New car in the stable - RP31

[scorp997]

Well I bit the bullet and picked up a project Royale RP31 this last weekend to replace my stolen RP16. The adventure now begins! Car will live in my VERY full garage until my friends fab shop completes their move.

car is in very rough shape but got it for a out what the mk9 gearbox would cost. Came with 2 sets of bodywork, one of which is decent, a spare new nose and some other bits (including the strange Van Diemen/Crossle body I posted questions about earlier)

car apparently was stored under a tarp in San Jose for a year and some of the raw steel doesn’t look that good but wire brushing took it back to a decent look. Will have my fab shop look over the parts and replace any suspect parts.

on the way home we were passing through Portland and decided to swing by Ivey and pull the engine for them to rebuild. Added a little time to the trip but it saves me a trip down when I did pull the engine. Jay and team are awesome and helped get it done quickly.

if anyone has spare or tips on this car, I’m all ears!

[TimH]

I hate to think what the condition of your old car is in by now, so you're ahead even if it were recovered.

[E1pix]

Not sure “Congratulations” fits, but hope the healing has begun.

[scorp997]

Thanks, I hate to think of it as well.. just had the Koni’s rebuilt, a new pan bonded and a pretty decent low hour Ivey motor, and new Avon A46s..... I’m sure the $700 new oil tank got them $3... what do you think. Nearly full box of gear sets get for scrap value?

[CTR28]

John, I'm sure that there are a bunch of us that wish you the best of luck on your project. I started following this from your first post and would even do an occasional Seattle Craigslist search for the car, trailer or the golf cart. I hope to meet you at PIR in a few weeks. ~ Michael

[scorp997]

Thank you for keeping your eyes open for me.. I also do the same searches every night..
this group is very supportive and one of the best on the internet

[billtebbutt]

That is one elegant front rocker design! It does put the shocks in harms way a bit I suppose, but I really like the look of it!
cheers,
bt

[TimH]

That is one elegant front rocker design! It does put the shocks in harms way a bit I suppose, but I really like the look of it!

More room for feet. No need for DB1 soccer shin guards.

[GreginCanada]

It looks a lot better than the RP33 I am attempting to rebuild. The 33's were supposed be a step forward , but several claim otherwise. Your front suspension looks very close to my RP33, but the rear is very different.
Hard to see where you can go wrong , bearing in mind you bought it for a very reasonable price. Keep us posted on the rebuild! There does not seem to be much " nuts and bolts " Royale coverage on the net.

[scorp997]

Yes, the front is similar, if not identical or the RP33. Your rear is inboard rocker where the upright is ‘inverted’ (wide base at top, narrow at bottom) but the upright may be the same part. Does it have the unusual bolt on extension on the rear upright? In my spares there is a longer “RP36” upright that looks geometrically the same as the smaller upright with extension..

i did get it for for a very reasonable price, but there is a lot to cleanup and replace.. will probably cost the same or more than a race ready car in the end. Good thing I like wrenching

It looks a lot better than the RP33 I am attempting to rebuild. The 33's were supposed be a step forward , but several claim otherwise. Your front suspension looks very close to my RP33, but the rear is very different.
Hard to see where you can go wrong , bearing in mind you bought it for a very reasonable price. Keep us posted on the rebuild! There does not seem to be much " nuts and bolts " Royale coverage on the net.

[GreginCanada]

No , mine does not have the extension. One of mine has been changed at some point. The replacement is older and Mag alloy , marked RP 21 24. The other one is aluminum and has a different number. RP27 if I recall correctly , , it's stashed away somewhere in the basement so I am going on memory.
Mine is a project I should have passed on. An interesting project, but it really was a parts car. Bit by bit it is slowly coming back to life.

[scorp997]

Today was cleanup day, stripped all the stuff off that will be replaced.. fit the bodywork as well, car is looking much better. Properly fitting the nose is going to be a bitch!

[TimH]

Nose looks fine to me. Maybe a little tape on the gap...

[scorp997]

Nose is resting on a roll of tape! The capture channel on the frame was missing

[ric baribeault]

Congratulations. They’re incredibly well designed for the time. The only issue I had with mine was acclimating to how low I sat in the car vs the Lola 342 i was driving previously. I could barely see the top of the front tire.

[scorp997]

The cowl height is something that is definitely different than my old car!

[jhaley]

It's a pretty car. The side pods look like a Zink.