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Old 12-08-2018, 09:30 PM   #41
MNFATS
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

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Originally Posted by 40 Deluxe View Post
A couple questions: Do you know the history of this car? Did it start out as a mailman's car? Will it run on top of snowbanks after a typical Minnesota blizzard, or do you need solid footing?


My father and uncle purchased it in 1948 or '49 from a rural mail carrier in northern Minnesota. Prior to that, I know nothing as to when it was made, but I do know it was modified in St. Cloud, MN, which is where I live. It was made in the Pan automobile plant after Pan went out of business. I was ten or so when it became a member of the family, so I am very aware of the history from the late 40s.


As for running on top of snow banks, forget it. We always carried a shovel! Getting stuck wearing the skis, it was nearly impossible to back out because the skis would dig in so we usually had the tires on. It was usually run on Lake Kabetogama in northern MN in the winter pulling the family with our wooden skis or toboggans. I have many memories of "Ol' Betsy".
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Old 12-09-2018, 10:00 AM   #42
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

Of course you drive an A in the snow
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Old 12-09-2018, 03:12 PM   #43
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

Our speedster has neither a roof or windscreen wipers and we drive it in all weathers. As a rule, so long as we are going 30mph or more we stay dry, otherwise we carry a big umbrella for traffic lights and traffic jams. Rainex on the windscreen is a big help. Also no heater but the right clothing and the Vee windscreen which shelters us from the wind makes winter driving acceptable
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Old 12-09-2018, 09:45 PM   #44
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

Hell no I don't even take mine out if the sun isn't shining---lol
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Old 12-09-2018, 10:23 PM   #45
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

They don't salt the roads here.

They used to just use gravel, and plow, but now they also use chemical de-icing. I have only had my A for a year and a half and this year it's put away for the winter, pending me finishing putting a top on and having it painted. Last year I drove around a bit in the snow and found it to be a little different experience, but a hoot. It didn't drive bad in the snow....I would probably guess that anyone with decent experience driving any rear-wheel drive car in snow will instinctively know the moves to make to keep an A on the road. Mine also leaked like a sieve, so driving in the rain was an issue. Hopefully with the new roof and other sealing of body joints will fix that to a great degree.
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Old 12-10-2018, 12:51 PM   #46
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

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It doesn't snow often here , Maybe every 10 years or more . I drove our 31 standard coupe in the snow of 1977 . I had knobby Allstate mud grips on the back and they didn't use salt on the roads here back then . I had no problems driving the A in the snow . People with modern cars had lots of problems . They were asking people to stay off the roads if possible unless you drove a four wheel drive . The 4x4s and me in the model A was about the only ones that had no problems . The ditches had lots of modern cars that had slid off the road and could go no farther .

We got caught in a storm in 06 while driving the roaster with no side curtains . To make it worse it was at night and we had about 50 miled to go . We got soaked but made it home OK .

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Old 12-10-2018, 05:49 PM   #47
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

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It doesn't snow often here , Maybe every 10 years or more . I drove our 31 standard coupe in the snow of 1977 . I had knobby Allstate mud grips on the back and they didn't use salt on the roads here back then . I had no problems driving the A in the snow . People with modern cars had lots of problems . They were asking people to stay off the roads if possible unless you drove a four wheel drive . The 4x4s and me in the model A was about the only ones that had no problems . The ditches had lots of modern cars that had slid off the road and could go no farther .

We got caught in a storm in 06 while driving the roaster with no side curtains . To make it worse it was at night and we had about 50 miled to go . We got soaked but made it home OK .
Around here the 4x4 are the first to be in the ditches!
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Old 12-11-2018, 12:40 PM   #48
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

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They don't salt the roads here.

They used to just use gravel, and plow, but now they also use chemical de-icing. I have only had my A for a year and a half and this year it's put away for the winter, pending me finishing putting a top on and having it painted. Last year I drove around a bit in the snow and found it to be a little different experience, but a hoot. It didn't drive bad in the snow....I would probably guess that anyone with decent experience driving any rear-wheel drive car in snow will instinctively know the moves to make to keep an A on the road. Mine also leaked like a sieve, so driving in the rain was an issue. Hopefully with the new roof and other sealing of body joints will fix that to a great degree.

