Classics in the cold

One thing led to another and I needed to use my Fiat in 12 degree morning weather. First, on the night before, I had to raise the top and it was stiff. So, I did this in 2 stages in the cold garage. I also charged up the battery since the thick oil, low winter use and cold leave it weak. At 5:30am, I pulled out the choke and I cranked it a few times to get the gas into the carburetor. It fired. Then I moved onto the road with a stiff clutch and stiffer shift lever. This car will creep a bit while in neutral due to thick transmission fluid. 2nd gear grinds when it is this cold. I go from 1 to 3 for a few blocks until the gauge shows some heat. Everything seems to rattle and the tires feel square. I have removed some of the pre-heat devices on the air intake and icing was a concern but it ran well enough to get me there and back about 70 miles. The heater could not keep up well with the air leaks at speed. The thermostat is quick to open which is fine for the hot summers and it never got near a good operating temperature. I had hot toes and cold hands. I will keep using the car over the winter but not on days below 32F. It just feels hard on it. I get goose bumps and chill just thinking about it.

Valiants do well in the cold.

It helps to keep the Slant Six's exhaust diverter flap pivoting freely, so the bottom of the intake manifold is heated. The heater works well, even though the blower is making a little more noise than I remember from last winter. New door seals would be nice ...

I could plumb the aftermarket AC evaporator into the heater lines, but I'm sticking with the stock setup for now.

Funny how different my injected Fiat Spider was to yours. It heated up reasonably quickly, and the small cabin got warm too.

I love fuel injection! You can just fire up and gently motor off, avoiding lugging and high rpm for awhile and the car warms up more quickly than just sitting there.

By far the worst wear on a non-injected engine is when you use the choke, and the gas washes the cylinder walls. They often don't start as well either, but even when they do (my Jag Mk 9 had an SU auxiliary starting device that let it start at 10 below zero almost instantly) they still can't be taken off an enrichened mixture for some time.

What was the rule for Fiats? Something like subtract the current temperature from 100 and that's how many times you pump the gas before starting

(joke borrowed from the "Alfa Owner's Bible")

Anyhoo, I drove the Impala last winter with little fuss (snow, ice, wind, the works). I did have a small bump with a Renault at about 20kph when the roads were especially icy, but that's another issue.

I plan on doing it again this winter (when the car arrives) minus the bumper bumping of course

Sounds a little like my TR3. It'll start just fine, rides hard for a bit and the heater will keep my right knee warm. I found that I just throw a tonneau cover on the passenger side and a blanket on my lap works better and is warmer than putting the top up when the temperature is below freezing, but I used to ride motorcycles and still have my gear. The added bonus is the looks from other drivers.

There is a problem with your T-stat, if it's not getting up to operating temps. It should get up to the T-stat rating, as that is the opening temperature. With 180F air coming out of the anemic heater, the TR3 is tolerable in the cold and the tonneau keeps some of the heat in.

I'm debating putting seat heaters in my TR3, as it's often cool here in the PNW, even during the summer evenings, which keeps Mrs. Jack from joining me.

In reply to Jack:

I agree with all you said about your TR-3. In fact when I was on the ski patrol I often drove mine to the lodge as well. I didn't feel cold after getting out of a warm car that way.

I had the Ansen wind deflectors on the windshield and I always thought it was also drier inside without the side curtains & top than with. They always managed to push out and suck the rain and cold right in! And when the windshield wipers stick, just reach over the windshield and get them going again.

Wasn't there cold and snow back in 1966, 1974, 1950?

IIRC winter didn't debut as a season until 1976

My 72 LTD started up great in the near zero temps we had the other morning. My 2011 Honda Foreman did not.

In reply to 914Driver:

My parents talk about their winters in the 50's and 60's. Something about getting a car running through prayer and then trying really hard to keep it running, because if it died, it would never start again.

It makes me happy I was born in 1988, and happier that my 1987 econoline has fuel injection!

In the winter of 77-78 I had one of those deals. My D.D. at the time was a '67 Cougar with a hi-po 289. It got really cold in Kentucky and I went about a week without starting it. When I tried the 30W oil was to cold, the engine wouldn't even turn over. The car sat outside till mid-April when I was finally able to turn the engine over and get it to start.

It's a good thing it wasn't a stick, I'd have probably pulled it with a truck and dropped the clutch like I used to do with my magneto ignition motorcycles. That might have been an expensive bump start!

It makes me happy that we have good multi-weight oil today!

It wasn't near freezing, but the other morning my Pontiac Safari was a bit cranky. Once it fired, though, it was fine.

Not quite a classic, but this was my daily driver Summer and Winter for two years:

Absolutely insane, but no options, lucky to have survived.