Cold temp driving habits?

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Hello everybody,

Well this year has been nuts, covid aside. I lost my driving bug for a while over the summer so my poor old girl has been set up for quite a few months. She still fired up quicker than even my newest car (2013)!

However this is my first winter owning the model a and it running, if we can call it winter. It’s been getting to 30 Fahrenheit where I live an that is frickin cold in the Piedmont of north kackalacky!

I’m not scared to drive the car when it’s that cold, I’ve got insulated pants jackets and even have some heat provisions in the car. My concern is the engine temp.

I have a good working moto meter on the rad in the summer, dead of summer 90+ degrees outside she keeps a nice steady operating temp. Today driving around in the 30’s to begin with and about mid 50’s at the end of my cruising the temp never even showed on the moto meter unless she had been able to sit and heat soak. A temp gun after heat soak showed about 130 Fahrenheit, I never laid the temp gun on it after cruising a bit and no temp showing on the moto meter.

Do any of you cover the rad at these temps or lower? If so how much do you cover?

I want to drive to a car show tomorrow but it’s going to be like 38-40 on my way to the show. She runs fine don’t get me wrong it’s not a running issue it’s just that I want to do the car right as best I can. I’ve been searching and maybe I haven’t done enough searching but I haven’t found any pictures or testimonies on this subject,

Any real life experience and knowledge would be a great help and ease of mind!

Thanks in advance,

Aaooggaaa!
 
People used to cover their radiator in cold weather and would also cover the hood to keep the heat in while parked at the store. The amount of area exposed to air flow at the radiator would depend on how cold it was, maybe about 25% with 30 degrees.

Now a days people put thermostats in the upper radiator hose. You can just drain the coolant down to beyond the goose neck, about 1 gallon. The thermostat slips in the upper radiator hose and should be secured with a hose clamp. Most people take the thermostat out for summer driving.

I run a thermostat year around but have drilled some extra holes in the flange to help with the coolant flow in the summer. I have a heater that has connection to my coolant. I have a valve in the hose that runs to the heater to turn it off in the summer. I have a fan switch and turn that on to heat the car. It gets nice and comfortable in the winter. I also live in North Carolina but have not experienced really cold weather, mid 40's so far has been the coldest. I should add that my car is well insulted. It is a Fordor.
 
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Ok fair enough, Thanks for your response! I don’t have a Tstat, don’t see that happening before tomorrow either, haha! I think I may try covering part of the rad just to help it gain some heat in the engine. It did absolutely fine today no issues at all, really didn’t even seem to want a richer mixture either after being run about 10/15 minutes. I know these old cars are pretty hardy and I’m probably over thinking it. I know the owners manual doesn’t describe doing anything for winter driving other than adding antifreeze for the cold temps. Just wanted to see what other A drivers are doing.
I’m going from Belmont nc to ballantyne nc tomorrow if you know the Charlotte area. Will be my longest continuous drive since I’ve had her running. I’m excited!
 
If your needing more heat in the passenger compartment while driving then covering a portion of the radiator will bring the temperature up. So if your comfortable keeping an eye on your moto meter and trust its reading then go for it.

If your worried about the engine not getting warm enough to dry out the moisture inside the engine then I would suggest waiting until you get home from your drive and then covering the radiator with cardboard while closely watching a probe type thermometer placed directly into the coolant and bringing the temperature up that way until it gets into the 185 -190 range and hold it there for a while to dry it out.
I do this to bring the temperature up when I'm heat cycling an engine to get the head gasket settled in.
 

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That was kind of what I had in my mind when I asked the question. I wasn’t sure if anyone had anything like that here. I’ve watched a ton of model a videos for one reason or another. I noticed in one of Paul Shinns videos it looked like he had a winter front in on a model a in the background. Seeing That really got me wondering about covering the rad in cold temps.
I don’t know that it really matters? I experienced no running issues driving in those cool temps.

Thanks for that!
 
Prolonged running of the engine at less than normal operating temperature leads to shortened engine life. 160° or 180° thermostat is probably the best way to keep the engine temperature up.
Back in the '50s when we used Model As as daily drivers, a lot of people used winter fronts or cardboard in cold weather, 40 below is not uncommon in January in Manitoba.
 
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I run a thermostat year-round in Piedmont NC. No problems, does its job of bringing the temp up fast.
 
alexiskai, Thats probably the best move overall, may as well add it to my parts list. Where did you end up getting your tstat setup?

Like most things I do I had little to no planning going into taking my A out to that show over the weekend. I new of the event for months, it wasn't until the Tuesday before I decided to try and get out there in the ole Ford.

I actually found my A about an hour or so away from Mebane, closer towards Benson.

Thanks for the input everybody!
 
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