is different from anything I've ever owned before. 

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From there, we made a quick stop by my parent's house because my Father loves old cars and headed home. 

We unloaded the car, took it for a quick spin around the neighborhood, and put her in the shop. I have promised myself I'm finishing projects before starting another. The REO is going to stay in the shop for a while. The next on the list is the Falcon. 

I neglected to take many pictures, these are from the Marketplace ad. 

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So, that's where we stand at the moment. 

Where we go from here is up in the air. Part of me wants to restore it from the ground up. Part of me wants to leave it like it is and just drive it. What will probably happen is something in between. 

I'll leave you with this. 

 

johndej
johndej UltraDork
3/25/24 10:01 a.m.

This is going to make for some great vicarious enjoyment! I'd love to have one of my own but will follow along with your prewar/brass era action!

Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter)
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
3/25/24 10:21 a.m.

In reply to Toyman! :

Leave it as-is, drive & enjoy it. If you reach a point where you're not enjoying driving it, make a determination then. 

Besides, I imagine letting this one sit unused is the quickest way for it to turn into a project. 

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
3/25/24 10:23 a.m.

That's a fabulous car, congratulations.

I wouldn't restore it. Survivor cars are being appreciated a lot more these days. If anything, a good mechanical freshening is all it would need.

That's a Schebler updraft on there, they have an interesting air door arrangement which operates variable jets inside. Similar principle to Quadrajet carbs. They work well when they're tuned right.

If you need anything, I have some literature on the components used in those cars.

Looking forward to following along on your adventure.

Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
3/25/24 10:59 a.m.

In reply to ShawnG :

The only known mechanical issues are a water leak at the upper coolant manifold and a slight oil leak at a fitting on one of the exterior oil lines. There are some imperfections in the coolant manifold casting and apparently, the parts are NLA. At a guess, the problem was caused by electrolysis because of the aluminum manifold and the cast iron and brass parts in the cooling system. I'll probably pull the manifold and see what I can do to repair it, either by welding to fill the imperfections and re-machining or filling with something. I've always wanted to learn aluminum casting. Maybe I'll give that a shot. 

At the moment it looks to have zero antifreeze in it. I will probably drain and refill the system just to give it some corrosion protection. 

The PO just replaced a fiber cam drive gear so it has new gaskets on the oil pan and timing cover. When he was searching for the cam gear, he found a lady on the west coast who had 3 of them so he bought all 3. 

RevRico
RevRico MegaDork
3/25/24 11:05 a.m.

I wanna be like Toyman when I grow up. Nice ride, doubly so since it actually runs and goes.

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
3/25/24 11:14 a.m.

In reply to Toyman! :

We've had good luck sealing porous old castings with a product called "kwik poly". Using it would ruin any chance of welding though.

We had a lot of trouble with conventional 50/50 antifreeze and water foaming up and boiling over in these old non-pressurized cooling systems. 

We tried Evans, it's junk. It ran too hot and still foamed. Then you're stuck trying to find Evans coolant for a refill.

We ended up running 100% glycol antifreeze. It worked great, cooled well, didn't foam, didn't corrode parts and if you had to refill on a tour, every store has it and water still works fine too.

The oil lines should be an easy fix, it's probably just off-the-shelf brass and copper fittings.

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
3/25/24 11:16 a.m.

Also, sign up for the AACA and CCCA forums. You'll find lots of help there.

If someone decides to have some parts made, they'll usually post about it and you can get in on a group buy. Saves some $$$ and lets you buy parts for a rainy day.

Piguin
Piguin Reader
3/25/24 12:51 p.m.
Toyman! said:

 I prefer a well-loved driver over a trailer queen even with the bumps and scratches of daily life. One of my issues with driving the Bentley was the fear of scratching the damn near perfect original paint. The REO doesn't have that problem. 

Part of me wants to restore it from the ground up.

Contradiction is strong in this one.

Joke's aside, amazing car. My knowledge on them is nil, so I'll just happily follow along.

And I'd vote for fixing what is needed to keep it a driver, as this was the allure of it in the first place.

Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
3/25/24 12:59 p.m.

In reply to Piguin :

I'm complicated : r/terriblefacebookmemes

 

Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
3/27/24 9:59 a.m.

I took the time yesterday afternoon to back the car out of the shop and clean it up some. While it was out, I shot a few pictures. 

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This is the only significant rust on the car. I'm not sure how I'm going to proceed with repairing it. 

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The start button is on the floor. An interesting tidbit, it has to be started in neutral with the clutch out. The starter is mounted on the transmission instead of the engine. 

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Just in case your 6-volt battery has died. I'm not sure I want to tangle with this thing. I have a 40s era two cylinder 12hp that will throw you across the yard if you aren't careful. 

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The upholstery is supposed to be original to the car. If so, it's in very good shape. The car is reported to have spent 20+ years stored in a warehouse. 

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I do like the suicide rear doors. 

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The instrument panel doesn't give much information. And yes, that says 80k miles. 

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Lots of grease fitting on this. This is the rear leaf spring shackles. 

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Glad to say the windshield wipers work perfectly.

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The PO just sanded these spokes and oiled them. He also blasted and painted the wheel. 

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The other side will need some TLC.

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Headlight switch on one side.

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Ignition switch on the other. 

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The temperature gage on this is actually in the radiator cap. The PO dropped it a while back and broke it. There is a company that makes the guts for it. I'll have to get this repaired. 

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The flywheel on this thing is huge compared to modern cars. 

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Engine oil level gauges aren't exactly new. Neither is the lack of a dipstick. 

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The gas gauge isn't conveniently located either. It's on the gas tank behind the spare. It does still work though. 

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The carburetor is an interesting design. It seems to work well. I'm a little concerned about the lack of an air filter. I may have to rig something up. 

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The PO let me keep the 1926 Ohio plate. I really hope the spare doesn't have any air in it. It may well explode if it does. 

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That's it for now. 

More to come as it happens. 

 

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
3/27/24 10:18 a.m.

Restoration Supply has Boyce Motometer parts.

It's just a thermometer and a gasket. You can rebuild the whole thing yourself in about half an hour.

You can even add the wings if you want.

Bare wood spokes look sexy but they're not period correct. Wood spokes were always painted. I like the wood look myself.

Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
3/27/24 10:30 a.m.

In reply to ShawnG :

Thanks. Don't be surprised if I ask you a bunch of questions.

Like what do you use for air cleaners on cars that are driven a lot?

I found the parts on Restoration Supply the other day. The repair looks pretty straightforward. 

This will never be a show car so any change I make will be to make me happy. There is zero chance I'll paint the spokes. 

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
3/27/24 12:03 p.m.

Those carbs pull air through a fitting on the bottom at idle and through the air door on top when the throttle is applied. 

I've never seen an air filter system for one of them. They never has one as far as I know.

I imagine most things big enough to worry about won't get sucked up into an updraft carb.

You may need to figure something out for this one.

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa MegaDork
3/27/24 12:15 p.m.

Build a sheet metal box around it and a panel filter?

Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
3/27/24 12:22 p.m.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

Yeah, maybe that, or maybe a simple sock filter with a drawstring. 

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