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Ummm...a "two-drum donkey engine?" Please explain, for us ignorant folks. ?

Leif, Thanks for taking a look at that image, and placing arrows at the noted differences. During this mystery-car identification project, not only did I learn the differences between the Autocar and this one identified as a Reading...I also learned that the effort of turning page by page by page through the STANDARD CATALOG looking for images of similar vehicles is too large of a task for me! That's why I didn't find any similar vehicles beyond the "A" pages of the alphabetical listings! Cheers!!

I am NOT an expert on these early makes. But I find them fascinating. In an earlier response, I suggested Autocar. I had noticed a similar-looking vehicle on page 85 of the Standard Catalog. Fenders very similar, front and rear. Radiator similar, with full-eliptic springs. Hub caps similar size, radiator similar shape. The Autocar shown in that photo seems to have an enamel style radiator emblem at top, which is different, and headlights are different. But I ASSUME that there were often small differences like this throughout a model year for many manufacturers. Again, I am not trying to argue that this is the car...I'm just offering to try and help.

Love it.

I used to do some artwork and ad placement for Evans. As they explained it to me, their stuff can survive hotter conditions than water can. They explained that, when an engine overheats in a specific spot, that spot becomes so hot that a "bubble" of gasses forms around that spot, which then makes the problem worse. They said that the Evans coolant won't do that, so if a spot gets too hot, the coolant will stay in contact with it, providing more effective cooling. They also told me that engines are actually a bit more efficient at higher temperatures than what water can tolerate. IF I understood them correctly, the whole idea of the Evans coolant was to allow the engine to run hotter without experiencing problems. I'm no engineer...just reporting what I recall them telling me. PS: I ran Evans coolant in my 4 cylinder Hupmobile for a couple years, with no troubles. But then, this old Hupp has never had a problem with any kind of overheating...even in slow parades on hot days.

Reminds me of an Autocar, but I cannot find many photos of examples.

Rear quarter panel emblems for full size 59 Ford Custom 300, possibly other models.

Well said, Gungeey. The only fly-in-the-ointment, from my perspective, is insurance. I seem to recall that Massachusetts has "no-fault" car insurance laws, so maybe things are different there. But here in Ohio, if someone else smashes into your car, their insurance company is likely to argue that SINCE your older car was being driven regularly as transportation, then it was in fact a "used car." Then they refer to the Blue Book value guide, which no longer lists cars of a certain age. Thus, these companies claim that your car was nothing more than an old used car, and offer you several hundred dollars as a settlement. Ask me how I know.

Awesome pix, Xander!!!!!

That's what I've been trying to communicate, Ol'Yeller! Well said!!

That's great experience and advice for all of us. Thanks, Curti!

Good for you, Keiser. Looks like a fun driver. I had a ball all those years ago in my Model A. But it wasn't my only car, and I wasn't forced to drive it under all conditions, which made life easier for me.

Well, I hate to give up my secret "honey hole," but I would like to keep this thread going for a while, if I can. In Mt Sterling, Ohio (just south of Columbus, along I-71) is located Warner's Salvage Yard. They have cars all the way back to the early 30's. Most everything is REALLY rusty. And, the owner is very, very religious, and will not tolerate foul language, etc. Seriously. Contact info: Warner's Salvage, 13501 OH-56, Mt Sterling, OH 43143, Phone: (740) 869-3532 No time for many photos tonight, but here are a few:

Yeah. Again, I just chose an example of the kind of thing we all hear now and then. We know that many, many "exceptions" to production line "rules" must exist. But unless you can find a way to prove its authenticity, no one will believe it. I have no opinion on whether there was ever an exceptional Plymouth made in 1957, with a hemi engine. Just an example. Even so, I think it is unwise to use the words "Always," and "Never," so quickly, when talking about what happened on assembly lines. And this is especially true for cars which were produced simultaneously in multiple plants, on multiple shifts, over a long production season.

