vintagerodshop Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Just posting for the interest of the board. 1933 Reo Royale at the Mecum auction this week. https://www.mecum.com/lot-detail/CA0815-219904/0/1933-REO-Royale-Sedan/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 The velour interior, obvious foam everywhere, and electric blue carpet really hurt the car, in my opinion. Royales are beautiful cars, from the outside this is no exception.....will be interesting to see where it bids.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Dave, if somebody knows what they are doing, can they replace the original springs with foam and make it identical? Is this just not a great job? I'll admit I can't tell but I'm not an upholstery guy. I know a nice sedan like this sold for around 70-80k a few years ago which is strong money for a body style like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 There's a big difference between how foam feels, and how the original springs with horsehair/cotton feel. I'm just guessing that this has foam in it, but it sure looks like it....just too stuffed and well rounded, a hard look to get with original materials. The problem with foam these days is longevity. A number of years ago, the Government banned a certain additive to foam, one which made it very stable, but also caused cancer in lab rats. Now, when you buy foam at a wholesale level, it's a decision between 8 year foam, 10 year foam, and so forth. No big deal with new furniture, as most of it ends up in the land fill in a few years anyway. Look under your Lazy Boy recliner, and you'll see it coming apart, little foam pieces, unless you have a great housekeeper. Again, no big deal with furniture, but with our old cars, 10 to 15 years goes by pretty quickly. Very nice car, but I've seen too many cars done with foam and JoAnn Fabric store materials, and it's just not right. I am somewhat of a purist, and will stay that way. If I see a car in person and talk to the owner, I'll never mention a criticism of foam and such, but on this site, with an auction car, I will.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 I'm sure it was a cost thing as this car was already well under water before they got to the interior. Thanks for the pointer on the issue with the foam. I'll keep that in mind if an upholster ever tries to convince me to toss the springs because it will be easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 I've seen it numerous times when asked to do trim work on a car. The fellow restoring the car will have sunk a ton of money in the restoration, and of course upholstery is usually the last item on the list. Then, when a rough estimate is made, oh no, that's too much. Not picking on Ford guys, but look at a lot of the Model T Fords out there. Beautiful paint, nice brass or nickel, and the interiors and tops look like they were thrown on from across the room. Same thing, all of a sudden the realization is that one is "in the bucket" with too much money in the car, and there has to be some upholstery put in and on. There's a hot rod company out there replacing coil springs with the zig-zag springs used in couches, then a big thick piece of foam over them. I don't do couches (except for my wife!), they only use 4 or 5 springs in the width of a bench car seat. My research showed that was way below the minimum suggested for couches. When I questioned them, they said I didn't know what I was talking about. Look under your couch, you won't see a zig-zag spring every two feet, they're much closer together, and a couch doesn't have to bounce down the road..... Use your original springs, and original materials, and you'll have a comfortable seat, one that will last another 50 years or more....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 This car sold for 100k which is a lot of money for a standard sedan of any make. Impressive. There is more discussion on this over on the Royale forum: http://reoroyale.freeforums.net/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 I looked on the Royale forum, but wasn't able to navigate to the discussion on this particular car, do you have a direct link? thanks, and yes, that sounds like all the money in the world for a Royale sedan..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 More like a couple of comments than a discussion but it is at the end of this thread. To a purist there are a number of minor issues going on with this car, but somebody spent a lot of money. http://reoroyale.freeforums.net/thread/31/8-35-sedan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Got it, thanks.....they mention the upholstery too, and one fellow thought it was a 50k car tops...interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now