Driving in salt and snow

mshmodela

mshmodela

Well-known member
So I was out doing Christmas shopping in the snow and saltly roads in my modern jeep and I could not believe the car that passed me, it appeared to be a 50s 190 convertible (yes top was up).. I cannot say if it was the real deal but it was the same color as the car below

How many of you drive your Model A in the snow and salt?

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They don't use much (if any) salt here. But I do limit my winter driving to parades and special occasions.
 
Depends!
 

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Gary WA, how would compare the model a to a modern car for driving in the snow?
I was thinking of driving mine out and about in the snow this year, but just have not done it yet, does it handle well?
lived in Everett couple of years in the 70's. beautiful country out there.
 
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From my limited experience, I would not drive a Model A on a salty road. In fact I wish I could revert to driving my fibreglass Lotus which endured eight salty winters without a blemish before we were forced to sell it when the kids appeared.

That being said, I am a great believer in the use of narrow tyres in inclement conditions. In my opinion they bite into the snow a provide better grip. Maybe one day I will summon the courage to take the Tudor for a quick trip around the block after a snow storm and before the salt trucks get going.

As for damage caused by salt, I am a believer. My father-in-law was in charge of two government highway maintenance depots before retiring. Their trucks did not last long due to the depredations of the winter salting.
 
Carl, they use plenty of salt in Anchorage, at least the State of Alaska D.O.T roads get it. it is mixed in with the sand, a few years back they also used a mag.-chloride/ brine solution. I used to work on the sanders for D.O.T. at the Boniface and Tudor shop before I retired in 2011.. Palmer and Willow also use an extreme amount of salt and sand. that is why the roads in Palmer are almost mud in the winter. I live off the Palmer/Wasilla hwy. and go into Palmer every day to pick up the mail. the truck stays clean until I get to Palmer because of the excess use of salt/ sand. I don't drive the coupe in the wintwer, no heater, or fenders, and I don't drive the '51 Merc. either.
 
I once drove beside an OLD Chev truck, 2/3 of the bottom of the door skin was GONE!!! You could have repaired the window regulator, from the OUTSIDE!!!
Wonder where that truck came from???
Used to regularly work on an Old 710 Datsun, that came from the East, it was SO RUSTED that we put multiple wood blocks on the hoist, to lift it & it would CREAK & GROAN something terrible. The floorboards were "overlaid" with CUSTOM cut parts, from HIGHWAY SIGNS!!! He found a NICE shell of a like car that was rescued from a CHOP SHOP RAID & we put his COMPLETE power train in it. Had to get a new radumator, as his had LOTS of fins eaten away by the SALT GHOST. Fortunately, the "SHELL" car looked like it JUST had a complete brake job.
Bill W.
 
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What limits my driving season here in Central Maine is the road salt. I drive up to the first storm application, usually in December and then don't start again until after the first big rain storm in April or May. I'm careful with our daily drivers too and a very good customer of the local car wash.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
I once drove beside an OLD Chev truck, 2/3 of the bottom of the door skin was GONE!!! You could have repaired the window regulator, from the OUTSIDE!!!
Wonder where that truck came from???
Used to regularly work on an Old 710 Datsun, that came from the East, it was SO RUSTED that we put multiple wood blocks on the hoist, to lift it & it would CREAK & GROAN something terrible. The floorboards were "overlaid" with CUSTOM cut parts, from HIGHWAY SIGNS!!! He found a NICE shell of a like car that was rescued from a CHOP SHOP RAID & we put his COMPLETE power train in it. Had to get a new radumator, as his had LOTS of fins eaten away by the SALT GHOST. Fortunately, the "SHELL" car looked like it JUST had a complete brake job.
Bill W.
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heh all that is normal around here... I haven't seen an old Nissan, Datsun, or Toyota truck around here in a very long time. I've seen a few 2013 and older trucks already have bubbled paint and rust.
 
Looks like a 180/190 SL, mid-1950's - mid-1960's.

One of my Jr HS teachers in MD had one, back in the late 1970's. It had terminal cancer then :(

I won't even say the word "Salt" out loud around my '61 Rambler convertible. :mad:




mshmodela said:
So I was out doing Christmas shopping in the snow and saltly roads in my modern jeep and I could not believe the car that passed me, it appeared to be a 50s 190 convertible (yes top was up).. I cannot say if it was the real deal but it was the same color as the car below

How many of you drive your Model A in the snow and salt?

