VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 glad its not 1928

I'm glad its not 1928 today and driving around in the national with the 2' of snow we are getting here in Chicago.

Actually,.... it might not have been so bad, you more than likely would not have been stuck in the airport, nor faceing a 40 minute to an hour commute to your work place...back in 1928. You probably could have latched your five buckle overshoes and slipped into your overcoat and wrapped a wool scarf around your neck and your bowler hat and chugged over 5 or 10 blocks to the plant, the mill, or your office.

I'm just glad it's not 1935 with this snow because maybe my Dad wouldn't of got home that night and I wouldn't be here. Scary, huh????

You would be suprised how well these old cars do in the snow especially if you had the tire chains on. We got tons of ice here in West central IN in this storm and I had to move my 28 down to my Girlfriends place a few blocks over to get it away from trees and large diameter phone trunk lines. Fired right up and off I went on glaze ice. Just a little slipping when taking off. I drove it a month ago in some deep snow we got and it did well then too. Now for the rest of the story... The rear fenders on my 28 have dents in them from someone driving with loose tire chains back in the day!

I remember a story from my parents, My Grandfather died in Dec. of 1932, during a big blizzard and ice storm, and they along with my mother's sister and husband drove from Tonkawa OK to Oregon county Mo. and back, in my uncle's 4 door 1929 Ford, The Ford had no heater. "We made the trip fine, but we liked to of froze!"....They couldn't take my Dad's 29 Chevy because it was a coupe (with a heater). My Dad never ever had a car without a "Good heater" after that. In fact he also installed an underseat heater in all his cars, right up until he bought a 53 and he couldn't find an accessory heater for it.
I remember how nice and toasty the 48 DeSoto was in the back seat with the underseat heater.

Want to swap? 130+ in the sun(not kidding)now 4 days in a row down here in Aus. Like you blokes the 28 stays in the garage.
Chris

Years back I drove my 26 Chev pick up in the cold and snow. Axel broke! Seems it was a common occurrence because the forging compound for the metal was too brittle. Al W.

Ok, C-guroo, I'll think about you when I am stamping thru the snow!
Superbowl week in North Texas and the Steeler and Packer fans all brought shorts to wear this week in Texas. I remember what happened at the VCCA BOD meeting in Arlington a few years back. Billy Boy Barker couldn't believe all the bright sunny weather, on the drive to the hotel.

Packers fans will be all right in shorts. I was at a swap meet in Jefferson WI one spring. They got 6 inches of snow on fri afternoon late through morning and totally covered all my parts. That morning guys were out brushing snow off stuff and some even identified parts that were still covred just by the outline in the snow and were buying stuff like crazy. Later that day around noon I saw several girls acually wearing bikini tops to get a little sun since it warmed up to the 60s. Funny bit was they were also wearing muck boots! It was sure sloppy that day and lots of people got stuck leaving Sun. Those crazy cheeseheads! We have some of the slickest ice going here right now. Covering everything.

Well, they were gripeing here yesterday, it was 8 or 10 degrees colder in DFW yesterday than Pittsburg or Green Bay. They were expecting balmy tropical breezes rather than 15 degrees and 20mph winds from the North. It has been below freezing since Tuesday morning and I am already tired of it! Glad it isn't like this week after week!
I was in Michigan one June and the folks at a flea market were all in shorts, and their legs were white as snow, they hadn't seem a lot of sunshine.

I bet they were gripeing, go all that way for some warm 60 deg and get more of what they have back home. I griped a bit at Chickasha last spring when the blizzard hit Oklahoma, but my knee was so messed up and swollen up like a watermellon, I couldn't drive home anyway and just shacked up in the hotel for a few days and waited it out and let the swelling in my knee go down some. That was a long drive home with 4 people and the 80lb labrador in the cab of the 71 Chevy truck and a knee that was shooting screaming pain with every bump in the road.

I bet that wasn't one of your most enjoyable trips. I hope you found some good stuff up in OK, and that you got that knee fixed.

I realize it is not quite the right year but one of the members in the CRR (Portland/Vancouver) told me that when it snows he takes his '31 coupe out because it is the only car he has chains for. Also they are easier to install on the wire wheels with the car so high. I just thought it was a funny story. I'm sure it makes a lot of people look and stare.

