"Inadvisable" Idea Dept?

[BobPalma]

Few ideas have garnered the range of opinions that this stupidity has aroused since the inaugural event last year:

http://autoweek.com/article/car-life/bust-your-classic-car-out-winter-storage-because-drive-home-ii-coming-through-your?utm_source=DailyDrive20161216&utm_medium=enewsletter&utm_term=headline-center&utm_content=body&utm_campaign=awdailydrive

The following observation from the above preview will amuse any native midwesterners who, for decades, have watched cars crumble to reddish-brown piles of rust before their very eyes:

All along last year’s route, a handful of hardy souls busted their cars out [sic] winter storage and came out to fraternize (big shoutout to those Mustang club guys in Chicago!). As far as we know, nobody’s ride self-destructed after a few hours of contact with slightly salty roads and subzero temps. It'd be great if even more people ventured out this time around, so keep that battery charged up, ready your can of starting fluid and plan on rendezvousing with the Drive Home crew when they pass through your town.

Right. "Slightly salty roads" is akin to being slightly pregnant.

I remember a deceased SDC member's brand new Bordeaux Red, 1964 R2/Powershift Super Hawk looking as good as new in the spring of 1965 after having been driven every day over a year in all manner of urban and suburban Chicago weather, including to work in Chicago and back all winter on probably the saltiest thoroughfares imaginable. Today, that car exists only as a Serial Number plate, Title, and Body Tag, although I understand those artifacts are being used to recreate it using [understandably] about zero of the original car.

It may be correctly said that the three subject cars being driven under these conditions are the museum's cars and they can do whatever they want to with them. I couldn't agree more...but that doesn't validate the idea to do so as a good one.

(Lest anyone think I'm being snooty or protective about our cars being used, remember: I encourage people to have their youngsters hop up in the open area of my Wagonaire so they can look around...and photograph them in there if they like, since most people want to and it gives the kids a happy attachment to what their folks are doing after having been told "don't touch" most of the day since they arrived.) BP

[benaslopoke]

I love most any car from the 50's among the most cherished were the 57 GM brands.. I noticed the Chevy did loose it's cable operated windshield wipers on the trek.. Some things never change !!

[StudeDave57]

Honestly-- with two of those three cars- who cares?
Seeing as they can practically be built out of a catalog- I sure don't.
Also- that museum is more than capable of maintaining them to a degree of 'nice' that we can only dream of.

And let's be realistic here~
They also likely have access to more than one of each of those cars.

We can ask next Summer.

But let's also be nice about it.
They're pitching in BIG TIME for SDC's International Meet next year....

[63 R2 Hawk]

Sounds like a fun trip...as long as it's not my car....! I am glad the slug huggers here in Oregon don't want salt being used on Oregon's winter highways and harming the slugs, it has helped preserve my 50+ year old Hawk in a relatively rust-free condition. I wouldn't want to drive it in the "rust belt unless it was on dry summer days. Dad always had a "summer car" and a "winter car", the latter was an older sacrificial rust bucket that he would throw away after a couple of years. Once the salt creeps in between panels and catch places, you can never completely remove it and the damage will continue every time it rains or gets wet.

[hausdok]

The Lemay has sheds full of old cars that are unrestored. In some sheds they are stacked two or three high on racks. People around here donate cars to them sometimes and sometimes they accept them. I know one guy who donated more than 30 old Buicks to their store of old cars. They can drive 'em if they want to or they can stick them in the sheds and wait for their annual fund-raising open house/auction. They could have gone out into the sheds and checked out and test drove dozens of cars before settling on those three. Most of us don't have that luxury.

There isn't a lot of salt used on roads in Washington State. Old cars here can be pretty solid. Driving them to Detroit and back once doesn't do the kind of damage that years of Midwestern and New England winters do to cars. I could understand one's reluctance, if that person lived in the Midwest, New York or New England to take a really nice car out in the dead of winter. It sounds like fun but maybe go onto CL, find an old car for cheap, make sure it's got a few thousand left in it, change the oil, tune it up, adjust the brakes, flush the cooling system, do the Drive Home and then put it back on CL and sell it along. You get to participate, have a good time, and then let someone else enjoy the old car that you didn't just spend a fortune restoring.