What chemicals do they use?
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Old 12-12-2018, 01:04 PM   #49
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

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What chemicals do they use?
Ted
Mostly salt, under various fancy chemical names: sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride. More recently various liquid mixtures are sprayed before a storm. These are often waste by-products from other industries.
The cheapest form of salt available is the most common, although among the most corrosive. I worked at the Arizona Highway Dept. for 27 years and saw them go from no salt (just cinders) to applying 300 lbs. of salt per lane per mile per each application. And they ran non-stop during storms.
This was in Flagstaff, where the average snowfall is about 100 inches per year. (And you thought you could find a salt-free car in that state?)
The cinder spreaders would rust out within a couple years so they started buying spreaders made out of stainless steel.
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Old 12-12-2018, 05:15 PM   #50
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

The question was for Magicbox51 who said they didn't use salt where he lived, they use chemicals. I am well aware of what they use to ruin our cars in most places. Just junking a truck eaten up by salt brine in northern Virginia. Bought it used, my bad.



I was curious is there someplace they don't use salt or slat spray.

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Old 12-12-2018, 05:44 PM   #51
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

I never saw any salt used on Ankhe Pass or Mang Yang Pass along QL-19 in the Cenrral Highlands of Vietnam in 1968 !!

Last edited by Benson; 02-13-2019 at 09:36 AM.
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Old 12-12-2018, 05:55 PM   #52
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

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The question was for Magicbox51 who said they didn't use salt where he lived, they use chemicals. I am well aware of what they use to ruin our cars in most places. Just junking a truck eaten up by salt brine in northern Virginia. Bought it used, my bad.



I was curious is there someplace they don't use salt or slat spray.

Ted
As I mentioned, Arizona uses some other chemicals, but these are more expensive, and only work at certain temperatures. On one scenic road, through Oak Creek Canyon south of Flagstaff to Sedona, a special chemical is used to keep salt run-off out of the Creek (salt kills stuff!). I can't remember what it was, though. Deer and elk that stay for the winter love to get out on the Interstate to lick up the salt. That's also hard on sheet metal!
You may want to do a search for 'road ice chemicals'.
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Old 12-12-2018, 06:47 PM   #53
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

when the snow stops and roads reasonably clear
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Old 12-12-2018, 08:34 PM   #54
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

In the winter when the roads are frozen there is no mud or rock problems on dirt roads , so yes I do.
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Old 12-12-2018, 08:40 PM   #55
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

No.
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Old 12-12-2018, 09:26 PM   #56
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

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What chemicals do they use?
Ted
I have no clue. They spray the intersections and some select other places before icy conditions come. When the snow comes, they plow. But I was not under the impression that the spray was salty. I could be wrong.
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Old 12-13-2018, 12:41 PM   #57
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

In CT I think they use a magnesium chloride solution to pre treat the roads. Can't confirm but have heard it's worse for corrosion than old fashioned road salt.

Haven't gotten any snow in a while now and the roads are still white with the crap.

I have taken mine out twice recently but only because I put a new engine in last month and couldn't resist. Usually put it away in early November and get it out in April after a good rain.

Was in Cali a couple weeks ago and while you still couldn't get me to move there I was extremely envious of the 20+ year old cars that were basically pristine.
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Old 12-13-2018, 12:50 PM   #58
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

Here is an interesting study done by the CT Academy of Science and Engineering

http://www.ctcase.org/reports/Winter...y-briefing.pdf

Turns out they tried using corrosion inhibitors mixed with the salt around 2006 but stopped soon after...
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Old 12-13-2018, 06:14 PM   #59
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

A little rain never hampers the Sierra Chapter OF M.A.F.C.A. when there is a parade!
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Old 12-15-2018, 09:18 AM   #60
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Default Re: Do you drive your A in the snow or stormy weather?

No!!! Not in the Rain! Bad wipers! A little snow, Yeah , why not? I've been told that model A s are good in the snow and I've never had an "incident". Butb I don't do it often.
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