Driving in the winter

[Old Henry]

I'm interested in what percentage of you DON'T put your cars "on ice" for the winter but actually drive them all winter on a regular basis and why some do and some don't. What say you? Here are a couple of photos of one of my favorite winter road trips to Manti Utah to stay in the bed and breakfast pictured for Valentines Day 18 months ago. I'd be interested to see some of your winter driving pictures.

[Grandadeo]

I drive my roadster all winter but under slightly different conditions. So I guess I don't count in your survey.

Lee

[oldford2]

We are in Massachusetts where the salt merchants have an "in" with the DPW. 1 inch of snow and they put down 1 inch of salt. So, our 46 is put up for the winter. But, we are heading to Florida for the winter and I hitch up with all the flat motor guys down there so I ride flatheads all winter. We drove our 46 to Nova Scotia this summer and would love to drive it to Florida, but, The wife has so much "stuff" she takes there would never be room for it. Maybe next year I will figure it out. John

[oldford2]

Nice roadster! Come across state first week in March and join the gathering, We have a couple of rods in the group. John

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by oldford2

We drove our 46 to Nova Scotia this summer.

Fantastic! Nova Scotia, and particulary Prince Edward Island, is a goal of ours. Long way from Utah but some day we're going to do it.

[Grandadeo]

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Originally Posted by Old Henry

Fantastic! Nova Scotia, and particulary Prince Edward Island, is a goal of ours. Long way from Utah but some day we're going to do it.

We drove, not in the roadster, through Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island a few years ago. Like driving back in time and really beautiful. Hum, think I'll plan a trip.

Lee

[Vic Piano]

When I lived in New York (Long Island) I drove my '53 Crestline Sunliner and '46 TuDor all year long. When I was in High School in the ‘60’s (also on L.I.), I drove/pushed a '48 Ford Tudor every day. Now, I live in Tampa and my only problem is which Flathead I’m going to drive today... I love Flatheads and driving them in Florida makes it even better.

[Frank The Plumber]

I'm trapped here in the salt and snow. No old ford all winter.

[gmc1941]

Had been driving my 30 Todor till the snow fell or no snow on the ground.

[Old Henry]

OK. I see that I must be more specific.
Come on now. Who's driving their cars in the SNOW?

[Displayman]

Living in northern Illiniois; we work on our cars in the winter.
Buy our parts on Ebay, Ford Barn or swap meets, meet fellow car guys for pizza & beers, parties etc.
Cars are kept our heated garage from Dec. thru March or so.
Too much salt on the roads.
Happy Turkey Day next week!

Bob- Hampshire, Illinois (50 miles west of Chicago)

[Lawson Cox]

In the winter of 93 our local regional group took a tour down to Andersonville, GA on an absolutely gorgeous day. We visited the prison museum and toured around that part of the state, and stayed in the beautifully renovated hotel there. We planned to stay till Sunday afternoon to return.

Well, as the weather is wont to do in Georgia, in the winter. on Friday night the "Blizzard of 93" hit the city of Atlanta and several miles south. It hit Andersonville, but not as bad.

Sunday morning the snow had pretty much melted in Andersonville, so we headed north to Atlanta and home. As we got further north the snow got deeper and deeper. Here we are, a bunch of old flatheads, coming up the expressway in the driving snow, all 8 inches of it. Folks were really staring at us with puzzled looks on their faces, wondering why we had those beautiful cars out on such a day as that.

We all made it home safe and sound, but snow and ice all over the cars. Quite an experience I must admit.

I submitted a picture to the V8 Times, showing how ice cycles had formed a beautiful starburst pattern all around the outside edge of the L F hubcap on my 39 Mercury coupe. I have not scanned it so can't post it here.

[Old Henry]

Lawson, I love that kind of "adventure" that you had. I seek them regularly. (My wife probably is not so hot on them but she comes along quietly.) Would like to see your winter photos.

[Old Redneck]

We don't get much snow here but I don't drive in the winter because of the salt.We have other toys we play with in the winter

[HOTRODPRIMER]

I drive my pickup through the winter but when we have ice and snow and the salt goes down I wait for the roads to clear up.

That kinds mess is for the daily drivers. HRP

[Steel 35]

Trucks not quite done but its close, its snowing now and NO, because it didn't come with a heater so I don't imagine the defrost will work that great either. And I like my two four wheel drives. but lack of snow & freezing weather, I plan to run the wheels off of it....guess i shouldn't be saying heater's are for girls now

[Lawson Cox]

Originally Posted by Old Henry

Lawson, I love that kind of "adventure" that you had. I seek them regularly. (My wife probably is not so hot on them but she comes along quietly.) Would like to see your winter photos.

Look at the V8 times in '93. The hubcap is the "parting shot" I am sure in probably the March/April issue.

