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tips for driving 1926 dodge in the winter snow daily use?


Mpgp1999

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i HAVE A 1926 DODGE 4DR SEDAN AND I AM LOOKING ANY INFO ON DRIVING IN BAD WEATHER WITH TWO WHEEL BRAKES.

i LIVE IN NY WHERE WE GET A GOOD AMOUNT OF SNOW AND ICE. i HAVE SPRAYED A RUBBERIZED UNDERCOAT TO HELP PROTECT AGAINST SALT AND APPLIED A DEICER ON THE WINDOWS. (ALSO THE GLARE FROM OTHER CARS AT NIGHT IS AWFUL) i HAVE DRIVING LIGHTS SO i CAN SEE AND REFLECTIVE TAPE ON THE REAR BUMPER SO PEOPLE CAN SEE ME. 

i CANT FIND SNOW TIRES IN MY SIZE 6.50-20 AND IM HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING CHAINS. IF ANYBODY HAS IDEAS THAT CAN HELP ME AND THE CAR SURVIVE THE WINTER (WITHOUT STAYING IN THE GARAGE) THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.

 

THANK YOU

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Mpgp 1999 , I just can't resist temptation to try to give you some grandfatherly advice. Probably because it is exactly the kind of thing I would do in my wild youth. We would go out "Jackass Driving" in the snow in cheap used cars like a '59 Cadillac convertible , my '49 Cadillac model 62 fastback , or later , my '67 Cad Sedan de Ville. The later was intentionally driven to destruction , and left where it gave up. "Patty Profile" and I had a nice walk away in the snowstorm , laughing with every footprint we made. Good decision ? Bad ? Hey , we just did it. So without making a value judgment on your ambitions , let's see if I can help.

First , I am not familiar with your specific car , so I assume you have mechanical 2 wheel brakes. I know Chrysler had early production hydraulics , if your car has them , be sure they are in perfect shape. Thoroughly flush with industrial grade denatured ethyl alcohol , and put new brake fluid in. Alcohol is the best flush for water , which under the best conditions is bad for hydraulic systems. Below freezing temps is not in the best condition category. Flush with brake fluid to pump any remaing alcohol out.

NEXT : GO FIND A LARGE EMPTY PARKING LOT AND PRACTICE , PRACTICE , PRACTICE UNTIL YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOUR CAR HANDLES IN LOW TRACTION CONDITIONS. PROVOKE EVERY POSSIBLE SITUATION SHORT OF PUTTING IT ON ITS SIDE. DON'T HIT ANYTHING , AND BE SURE THERE ARE NO CURBS OR OTHER OBSTACLES UNDER THE SNOW.

In place of chains , you could wrap some type of highly abrasion resistant line around your tires through the wheel spokes. Spiral one way , and come back the other to cross in an X pattern on the tread. Wind tightly , and use heavy duty rubber tensioners. Do all 4 , and consult with a knowledgeable salesman (perhaps marine supply) to find the best rope for your application.

With 2 wheel brakes , you will have the worst situation , with the rear end locking up , and the car spinning out. DO NOT DRIVE AT NORMAL SPEEDS. EASY DOES IT , PLEASE. Your car has no safety engineering to protect you. If you have not replaced the glass with safety glass , put your ambitions on hold until you do so , or remove the glass entirely if you can not roll the windows completely down. SERIOUSLY ! You might be able to clamp thin plastic sections each side" of your glass with the windows partially down.

You will gain a real insight into what drivers had to contend with in the times of your great , great grandparents. You will probably be among very few people who will be authorities on such driving. The rest of us are too mature to engage in such risky behavior. But (and this may seem astonishing) , we were once even younger than you are now ! Also , it is impossible to protect your. car from salt. It will be necessary to completely flush out. Driving in a very hard rain after the roads are salt free might help.

So if you are willing to degrade your car , you still have the safety aspect to come to terms with. I guess so as not to be seen as encouraging risky behavior , I should say DON'T DO IT ! But if you do , do it VERY CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY. Good luck young friend. You have a long interesting life ahead of you. Don't take foolish risks. - Carl

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Oh , yeah , it might be wise to post this under "General". The advice and information is not make specific. Get as much exposure here as possible , and keep us informed on how you make out. Lots of us old folk have to watch others getting our "kicks" for us. - CC

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all but 1 window has been replaced with safty glass (back rear right) i will have it replaced soon. and i do have 2 wheel mehanical brakes 

i was talking to a friend from the dodge brothers club and they said the that the only real plus to having those if the brakes do lock up i can still maintain some directional control. as for salt the entire underbody is a thick layer of rubber and wd-40 but this car has been thru many hands and its maybe 70% original and the paint job is awful.

safty is very important that is why i have seat belts mirrors windsheild wiper and soon to be turnsignals and another breaklight if you have any other safty mechanisms i can put in let me know. also i have disc wheels.

