ICE & SNOW, will it still GO?

[bobpo]

This is for all you old-timers or should I say Model A Veterans. I'm wondering just how well a Model A will handle in the snow and Icy roads?

We only got 4" but it really blew around to stack to as much as 3' drifts in areas. The roads are just hard-packed snow/ice.

Whatcha think, shoud I try it as long as there's no salt....?!?

[Aerocraft]

Install chains and go! Try to stay off of bare roads and you will have the time of your life. Gar Williams

[jaguar6165]

Never driven an A in snow, being from Florida but Ive driven on ice in more modern cars. I think you might be playing with fire. If its just around town a few miles with no real hills maybe, but it just doesn't sound like a good idea if the roads are that icy. Just my opinion.

[jaguar6165]

Originally Posted by Aerocraft

Install chains and go! Try to stay off of bare roads and you will have the time of your life. Gar Williams

Great pic, looks like a lot of fun.

[Jason in TX]

Keep an eye on the website http://www.365daysofa.com/

He's going to drive his A every single day for a year in NE Michigan. This weekend he drove 18 miles in a blizzard and you can watch video of his drive.

They did it when the cars were new. He's reported very good results.

[Keith True]

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Snow is no problem.Those skinny tires don't offer much resistance to the snow as you drive through it,and the snow won't try to pack in front of them as you go.Now,ice,bad for anything.Without power steering you can;t whip the wheel fast enough to recover when you are spinning in circles.Most cars have to strike something anyway to stop spinning.I was deer hunting once and came out of the woods during a fast moving storm.The snow was up to the hubcaps.My friend was right behind me with his 48 Jeep,and he was shocked at how fast I was going all the way out.When I hit the plowed road there was a fresh bank on the edge and I figured I would plow right through it.I was wrong.I wound up sitting on top of it with my front wheels in midair.The old Jeep bulled it's way through and pulled me off.

[Louis]

Im sure most "A" model owner's are mature drivers, just remember you are out numbered by "Dinaling's" out trying to drive on snow while trying to text msg, talk on their cell phone, and many with little driving exp. on the snow... On a country road your probley ok, but if it's near town i woulden't take the chance of some one putting a den't, or worse in my "A". jmho.

[Special Coupe Frank]

I wouldn't try it with a nice car.

There's lots of historical evidence that Fords will go in the snow.

[kelley's restoration]

i did some donuts with the phaeton on saturday
aside from freezing my ass off it was fine
tk

[Mitch//pa]

take some before and after pics please

[flatford39]

Growing up our family car was a 30 tudor that we went everywhere in. I recall a pretty heavy snow storm one day and we were supposed to go to some kind of family affair. My dad cut my mom's clothesline down and then proceeded to cut it some more tying big knots into the smaller sections and then tied them around the rear wheels and tires. All I know is that we got there and back.

[Keith True]

I've done the rope thing on a motorcycle.I tied one end to a spoke,then lace it round and round until I got back to my starting point.I have a neat set of chains for an A.Each wheel uses three.You space them out evenly on three places on the rim.The solid band part that fits over the rim,is made for the A.It conforms exactly to the A rim.It is hard on the paint,the instructions say to place the band over the rim and tap into place with a hammer.Then you hook up the short chain.

[Brad in Germany]

Here is an original photo of the Swedish version of fun, in a Speedsters, in the snow:



Nice looking Speedster they're driving!

Fordially,
Brad in snowy Germany

[Vanspeed]

I thought about doing the same thing but they salt the roads very fast around here, with an exception for last night. Roads still are not salted. What would normally take me 45 minutes to get to work took 2 1/2 today, one way!

[DGNY]

When I was in high school we drove the '31 Tudor every day in the winter. it went well. It was kept outside. This was in '54-5,'55-6, '56-7. Around '56 got a set of knobby snows for the rear from a '40 Ford [and used aluminum spacers from JC Whitney]. A couple times put chains on over the knobbies. The car was then unstoppable. The average street was packed snow [not ice - no salt] and it stopped rather well. This in upstate NY near Buffalo.

On coldest days we put cardboard over lower half of the radiator, tied with string to the headlight bar for security. This helped the manifold heater to warm the car [used a tin can to bridge from heater to firewall]. On the coldest nights - maybe 0 or a bit less, we put a trouble light under the hood with a 60 Watt bulb to help keep the recycled 40wt oil from going totally solid!

The Model A definitely runs fine in the winter! Of course, back then, salt was not an issue. It would be a huge issue today.

Regards,

Dyson

[bobpo]

When I do "IT", I am going to try a video of "IT". We have gotten a great snow, about 4" but it got pretty cold, 6+ and windy so we got some pretty good drifts. Most of the side roads (I live out in the country) are not salted. I will first try it around the back yard and the pond (mostly for pictures).

I'll let you all know and thanks for the input, it's great.....

[Afordman31]

When I was eighteen years old, I drove my Dad's 1930 Model A to work. We had 16" tires on it with knobbies. I would make a track into work as I was the first to get there in the morning. One morning I went to turn into the parking lot and was going to fast, I missed the drive, got stopped, was backing up and backed into the ditch. I put the car in first gear, gave it some gas with the hand throttle, let out the clutch, got out of the car and pushed myself out of the ditch. I left the window down so when I got on the running board I could reach in and steer the car straight down the road, got in and backed up till I could turn into the driveway. We used to put alcohol, it was cheap, .15 cents a quart in the radiator. If the temperature got above 32 degrees it would boil out. I also had a Mercury hot water heater installed in it. Kept the chill off. That was 45 years ago. Thought I would share. Merry Christmas

[FL&WVMIKE]

bobpo ......................
In the old days, the Model "A" & "T" had a good reputation for going in snow. This was, probably, on a country road, with no other traffic. The skinny tires were supposed to be the reason.
MIKE

[Frank Nemo]

My first Model A experience was 58 years ago while in high school. I had a '31 Tudor of which I was very proud.
Ole Betsy would travel through the snow like she was born for it. I never worried about getting through the snow no matter how deep it got. The only bad thing about Winter travel in Betsy was the absence of a heater. It got mighty cold in that old Tudor.

[roadster31]

I have a friend that grew up in north east Wisconsin, he showed me photos of a 29 Tudor that had the rear seat removed, a small pot-bellied stove with the pipe stuck out the side, and the front seats would face the rear. They would take the "A" out on the lakes and go ice fishing -- just pull the car over a couple of holes and fish in comfort, being from Wisconsin I am sure there was beer involved. He claimed they never got stuck. I think the family still has the Model A, I will try to get him to give me some photos to post. My father always told me "if you put your Model A away for the winter you are missing a lot of fun." E LaBrash