Daily Driver For Over A Year

SeaSlugs said:
because people in this day and age can barely drive when its dry and 70* out...cant just put cinders or dirt on the ice and snow. or if your in Illinois, the lumps in the roads ought to be enough traction...
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Boy, ain't that the truth! The first fall rains in Oregon result in a multitude of accidents. I like to think they are mostly late-comer citizens and that us natives know how to drive in the rain, but that may be wishful thinking.:p

I don't drive my A in those first few rain days, and am getting to where I don't like to drive it at all in the rain at any time. Not because of the water on the air, but because of the nuts on the road.
 
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PILLS , Post # 18 "I plan on running our Model A this winter. Is it necessary/desirable to partially cover the radiator to increase the coolant temperature as the car does not have a thermostat?"
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Not really. It depends on a host of factors. Outside temperature. How long the drive. Individual engine characteristics. Anti-freeze in radiator. Do you warm up in a garage. Etc., Etc., Etc.

If you think there is a need, there is a 'Radiator Bra' available that will wrap the Radiator shell, with a roll down 'blanket' to cover as much of the radiator as you want. Or you might want to find and install a Globe Winter-Front, an accessory offered for most all cars, including Model A, during the 1930's.

I drive both my Model A's each and every winter - have for over 50 years - and have never covered my radiators. BUT - I live where our Winter's cold temperatures reach 45 degree lows. But if I lived in Truckee, CAlif - driving during their Winter's 20 degree temperature, I think I would 're-think' my need to go driving in my Model A - or ANY car !

- Doug Vieyra, Eureka, CAlif
 
If you do cover the radiator, don't cover just the top or bottom, but make a full cover with a hole centered on the fan blade. If you cover the top or bottom, then the fan blades enter high and low pressure zones twice each revolution, and that adds to the stress on the blades.
 
700rpm, we have the same problem in San Diego,the accident rate triples at the hint of rain so I don't drive in it at all as there are too many people aiming at you!
 
Ray in La Mesa said:
700rpm, we have the same problem in San Diego,the accident rate triples at the hint of rain so I don't drive in it at all as there are too many people aiming at you!
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When I was stationed in El Paso I used to drive to Cloudcroft, NM to go camping on weekends. Highway 54 was a straight road through the desert, and if it happened to rain it wasn't unusual to see a couple cars laying upside down over that short stretch of road.
 
First rain after a dry period just mixes with the oil and exhaust residue on the road surface to make it extremely slick. Most people don't take that into consideration, thinking they know how to drive in the rain.

My first car was a 29 A Special Coupe. Drove it for a couple of years in college back in the late 60s. It was my daily driver - to and from school, to work and wherever else I needed/wanted to go. Loved cranking it to start it in the college parking lot. Got a lot of attention from the young ladies, who at first thought I was weird, then wanted to go for a ride. Got it stuck in the mud trying to cross a creek at the family farm one day. Pulled the spare wheel (without tire) off the back, changed it out with the left rear, threw a sythe handle through the spokes of the other rear wheel, tied a rope around the left rim and cranked the car in reverse slowly up the muddy creek bank. Yeah, Model A's can do anything!
 
Last summer I was "employed" as the veterinarian on a 60 day horse ride that followed the original Pony Express Trail. The route is on dirt roads for at least 95% of the way. At the last minute, I decided to take my 28 Roadster. With no more preparation than an oil change and lube I put it in the trailer and headed for St. Joseph. Since my primary responsibility was the horses I took a trailer along for any emergency. The car performed without a hitch, traveling over 2000 miles. While many people go long distances on paved roads this was certainly different as it was mostly on dirt roads, some of them as poor as when my grandparents came west in 1910 in the Model T. These cars are far more dependable than many people realize and are actually more comfortable on dirt roads than some of the more modern cars. We went through mud, hail, dust, cold and heat without a hitch. I cruised for hours at 55 on dirt roads and even hit 60+ on a few paved sections. I can't encourage others enough to get out and really drive their rugged dependable cars.
 
700rpm said:
I don't understand why people put up with salt. There are ecologically sound alternatives. I would think people would make damage claims against their state and local highway departments for what salt does to their cars.
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But maybe not economical alternatives.
 
I truly envy your dedication to our beloved Model A. It was made for that type of weather and even after more than 80 years it can go the distance with some very basic maintenance. May you continue to enjoy your adventure. You are a great example to all of us.

Henry's 31
 
klawockvet said:
... I decided to take my 28 Roadster... Since my primary responsibility was the horses I took a trailer along for any emergency. The car performed without a hitch...
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So, ... you took a trailer, and you had no hitch . . . :confused: :D
 
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Larry Jenkins said:
I even saw two that had been cut in half and joined together as two fronts.

Coming or going?

Larry
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I remember seeing that in the newspaper when I was about 10 years old. I always wondered what ever happened to that car? It would make a nice exhibit for a museum, like the Gilmore in Hickory Corners, MI, or the Nation Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana.
 
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