1959-Mercedes-Benz-190SL-convertible-1.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Still such a beautiful car - shame we will never have anything remotely as good looking as that again (or anything with big round fenders like that). We just get various shapes of toasters now
 
That IS a beautiful car, and it won't look like that for long if that dude drives on salty roads. I've seen on several occasions, mint and I mean mint condition early Ford Mustangs running around the NW Chicago suburbs on salty winter roads. All I can say to myself is 'Nice car BUT THAT guy isn't a gear head or there's NO way he would abuse a car like that.'Early Mustangs were one of the worst cars for rotting out around the Midwest. They had no body integrity. "Just push 'em out the factory door as fast as possible to make tons of cash. And we made TONS of money off of them". That is an indirect paraphrase from the Father of Mustangs, Lee Iaccoca, who in an interview about fifteen years ago concerning the safety of the drop in fuel tanks on Mustangs and rear end collisions, said 'Trade in that old Mustang and get a new one."

SeaSlugs said it all when he stated 'Today's cars are toasters' I quite agree. Actually very boring. About the only new cars that look neat are the Mustang-Camaro-Charger everybody else drives a four door or an SUV. In silver or white. Yawn.............
 
What limits my driving season here in Central Maine is the road salt. I drive up to the first storm application, usually in December and then don't start again until after the first big rain storm in April or May. I'm careful with our daily drivers too and a very good customer of the local car wash.
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Ditto, except I'm in central Alberta, not central Maine.
 
Jeff/Illinois said:
That IS a beautiful car, and it won't look like that for long if that dude drives on salty roads. I've seen on several occasions, mint and I mean mint condition early Ford Mustangs running around the NW Chicago suburbs on salty winter roads. All I can say to myself is 'Nice car BUT THAT guy isn't a gear head or there's NO way he would abuse a car like that.'Early Mustangs were one of the worst cars for rotting out around the Midwest. They had no body integrity. "Just push 'em out the factory door as fast as possible to make tons of cash. And we made TONS of money off of them". That is an indirect paraphrase from the Father of Mustangs, Lee Iaccoca, who in an interview about fifteen years ago concerning the safety of the drop in fuel tanks on Mustangs and rear end collisions, said 'Trade in that old Mustang and get a new one."

SeaSlugs said it all when he stated 'Today's cars are toasters' I quite agree. Actually very boring. About the only new cars that look neat are the Mustang-Camaro-Charger everybody else drives a four door or an SUV. In silver or white. Yawn.............
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yea I like the 14-15 silverado only because it reminds me an awful lot of the 70-80's square bodys. Kind of excited about the 17 bronco - looks like the 70's style. I wish the new fords looked like the 70's fords... the charger is also another one of my dream cars.

Is it just me or does anyone else see "faces" in the front end of cars?

What was/is the draw to mustangs? Was it purely looks? Drivetrain? I see entirely too many at local cruise ins and kinda get boring to look at after awhile. Same goes for camaros novas belairs and chevelles. I like the rare and the weird or the things average people actually could afford to drive not the bedroom poster cars.
 
SeaSlugs said:
What was/is the draw to mustangs? Was it purely looks? Drivetrain? I see entirely too many at local cruise ins and kinda get boring to look at after awhile. Same goes for camaros novas belairs and chevelles. I like the rare and the weird or the things average people actually could afford to drive not the bedroom poster cars.
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Again I quite agree, and we have a Mustang plus had a 2007 GT. I get bored with them myself! And I'm a Ford fan.

Last time I was at Knott's Berry Farm 'Fabulous Fords Forever' it was row after row of, Mustangs. I did the quick walk-by and stopped to admire the Pinto station wagons, old trucks, Fairlanes, Galaxies, etc. Sadly that is not a Model A show I learned. Only saw 2 Model A's.

You can only look at so many Mustangs I'm sorry. What is it about a MAFCA or MARC convention with 300+ Model A's, that you never tire of seeing THEM!!!;););)
 
1930-fordor said:
Gary WA, how would compare the model a to a modern car for driving in the snow?
I was thinking of driving mine out and about in the snow this year, but just have not done it yet, does it handle well?
lived in Everett couple of years in the 70's. beautiful country out there.
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Good tires. High off ground! lived in Mass for 20yrs born and raised there, drove my 31 4 door Oldsmobile year round, I could go places modern cars couldn't in the snow.As long as it's not compacted snow and ice it's fun in the fresh snow. Merry Christmas! Try it you may like it!!
 
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