[Pat/Ohio]

Old Henry...Normally, I would say NO, I don't drive my "old" cars in winter unless it is nice. Last month I drove my '32 Ford Sedan to St. George, UT, around 4500 miles round trip. As you can see in the first picture...It was a nice drive. Sunny and around 70 degrees or better. We decided to take the "Northern" route home...took in the sites at Bryce National Park etc. All was well until we got to Vail, CO. It began to SNOW!! The higher we got the harder it snowed. I only have one wiper and I didn't have my heater/defroster hooked up....only the AC! After we got to Denver, they closed I-70 West for a while. I was happy to get home and clean my car!



Approaching the Eisenhower Tunnel near Dillon, CO.

[Old Henry]

Pat, your pictures were wonderful and shocking. I thought for a minute that was my '47 Ford in two of the pictures. It must have been the 6 cylinder from the show that was also from Ohio I think. Were you traveling together?

Once again, great pictures. Especially with what looks just like my car in two of them.

[oldf1guy]

Sorry but my computer has a mind of it's own and has decided it's on strike as far as uploading pic's......but my 51 F1 feels the pavement here in N.C. no matter what it is doing out side. I am 59 and we don't get the snow we used to get when I was 16 years old and driving my 46 Ford Club Coupe. My heater and defrost work good, and my F1 is much more fun to drive than my newer vehicals. All I can say is IF YOU GOTEM DRIVEM! Just have to pay special attention to the Idiots that can't drive, and try to stay out of the traffic packs that develop.

[41panelmark]

I took my truck out several times last winter in the snow, had fun. The truck did well in the snow with the old stock tires and rims. I also drove around on what were a mix of dry and wet roads. I won't do that again. The snow was fine but the wet stuff gets the Mag. Chloride going and my truck that up until that point had no rust began to show lots of surface rust under the fenders and so forth. Panic!

Now my truck had not seen a winter since 59 and back then the roads were mud and dirt around here. so I made sure to wash the truck top to bottom with lots of soap and water which stopped the rust. I promised my self not to do that again. So for me it will have to be days where the roads are dry during the winter season, when spring comes I have the truck out more often again. I will have to look for the photos of those adventures. I had posted them on the old Barn site back then.

Originally Posted by Old Henry

I'm interested in what percentage of you DON'T put your cars "on ice" for the winter but actually drive them all winter on a regular basis and why some do and some don't. What say you? Here are a couple of photos of one of my favorite winter road trips to Manti Utah to stay in the bed and breakfast pictured for Valentines Day 18 months ago. I'd be interested to see some of your winter driving pictures.

[paul2748]

Great looking car - with as big a backseat like that it would seem you could go away for a month and still have room.

LOL

Originally Posted by oldford2

We are in Massachusetts where the salt merchants have an "in" with the DPW. 1 inch of snow and they put down 1 inch of salt. So, our 46 is put up for the winter. But, we are heading to Florida for the winter and I hitch up with all the flat motor guys down there so I ride flatheads all winter. We drove our 46 to Nova Scotia this summer and would love to drive it to Florida, but, The wife has so much "stuff" she takes there would never be room for it. Maybe next year I will figure it out. John

[Pat/Ohio]

Old Henry, Yes it is the same '48 6 cyl. that was in St. George. It belongs to Bob Reitz (Delware, OH). He is 80-years-young and drove most of it himself. His co-pilot was George Elbel (Georgetown, OH). Luckily, George was driving when we hit the snow. Bob's wipers weren't hooked up! George has a big "wingspand" and was able to reach around the "A" piller to wipe about 4 inches of windshield! LOL

Regards,
Pat

[OldDad]

Winter is for driving the old Ford in California without having to watch out for overheating typical in the blazing days of summer. We pay for the gorgeous weather here 8 months of the year with those miserable months -- miserable to me at least. Snow is a special occasion here. Once we were climbing over the Grapevine in winter in the '40 coupe when I was five years old, sitting in the dark cavern behind the front seat on one of the jump seats and watching the snowflakes wisk past the quarter window above me. Pure magic!

Had a good friend from Spring Grove Minnesota who would regale me with stories of the winters there. He always said that you wanted a car with narrow tires that would cut down through the snow and make contact with the asphalt underneath. Makes me want to try it in the old Ford sometime -- still have the chains from back when. He also said that in the '50's, you wanted to make sure you drove a Ford in the winter (Y-block era), since they were the only cars that would start when it got well down below zero.

Well, no salt out here, so I may just give it a whirl this winter. Got plenty of inspiration from Old Henry and Pat from Ohio! It's nice to see these pictures of old Fords being used as they were intended to be used when they were built, rather than sitting on the grass at some car show.

