We bought our 77 Royale 2 years ago and have been working on it and
monitoring/using all the excellent ideas and experiences on this great list.
Last weekend, I had to quit foolin' with it and take it on the road, as I
had been transferred from south-central Oklahoma to sunny Tucson, a trip of
about 950 miles. I changed all the fluids to Mobile One, put on new front
tires (E's of course), filled the tanks with High Test and my pockets with
the cookie jar money and hit the road. I took the scenic southern route so
half the trip was mountainous (from Turkey Texas, Home of Bob Wills, to Las
Cruses, NM) and half reasonably flat (I-10 from Las Cruses to Tucson). The
old girl used a half quart of 20-50 Mobil One and fuel consumption was 10.8
mpg (US) on the best leg and about 10.2 on the worst. Speed averaged 62-65
on I-10 and considerably less on the twisty parts. The holding tanks were
less than 1/4 full and the load light, but I was pulling a 1200 lb. toad
(street legal sand rail). I learned that the 20-50 oil is probably too
heavy and I'll change to 10-40 even if it means using another brand of
synthetic. Also, I had changed the thermostat to a Robert Shaw 160 degree
and I'm very please with that change. With the new NAPA temp sender, my
temp indicated 1/4 up on the scale as opposed to mid scale with the 195
degree thermostat. The hottest I saw was a needle width less than mid scale
when climbing out of Ruidosa, NM at 50 mph in high gear. I wouldn't
recommend it for colder climes, though. All-in-all, it was uneventful and a
lot of fun. She's a blast to drive. Thanks to all for the wealth of
knowledge and to Patrick for making this forum available to us.
Gordon & Mary
77 Royale
monitoring/using all the excellent ideas and experiences on this great list.
Last weekend, I had to quit foolin' with it and take it on the road, as I
had been transferred from south-central Oklahoma to sunny Tucson, a trip of
about 950 miles. I changed all the fluids to Mobile One, put on new front
tires (E's of course), filled the tanks with High Test and my pockets with
the cookie jar money and hit the road. I took the scenic southern route so
half the trip was mountainous (from Turkey Texas, Home of Bob Wills, to Las
Cruses, NM) and half reasonably flat (I-10 from Las Cruses to Tucson). The
old girl used a half quart of 20-50 Mobil One and fuel consumption was 10.8
mpg (US) on the best leg and about 10.2 on the worst. Speed averaged 62-65
on I-10 and considerably less on the twisty parts. The holding tanks were
less than 1/4 full and the load light, but I was pulling a 1200 lb. toad
(street legal sand rail). I learned that the 20-50 oil is probably too
heavy and I'll change to 10-40 even if it means using another brand of
synthetic. Also, I had changed the thermostat to a Robert Shaw 160 degree
and I'm very please with that change. With the new NAPA temp sender, my
temp indicated 1/4 up on the scale as opposed to mid scale with the 195
degree thermostat. The hottest I saw was a needle width less than mid scale
when climbing out of Ruidosa, NM at 50 mph in high gear. I wouldn't
recommend it for colder climes, though. All-in-all, it was uneventful and a
lot of fun. She's a blast to drive. Thanks to all for the wealth of
knowledge and to Patrick for making this forum available to us.
Gordon & Mary
77 Royale
