1913 REO

[Mike Mahar]

1913 REO as is pictures.

          Yea, I bought the 1913 REO, it cried out to me, so I bought it.  Vehicle was stored in Chivington's, Marion Ohio, auto sales showroom till sometime in the 60's.   Then in a barn!  I saw  the REO in Craiglist ad and it called out to me!    Has some earlier repairs and modification, also all the brass was taken off the car at some time, lights, gas generator, etc.  Two guys from Marion sold it to me; one was into antique motorcycles and the other had a collection of tractors.   Then bought at an estate sale.  

           And like a lot or "restores", I am looking for a few parts.   My plan is to see if I can get it to run and hopefully I don't need to pull the engine apart for babbitt and machining.   If you would like a photos of any particular item or detail that I didn't include, just ask.  I have already been in contact with several AACA members and their in put and advise have been an engine saver!

           Currently; the Dixie 44 Magneto - what came with the vehicle - has been rebuilt and ready for installation.  The rocker arm roller have been removed and replaced.  The carburetor has been cleaned and needs seals/gaskets and reassembled / reinstalled.  So there is still a list of items to address before I even try to start this vehicle.  The rod cap bolts need to be inspected and possible replaced, oil pickup screen cleaned.  See if it will hold coolant .   So I am counting on all the old brass car guys to wisdom and experience to help me out with this project.     See attached,  Mike 

             

           

[Spinneyhill]

What a great find! I like the steering gear - I have not seen a steering box without the box before!

[Gary W]

That is an AWESOME vehicle!!  Good Luck with it!!

Congrats

[Luv2Wrench]

WOW, that is an awesome car!!!   Please post your progress and let us go along on your journey!

 

[GARY F]

Great car and seems to be all there. What is the second bar under the clutch and brake for?   Like all the pictures also.

[jan arnett (2)]

Looks like it is mostly there.  I love the engine.  Take plenty of pictures.

[pacerman]

You're gonna be thinking about that car while you try to fall asleep each night, I think.  

 

[PFindlay]

On 11/5/2017 at 1:48 PM, GARY F said:

Great car and seems to be all there. What is the second bar under the clutch and brake for?   Like all the pictures also.

 

Each pedal has a ratchet that allows you to lock it in the down position.  Why?  To lock the brakes on.  There is no hand brake.  Instead, each pedal is a brake pedal. 

 

The service brake (external bands) is under the clutch pedal.  This takes a little getting used to - if you depress the clutch all the way while shifting you will brake.  Also, if you don't apply the pedal with the forward part of your foot, the pedal will lock down.  Once you get used to it, though, it's a really nice system.   When you're sitting at a light you can just lock the pedal down.  (As if there were any lights back in 1913.)  And the gearbox is suburb on those cars.

 

The brake pedal activates the "parking" brake.  It is the internal brake on the rear wheels and not as good as the external.  When you park the car, you lock down both pedals and it's not going anywhere.

 

Great car!

 

Peter

[cxgvd]

Good luck with your project.  We have a fellow in our HHCA region in Ontario who has and wrenches on a 1913 REO.  His family restored the car in the '50's, he acquired the car and re restored it and drives it regularly.  Send me a message and I will get you his contact information.  Good guy, we toured in a nine day, 700 mile tour recently and the REO performed well.  Gary 

[OldsmoREO]

Congrats on the 13, I have a 1912 Touring, it has been a very enjoyable automobile to own and tour. 

 

Please let let me know if I can help in any way. 

 

Neil 

[hursst]

Fantastic find.  Looking forward to seeing your progress.

[PFindlay]

Mike and other REO enthusiasts,

 

We have just launched the Four Cylinder REO Group on Groups.io.  Anyone who owns or is interested in these cars is welcome to join.  There is no charge and it will connect you with others who are excellent sources of knowledge, parts, or just good old opinions!

 

visit https://groups.io/g/REOfour  and click the JOIN button.

 

Peter Findlay, REOfour moderator

Edited May 5, 2020 by PFindlay
new link, moved to groups.io (see edit history)

[Mike Mahar]

 

It's alive! 

      After spending fifty some years in a barn the REO runs again.  One of nice things about being retired is you have time for a project like this.  Still have a list of engine issues but I know it runs and don’t think it needs babbit work or major machining.   This car has only twenty-eight thousand miles on it. 