There is an old salvage yard near me that still has thousands of vintage hubcaps in an old barn. Most are 1940's through the 60's, but you occasionally find others. In the past, I have rooted through there and found the best examples possible...usually good enough to polish and repaint and use...although not "perfect." There must be lots of old yard with old caps in them, I would have thought?

When I was a young construction worker in the mid 1970's, I drove a 1930 Model A Ford 2-door sedan to work every day, year round. It was an older restoration, with 2nd quality paint, incorrect corduroy interior, and a roof which really needed replacing (NOT a mint Model A). I loved showing up on a snow-covered job site back then, and seeing the astonished faces of other guys there. Admittedly, I was younger and tougher back then, for sure. However, insurance can be quite an important factor with driving vintage cars on a daily basis. I had a friend who used to drive a cream-puff older car to work daily. Then one day it was totalled in an auto accident. The other driver was at fault. That driver's insurance company insisting on paying only the Blue Book value on that "used car," which was very little at the time. He fought the issue in court, and got a settlement that was only a fraction better than the original offer. But that extra money was lost in attorney fees. His car was gone, and he was left with almost nothing to show for it. Contact your insurance agent, and get some answers about various potential claims in writing. Of course you can buy "stated value" insurance for collector cars, but there are often limits on how many miles you can drive per year, and/or whether or not it can be driven daily to work. I'm sure there are lots of different opinions on this, and lots of different situations from state-to-state with auto insurance. Just make sure you know the plusses and minuses of any decision you make. Or, just get regular insurance, and take your chances. But beware that daily driving is what wore out most of those other '71 Riviera's, which have already disappeared---even from most salvage yards today. Rust happens inevitably. Dents and dings will show up from unseen encounters in parking lots. That original 1971 seat upholstery is weaker now than it was when it was "young," so it will fray, crack, and tear more easily than before. Diecast metal will pit, plastic components will get brittle, and road pebbles will chip the hood and front fenders. And don't forget that fender-benders are a part of life for cars which are driven as daily transportation. After a year or so, pristine, well-preserved looks will be fading away. If you're cool with all that, then good for you. It's your car. Enjoy!

Today, if someone were to say to me that they had found evidence of an original factory-installed hemi engine in a 1957 Plymouth, for example, I would probably reply something, "Wow, if that's true, it flies in the face of what expert restorers and historians of that marque say on the matter. It would be very interesting to see that evidence, and even more interesting for the experts to review that information." I might go on to add that, "Unless that evidence, is iron-clad, it's going to be nearly impossible to get folks to believe it." But I would not likely say, "They NEVER did that!" By the way, I just chose that example to demonstrate how I have learned to respond to claims special cars which are very hard to believe. I have no dog in that particular race.

Not yet ready to sell at this time. I have long threatened to scan all my aftermarket parts catalogs, and sell copies of that info on disc. We shall see...

One thing I learned years ago, during the time when I was publishing CAMARO CORRAL magazine and writing books for Amos Press (CARS & PARTS magazine). Never say "never" about mass produced factory cars. I clearly recall the time when all the experts agreed that they had NEVER made a first gen Z28 Camaro convertible. Then I heard rumors from a reliable source that one had been made, special order for a GM exec. Later the car surfaced, complete with documentation and provenance. It was built on the assembly line along side other "regular" Camaro cars, under a Central Office Production Order. Today the Camaro experts that I know agree that this car is real, and the old "they-never-made-one" rule was incorrect. When they were shutting down the GM Norwood Assembly Plant near Cincinnati, Ohio (one of only two plants which manufactured Camaro and Firebird cars back then), I obtained permission to visit there every day for the last two weeks of its existence. The plant manager gave wide permission to many managers and employees there to spend time giving me special tours, sharing memories and information, and even offering me some terrific memorabilia. I had several meetings with guys who were by then "lame duck" employees, about to lose their jobs. I asked questions of entire groups of soon-to-be-retired guys who had been there back in the day. I was amazed and astonished at the history they revealed. After that experience, I came way down on off my "high-horse" position of telling people what they "always" did, or "never did" on an assembly line. I'm not criticizing folks who have strong beliefs about such things. But when you sit through lots of discussions with formerly powerful retired execs and assembly line workers who have "been there, done that," you can't help but realize how there must have been thousands of exceptions to every hard-and-fast rule anyone wants to make about production line vehicles.