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by OldDad

He always said that you wanted a car with narrow tires that would cut down through the snow and make contact with the asphalt underneath. Makes me want to try it in the old Ford sometime -- still have the chains from back when. He also said that in the '50's, you wanted to make sure you drove a Ford in the winter (Y-block era), since they were the only cars that would start when it got well down below zero.

I'm not sure the theory works that the narrow tires cut through the snow to the pavement. I was stuck last winter on a very slight incline with 4 inches of fresh snow on it. I had piles of people pushing and loaded as many in the trunk as I could but still couldn't move.

I used chains a lot on this car when I drove it in high school.

And, I pushed it a lot to start it in the winter. I don't know much about Y-blocks being great starters in cold temperatures. Even on that winter trip first pictured above I had to have block heaters running all night as well as a battery charger and still took a long time to start it in the morning. That wire showing through the grill on the smiling ice face picture is for the block heaters.

Still, all in all, it's a great adventure to take the old Ford out on a cold winters day. The "modern" (late '47) fresh air heater that the car came with is great for keeping the windshield clear and the toes toasty warm.

[JD]

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Dads Folder 2309.jpg Dads Folder 2301.jpg



There is no salt on the roads down here in New Zealand so there is not the same worry with rust forming. These were taken from the cab of "The Beater" 34 pickup, returning home to Christchurch from a V8 Club meet in Dunedin.

JD

[~~Walts37~~]

I drive my pickup at least twice a week year around except in Ice & snow due to so many people do not know how to drive in snow & ice. I keep her in the garage when there is snow on the roads but out she comes when the road clears. ~~Walts37~~

[Enbloc]

Got to use them all year round.

Back in my Model A days. One of the best rips I ever made.

[sturgis 39]

I can not make it up my hill in the winter. I do drive my 47 and 52 Power Wagons in the winter. The only rust I have found on them is the floor boards. They only seem to rust if somebody installed floor mats or carpeting. The floor boards are diamond type steel plates. They are a lot slower than Fords and I usually have a string of skiers behind me when I go to town. They are pretty heavy built trucks.

I TOOK THE NEIGHBOR GIRL IN A POWER WAGON TO WORK AT THE SKI SLIDE AFTER SHE GOT HER CAR STUCK. HER COMMENT WAS THAT SHE HOPED SHE NEVER MARRIED SOMEBODY AS POOR AS ME.

[ventilo]

so far we haven't seen any snow over here this winter

[37fatfender]

Salt and Snow!

[Jim Baskin III Pa.]

Winter driving is a blast.

[Old Henry]

I'm absolutely lovin' the photos and the stories. Keep 'em comin'

[jerry grayson]

We drive all year as the snow in Georgia is not much.

[Byron Warwick]

Don't for get to drive the Cape Breton Trail on Cape Breton Island on the north coast of NS

[Byron Warwick]

I used to drive my 34 pickup in the winter as at this Boy Scout camping trip in 1965. However when I started the restoration in 1999, I had to replace the frame. It was completely rusted out where the X member inner frame meets the rails. I was fortunate to find a 34 car frame and other parts to complete it. No heater back then, and I always kept a glycerine soaked rag handy to defrost the windows. Byron.

[46ford]

When the roads are dry, I drive my antiques and ride my Harley. I don't care what month it is. I'm in Michigan, Detroit suburbs. I don't do winter storage. There's been an occasional 50 degree January day and I want to be ready for it.

When I was on the fire dept. I would bring them to the station and wash them and let them dry, and put on a coat of wax. Those were the days...

[Old Henry]

Yesterday we drove over Wolf Creek Pass in the Uintah mountains of Utah. Pass elevation 9485 feet! That's the kind of winter driving I love.

[hbleadsled]

Pat/Ohio= Bryce National park is a great place in the spring and summer,maybe not in the winter.that is a great photo. you must have got a sore arm waving back at all the people waving at you. Harold central coast Ca.

[mtflat]

Working count?

[denson1932]

Here is our 1932 Ford 3WC it starts even when it is zero. It is for sale it is all steel mostly original with a later 59A hot rod engine. The price is $62.5K.

[mj40's]

Last weekend in the Holiday parade in Boise.

[Chris]

Couple days ago

[41panelmark]

I was asked to post this photo again from the old Ford Barn from last years adventures in the snow.

enjoy.

[FlatheadTed]

Good story's ,I took my 34 to a hot rod breakfast on the weekend the weather was fine when I left .On the way back there was torrential ran ,the water was running down from the top of the screen onto the steering wheel then onto the seat .On the free way in the centre lane with cars each side of me I had to button of the gas every 2 minutes ,to get the wiper to work .It was worth it .

[Django]

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Not too often, but it does happen from time to time. The last time I did, my front plate got destoyed from the salt.

[jdl]

Somtimes...West Yellowstone