         Well, here’s the list of what it took to get it to run; some of the repair where per good advice from fellow AACA member’s.   

1.      Replaced all the rocker arm roller with Delrin plastic, I think it had Phenolic, the rollers are not metal. 

2.      Reset valve clearances, several times.  Intake .008” / Exhaust .010”

3.      Rebuilt the Dixie 44 magneto, the original was a Grey Davis generator/distributor/magneto.   The original wiring is still on the car!

4.      Made a new magneto support bracket.     The retro fitted one, when the Dixie Mag was installed had alignment issues.    See photo.

5.      Repaired the preheat intake tube (I am not sure what to name it) the internal copper tube had a split.  I assume it wasn’t drained properly one winter!  See photo.

6.      Rebuilt the Mag to engine coupling.  Another earlier repair!

 

7.       Removed and replaced the connecting rod bolts with grade 8 bolts.  Two of the connecting rods had excessive play, one over .100 (for you metric guy 4 mm).  That was a major failure waiting to happen!

 

8.      Rebuilt the carburetor, that still has issues.  Leaks and consistent float level.  I never had a carb where you can watch the float level. 

 

9.      Removed oil pan plugs and front to rear pan pipe.  Removed as much sludge as I could scrap out and made a new oil screen.   Now the pipe leaks a slow drip.  The plugs are some really chewed up brass.  See photo.

 

10.  Repaired the ignition wire tube and replaced all the wires.  See photo.  

[JV Puleo]

That's great work. I am really glad that it is in the hands of someone who is qualified to address the problems. One of the problems I see with a lot of brass cars is that people buy them thinking they will be like fixing a 50s or 60s car... they aren't and all too often the car gets dismantled and never goes back together.

 

Does your car have a one-piece camshaft or the type with the lobes keyed and pinned to the shaft? That is what my 10 REO had and the "professional" I took it to spot welded the cams to the shaft making it impossible to remove. At that point, I decided to teach myself to do ALL the mechanical work.

 

You might want to check the clearance between the plunger of the oil pump and the sleeve it runs it. The early cars had a steel plunger in a bronze housing... the later cars had a steel housing. My brass housing was quite worn from running dirty oil so I replaced it with a later steel one. If I'd known then what I know now, I'd just have made a new bronze housing but that was 40 years ago.

 

You are absolutely right on the rollers for the rocker arms... they were a red phenolic on my car, presumably to cut down on valve noise. They also wore out fairly quickly, especially if they got stuck and didn't rotate properly. I'm not sure how long the Delrin will last but certainly long enough to get it running well.

 

I wouldn't bother hooking up the connection between the exhaust pipe and the intake heater. That was to compensate for the terrible gas being sold in 1910. The cheapest gas available today will be far better. Preheating the intake is pointless and will actually rob you of some horsepower.

 

I may have some leftover bits and pieces... if I can find them you are welcome to them.

 

jp

Edited December 3, 2017 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[JV Puleo]

Another thought... I don't think you can get access to the double sump at the back. I'd think about rigging up some way to flush it out with kerosene, diesel oil or even mineral spirits.

(For those who have never seen one of these engines, there is no oil pan. It is what was called a "barrel casting." This made a very strong crankcase but the only access to the mains and rod bearings is through the ports on the side.)

 

Also, do you have a water pump with a bronze or brass cover mounted to aluminum? Again, that is what the earlier cars had and the aluminum part was very badly corroded. Today, I'd bead blast it and fill the surface with aluminum Devcon ... in those days I just put an iron one on from a later car. If and when you get to the water pump, I'd love to see some pictures of it dismantled. I will be making a water pump for my car and can't remember exactly what the REO pump looked like inside... but it might be a help.

Edited December 3, 2017 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[Sampson 35]

Nice old car, congratulations, have fun with it, restoring and driving

 

Regards Dave

[Paul Gockel]

Nice intake pipe. New brass pipe available from McMaster-Carr. that's where I got mine. How did you fasten and seal the flanges to the new pipe and to the aluminum jacket?

[mhsprecher]

Great car and excellent photos you have taken.  Good luck with it!