[SN-60]

It's all in the preparation boys! Studebakers were built to be used!...... (45++ year "year round" New England Studebaker driver )

[63 R2 Hawk]

Sounds like a fun trip...as long as it's not my car....! I am glad the slug huggers here in Oregon don't want salt being used on Oregon's winter highways and harming the slugs, it has helped preserve my 50+ year old Hawk in a relatively rust-free condition. I wouldn't want to drive it in the "rust belt unless it was on dry summer days. Dad always had a "summer car" and a "winter car", the latter was an older sacrificial rust bucket that he would throw away after a couple of years. Once the salt creeps in between panels and catch places, you can never completely remove it and the damage will continue every time it rains or gets wet.

I guess I spoke too soon about using salt on Oregon's roads. In the aftermath of Wednesday's two inch snowfall "Carmageddon" disaster, Oregon has decided they now need to use salt on the roads......

[StudeDave57]

The Lemay has sheds full of old cars that are unrestored. In some sheds they are stacked two or three high on racks. People around here donate cars to them sometimes and sometimes they accept them. I know one guy who donated more than 30 old Buicks to their store of old cars. They can drive 'em if they want to or they can stick them in the sheds and wait for their annual fund-raising open house/auction. They could have gone out into the sheds and checked out and test drove dozens of cars before settling on those three. Most of us don't have that luxury.

There isn't a lot of salt used on roads in Washington State. Old cars here can be pretty solid.

Keep in mind- America's Car Museum and the LeMay Family Collection are two different entities. Sorta. Do they co-mingle their collections? Yup. I still don't understand where exactly the separation is- but they are indeed separate.

I also gotta add something about the use of salt. They didn't in the past- but Washington State, some counties and/or cities within do indeed use salt now. I've been driving around in what's left of last weeks three snowfall events for over a week now- trust me-- it's on our roads...

It's all in the preparation boys! Studebakers were built to be used!......
(45++ year "year round" New England Studebaker driver )

For once-- we agree on something!!!




StudeDave '57

[GrumpyOne]

Salt and chemicals was a big factor with my decision to leave New England and move to Texas. When one goes to a boneyard and sixty year old nuts 'n bolts turn willingly as if they had just been installed, well, it's just heaven!

As I look back to when I left in 1990, I realize that I made the right decision for the rust issue and a couple of other considerations such as economics and one that cannot be discussed here.

I hold my nose every time I go back for a visit and after a week or two, I cannot wait to get back to good ol' Texas!

[SN-60]

Salt and chemicals was a big factor with my decision to leave New England and move to Texas. When one goes to a boneyard and sixty year old nuts 'n bolts turn willingly as if they had just been installed, well, it's just heaven!

As I look back to when I left in 1990, I realize that I made the right decision for the rust issue and a couple of other considerations such as economics and one that cannot be discussed here.

I hold my nose every time I go back for a visit and after a week or two, I cannot wait to get back to good ol' Texas!

I've heard many positive things about Texas, but as far as actually moving there, well, I've never been much good at learning foreign languages!.....Good luck!

[BobPalma]

"Salt corrosion" per James Bond at 0:00:40:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMqP7v0uSFU&feature=youtu.be

BP

[SN-60]

Sorry, but I can't be bothered with half a minute of Volvo advertising to finally hear what Bond has to say!

[Packard53]

GrumpyOne: I had a grandson that moved to Austin and was there about 2 years. Went down to visit him in November of 2015. The only two things that I like about Austin during my visit was the Circuit of the Americas and the vintage car racing they had while I was there. The other good part about Austin was getting to air port and catching my flight out of Austin. My grandson had enough of Austin and moved back home. My wife asked me how I liked my visit to Texas I told the Yellow Rose of Texas can kiss my rear end.

John S.

[345 DeSoto]

In Upstate NY, you can see salt in the cracks in the roads until July! And that's for real...

[hausdok]

Cool clip, Bob.

Guess that's one Bond movie I didn't see. Gonna have to look it up on Netflicks or Amazon.