i will keep you updated 

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I am very happy to see that you are far wiser than I was at your age ! The fact that you have made such preparations , and are asking for advice is quite impressive ! I take it that you would like to have the adventure of using your ancient car in conditions that a good many drivers would have had to put up with in the days when newer cars did not yet exist. Very good photo opportunities too. Take lots of pics. Only a young , strong , energetic guy would rise to the challenge. Old folk ? Hmmmmmm......... a bit tired these days. Half a lifetime ago , I heavily modified a T-boned '71 Eldo droptop for off road use. A couple trips through Baja , and then an epic 20,000 mile 6 month adventure through most of Mexico right after the great devaluations of 1982. The Peso dropped from 22 to the $ , to almost 150 in 3 great steps. Living was almost free for that drive. What wonderful memories ! A lot of what we saw is no longer there. The car took a tremendous beating , but always continued on. One front axle had to be replaced , and the trans pan was so hammered , it was replaced after the kick down solenoid was smashed by numerous impacts. I carried a spare pan , the lowest point on the tall standing rig , running on 33" BFG All Terrains. I hope to start off January on my last significant road trip. Take the 1927 Cadillac down the Coast , ending up in 'Vegas for the Cadillac-LaSalle Club Grand National in April. I am so whupped that it is somewhat dubious , but you have to have goals. So , DO IT , DO IT , DO IT ! Isn't it rather inexpensive to have a set of chains made up ? Look into that. And yes , there is a bit of directional stability retaining steering with 2 wheel brakes. But again , all else being equal , it is better to lock up the front wheels first , to avoid swapping ends. Just practice a lot in a wide open space. As I say , by the time you are through , you may well be the greatest living expert driving such a car in snow ! Keep learning and loving really old cars. Not too many young people have interest in such antiquities. When you are about twice your age , the supply of great old cars should exceed the demand by a substantial margin. You should be able to have quite a feast for the rest of your life ! Oh , one other tip comes to mind. In a car that has hand brake / emergency brake acting on the rear wheels , not the transmission / driveshaft , you can use it to "lock" the differential to some degree. To pull out of a low traction situation with one wheel spinning , just the right amount of handbrake can sometimes eliminate wheel spin enough to make a difference. A low-tech posi. I'll bet all of us old folk wish we could go with you ! But as long as we are lapsing into impossible wishing , you might as well wish you could have gone with me on any of many road adventures South of the border ! Again , let us all know how things are going. - CC

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Safety considerations aside, have you seen that video of the oil field Dodge?  With chains I would think traction will be pretty decent and you can throw some extra weight in the trunk too.  I would think chains would help with braking/minimize swapping ends..  I do agree that practice in a wide open space is a great idea.

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NEXT : GO FIND A LARGE EMPTY PARKING LOT AND PRACTICE , PRACTICE , PRACTICE UNTIL YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOUR CAR HANDLES IN LOW TRACTION CONDITIONS. PROVOKE EVERY POSSIBLE SITUATION SHORT OF PUTTING IT ON ITS SIDE. DON'T HIT ANYTHING , AND BE SURE THERE ARE NO CURBS OR OTHER OBSTACLES UNDER THE SNOW.

 

 

THIS!!!!  My Dad did exactly this with me when I 1st got my learner's permit.  HAD an absolute blast without damaging the car but got a good feel on how to handle cars in snow.  Invaluable life lesson, I'd say.

 

 

Cort :) www.oldcarsstronghearts.com

pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve | 1979 Caprice Classic  (awaiting new owner)
"I don't know if there'll be snow" __ Burl Ives __ 'Have A Holly Jolly Christmas'
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Glad to know that you will enjoy an experience few dare to try ! Ads are just ads , and safety compared to other cars 90 years ago isn't saying much at all compared to modern , safety engineered cars. Also , let me say a bit about weight in the trunk. This technique sometimes is helpful for straight line traction , particularly in empty pickup truck beds. It will , however , make spin out more likely. Mass concentrations at distance from center of gravity , result in a condition known as high polar moment of inertia. This gives a high initial stability , great for a freeway flyer. In cornering , once such a vehicle starts to slide , it is more difficult to control and recover. This is easily demonstrated by feeling the difference between driving (and trailering) , a vehicle with rear mounted spares (particularly duals) , in place and removed. In fact , I guess if I were driving an old car with rear spares in the snow , I would seriously consider dismounting the spare , and lashing it amidships a-la sidemount , lashing it behind the front seat , or leaving it at home. Your car has a fair amount of weight aft anyway , with the mass of the whole rear end , and the aft bias of the center of gravity of the entire engine , flywheel , clutch , transmission assembly. Make sense ? - Carl

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on the rear i have a rtunk and the 'spare' is mounted on the side. ( when i bought the car the spare 'fell off' but the nuts stayed so i have now a new rim tube but the tire is 4.75-20 very old and has a rip in it im just using it to keep the side spare mount from moving until i can find/afford a new spare. the roads that i will be driving is suburban to rual speed limits vairy from 25-55 and entirly two lane roads.

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I have driven early cars (20 dodge, model a's, 39 Chevrolet, 10 empire) in the snow, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how much control you have.... And thurougly disappointed in your ability to start and stop. The tall/skinny tires give better steering ability than a modern car, but getting moving and stopping can be down right sketchy. I wouldn't mess with ropes and chains... If you have an extra set of tires you could stud them with small carriage bolts, you will then need an oversized set of flaps to go on the OD of the tube to protect it from the studs. That said, you would only be helping yourself get up to speeds that you couldn't stop from! Re-read every post that mentions going slow and have fun. They were made to be driven!

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...

Won't be long now. How are things going ? As you probably know , I put 2700 miles on my 1927 Cadillac sedan last Winter/Spring. No snow for me on that trip. But please don't be shy with pics. Winter scenes with properly placed old cars , framed with backgrounds with no modern cues , are particularly impressive. You are the only guy I know of who takes such an ancient car on snow runs. Fantastic photo opportunities in your part of the country. If you are so inclined : MORE !  On behalf of all of your fans on the AACA forums ,  Thank you ! Be careful.  - Carl

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