Quick check this morning, when I really should be working (LOL). The "D" part number prefix appears to be for exhaust valves. Your number D597 and D761 are exhaust valves for Buicks. Number D597 shows up as far back as 1931, and the newest listing is 1940 series 60, 70, 80, & 90. Your number D761 is first listed for a 1934 Buick, and the last listing in this catalog is 1940, series 40 & 50. The "V" part number prefix is for intake valves. I found a listing for your part number V 664 for a Waukesha motor model number 6SRK Most of your other "V" part numbers on your list appear to be too new for the Permite catalog I found. I have lots of old parts catalogs; only some of which are on my Numbered Library List. So I can do some more looking around for you, as time allows. One problem with the Permite catalog I found is that it has only an "Applications" listing (which lists the car by model and year, and then shows the part numbers which fit it.). For the purposes of identifying lots of old part numbers, it is much more effective to have a "Numerical" listing, which lists the part numbers first, and then shows all the applications for that part number. Using this catalog, I was forced to review every page of the entire engine section, scanning the numbers listed there for the numbers on your list. I'm going to be pretty busy the next two weeks, with an event on Oct 5-7 which I must prepare for and operate. Once it is past, I can try to review my library again for part number books which may be helpful to you. If you haven't heard from me by the middle of October, please remind me. Cheers!

Mark, I'll agree to try and help. But there are LOTS of parts in a REO engine. Perhaps your friend could supply a few specific parts, and I'll check my catalogs for part numbers? By the way, Kanter Auto Products, in Boonton, NJ, has a MASSIVE inventory of vintage and obsolete engine parts in their warehouse. I suggest that your friend may want to call them. I am in NO WAY affiliated with them, by the way. Their phone number is 800-526-1096.

I found a 1940 Permite catalog, although it has only "Applications" listings...no "Numerical" listing. I also have a later Sterling Pistons catalog, which has a cross reference to competitive brand piston numbers, including Zollner. Why don't you send me a list of 4 or 5 part numbers from each product line, and I'll try to find those numbers in these catalogs? Maybe that will tell us how useful these catalogs might be for your inventory. If these aren't very helpful, I'll do some more digging.

I have hundreds of vintage catalogs of aftermarket auto parts. I used to make photocopies and offer them on eBay, but it got too time consuming. So now they are packed away in boxes. Don't recall the Zollner brand name, but I do think I have Permite stuff. If not, I have other catalogs with cross-reference listings. Give me a few days, and I'll do some digging.

I watched this old film last week with my wife and cousin, and we enjoyed parts of it. The cars were certainly cool. But I have to admit, in spite of the fact that my family always loved Red Skelton back in the day, movies have come a LONG way since then. Whew.

To each his own. Been driving antiques and hot rods for nearly years. NEVER seen any legal problem with modifying cars for more horsepower, greater performance, and with many models you can achieve greater fuel mileage too...if that is what you crave. Manufacturers are forced to make vehicles which please ALL kinds of customers all at the same time, so everything on the car has to be compromised. Not too stiff while cornering for grandma, and yet must provide good handling in the curves, etc, etc. It's your car...build it to please yourself. My only advice is while a 71 Riviera makes a wonderful, classy cruiser...it's not an easy platform to make a hot rod out of. In MY opinion it's better to "go with the flow," and make the Riviera better at being the kind of car it was designed to be. There are far too many other cars out there which are better choices for hot rodding.