Driving in the winter

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.



Old Henry said:
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.

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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

oldford2 said:
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
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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
 
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.
 
OldDad said:
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.
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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.
 
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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
 
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~~
 
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.
 
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Salt and Snow!
 

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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.
 

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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...
 
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.
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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.
 
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