to drive or not to drive.....

[Okiejoe86]

So it is 97 in Tulsa at the moment. I drove to a car meet last night when it was around 90 degrees and the car did pretty well. She got a little warm but not to bad, as long as I kept moving.

I was just curious... Do yall ever drive your classics when it hot enough outside to fry an egg on the sidewalk??

-Joe

[kmul221]

Not if I am going to be in heavy traffic,I miss air conditioning in these old cars,spoiled by modern cars I guess.

[Commander Eddie]

It does not get that hot very often here in the Northwest, however, when it does I try to avoid driving my Studebakers if I don't need to. It is for my comfort. The car and truck don't care how hot it is.

[jclary]

If your vehicle is in proper operating condition, it should be fine. What I have found, on my vehicles, is that idle speed plays an important role in traffic. There seems to be a "sweet spot," that allows the fan to rotate at enough speed to cool the water. If you go too low in idle speed, the engine will heat up. On my truck, I have a hand throttle that enables me to adjust my idle speed on the fly.

There is an idle "RPM" spec for these engines, but, unless you have a tach, most of us set them at what seems right. You might want to take an evening while it is hot, to experiment with idle speed and see if you can find where it performs best, without the stress of worrying about getting stranded away from home.

[T.J lavallee]

Took my 59' Lark out a few days ago when we broke the heat record here in the Sonoran desert at 108 degrees for the first week in June. I wanted to see if the car would run cool with the new three row aluminum radiator we dropped in last fall. The Lark didn't seem to mind the heat but I couldn't take it for long! It ran at normal temp (gauge just shy of the middle) while on the road. I high tailed it back to the shaded car port at home and left it idling for ten minutes watching the gauge periodically and it moved the needle to just past center but never climbed any higher. Flushing the motor block completely seems to have paid off along with the radiator installation.

[345 DeSoto]

Keeping MY fingers crossed. I bought an aluminum radiator for my Sky Hawk, and the block is being cooked clean before rebuild. We shall see what we shall see...

[raprice]

I try not to drive my Stude in very hot and humid weather unless it's a very important club event. However, I'm jealous of a friend of mine who owns an air-conditioned Avanti.
Rog

[Lynn]

Hey Joe; I am just about 25 miles down the road from you here in Guthrie.

I don't shy away from driving because of the vehicles. I don't believe any of them overheat. But, I just don't drive any of my classics (other than the turbo Bimmer... which does have A/C) very often because I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to heat. My 68 El Camino came with factory A/C, and I am looking forward to getting it working.

[Xcalibur]

I drive 'em in the heat... were you asking if it's a problem for me or the car? Doesn't matter either way to me.

[studeclunker]

Honestly, you people! Such wimps! Have none of you heard of four-by-sixty Air Conditiong???
Every classic came with it installed, GRATIS!!

If you can't take 108 out there in Arid-zona, then you wouldn't be able to take a Redding, Ca summer at 120 degrees! Yeah, happens every summer anymore. Yes, my Champ has operated well at that temp, cracked head and all! Both it and Bess (56 Commander Parkview) have been regularly driven in hundred-plus temps quite a lot and do very well. The Champ even towed a loaded trailer (firewood) from Oak Run to Fawn Lodge with Redding in the middle at 106 summer before last. It was so wonderful topping Buckhorn Pass and the temp dropping almost twenty degrees!

Now to be honest, just after I got Bess, I took out the freeze plugs and replaced them. In the process she got as thoroughly cleaned out as I was able. You wouldn't believe the sand and wire I got out of her engine! Both have either new or rebuilt radiators and new thermostats. So, though mine aren't the most lovely to look at, they are set up as best as I can afford to handle heat. Opening the valves for both heater and defroster helps if they're heating up (at intersections) also. I once had a '64 wagon that would heat up no matter the outside temp. She would run hot, but never did over-heat. George King in Grant's Pass Or, has that car and engine now.

[JoeHall]

Heat is a non-issue for me, since all my Studes have had AC for many years now. The 56J was the last to receive it, almost 20 years ago. If using AC in 90+ temps, the entire cooling system must be in optimal condition, and include every HD component available. When I lived in the desert southwest, I installed a 16" electrical pusher fan in front of the condenser, with an on/of switch below the dash. I also tinted the windows.

Beware, Stude AC is not same as modern car AC: Hawks leak the cold air to the outside like a sieve. In any Stude with under dash unit, front seat area is bearable. But the back seat is near unbearable, with temp there about 20 degree hotter, though tinted windows help.

With an excellent, HD cooling system, it is possible to run AC up to about 120 degrees outside. But it puts the motor at borderline max operating temp, even when moving. If stuck in stopped traffic: shut the AC off, pusher fan on, heater on hi, and open the windows, till moving again.

[SN-60]

In the C/K's, those vent windows 'opened wide' provide pretty marvy ventilation! (That is, while you're moving!)

[GrumpyOne]

So it is 97 in Tulsa at the moment. I drove to a car meet last night when it was around 90 degrees and the car did pretty well. She got a little warm but not to bad, as long as I kept moving.

I was just curious... Do yall ever drive your classics when it hot enough outside to fry an egg on the sidewalk??

-Joe

You bet! Heat never deterred me from driving a Studebaker even here in Texas. And to boot... I've never had a Stude with A/C!

[55 56 PREZ 4D]

the block is being cooked clean before rebuild. ...

Even though the block is going to be cleaned, it would behoove you to dig, poke, flush, scrape, then dig, poke and flush over and over again till the innerds are spanking clean. You will be amazed at how much crud comes out of all the nooks and crannies.

[Okiejoe86]

I am loving all the feed back!!! Good to hear people still drive their cars in all climates!! Happy driving everyone!! I have a photo shoot with mine this Saturday morning in the heat. I'll post the pictures when I get them!