My 28 coach came from St.Paul Min. and had a set of snow chains with it and they were shinny on the edges so I guess they'd been used. I'll never use them here as we don't get snow. Do you guys know that 75% of Aussies have never seen snow!
BTW when I mentioned driving home in 120+ we've just gone through an Aussie record of 6 days over 100 in a row, (one got to to 140 odd and blew the mercury out of the thermometer)and even had 99% one night at midnight.
Chris

I love going to Chickasha.Lot of really neat stuff shows up there. I did pick up a couple small items and a 28 chevy front fender for $5 because the guy ran out of room in his truck. Friday (at the show) I decided I had better give the place a walk through even though my kneee was hurting so I put on knee wraps and off I went. Looking for mostly mid 20s Oldsmobile parts since they are very scarce and Chickasha is one of the only places I ever found any. Most people don't even know what a 24 Olds looks like let alone what that pile of parts they have been tripping over for years fits so I basicly have to see them in person, plus it is a 10-12 hour one way drive. Turned out to be a very bad move and at the end of the day It was "done in". Took several weeks of elevation and keeping off of it and has been bothersome ever since but at least I am not in agony anymore. The tendon is stretched and the knee flops around in the socket so I have to keep braces on it and be very careful with it. Bad news is no health insurance so no, it isn't fixed, but I am not down for the count yet. I went ice skating yesterday and most likely went about 10-15 miles around that rink. Feels great today! Haven't skated for over 20 years and thought I was going to be sore, but not even that! God does take care of small children and idiots! (especially idiots with bad kness on ice skates!) I first noticed kneee problems about 15 years ago when I was working as a mechanic in a buzy shop. Too much on my knees on a cold concrete floor setting the lift under cars.

Bob,

Sounds like it's time to get an electric cart that you can ride and can also pull a wagon to fill with goodies! Make it look like a curved-dash OLDs. ;-)

All my best, Dean

"No insurance" I know the feeling, I retired and had a short period of no insurance between Cobra and Medicare! Hang in there and before you know it you will be old enough for Medicare, or maybe ObamaCare. In the meantime maybe you will come upon a scooter at a garage sale. Old folks die all the time before they wear out their scooters. Their children are very interested in cashing them out!

I remember reading about a endurance challenge by Chevrolet going from Cape Town, South Africa to Stockholm, Sweden going over the toughest roads to prove how great their cars are. I have been thinking it would be great to try that drive in 2028. I should be almost done restoring my '28 touring! I think this time I will try to stick on the paved roads and take about a month rather than the nine months they did. Anyone want to come along?

Think you need to make it much sooner than 2028 for any of us to participate. Don't think I will be up to it at 83 even if the '28 is ready to go.

Chipper, cut the negative stuff. As you know I am over that
age and will see you in Louisiana next month. Look for the yellow rag top.

Hey Roy,

Look forward to seeing you and "mom". Tell her a big HUG is waiting.

Don't have to look for the Yellow Rag Top, with that paint job it stands out like a sore thumb. Besides thought that yellow '69 had a black rag top. Just kidding!

I didn't think I would ever see it when 773H froze over. Got to think it was at least close this year. Tomorrow is supposed to be the second day this week with low over freezing. And they call this "semi-tropical" climate? Outside pet water still has ice on it. Back closer to the subject.

I plan to be able to tour when I am a ripe old age (what ever that means). Cape Town to Stockholm in a '28 seems to be a bit much even now. I am sure Cathy would go if we could scrape up the dough and I would be game to try it. But in 17 years??????

Granted 17 years is a long wait. Just that right now for me I am in Iraq this year. I don't expect to retire out of the military till 2020. Maybe sometime around then. But I won't claim monopoly on the idea. It is a idea I've been toying with the last year. It's about 6500 miles as the bird flies, closer to 8000 if you take a similar route. Lots of issues involved. Looking back it really was a historic achievement. Main guy's name was Gordon Makepeace. Not exactly a safe passage then or now for that matter.

Too old? How about a last great adventure?

Well, if the Russian asteroid or Mayan curse does not get us next year, maybe we can have a tune-up tour across Texas. Then one a few years later across the USA. That way we will be ready. Sorta like preparing for a marathon. You don't just jump in there and run 26+ miles on a freshly repaired pair of old sneakers. At least I don't, yet!

A four-cylinder tour across the USA! Sounds good to me. My '28 truck is not ready now, but will be soon. Maybe different regional clubs could sponsor different legs of the trip.

Cheers, Dean

Since 2011 has a bunch of stuff already planned, why don't we start an around the USA progressive tour for 2012. We can start maybe in the Southern CA in the late Spring then tour around the country ending back where we started. Each Region or VCCA Area can sponsor the tour in their part of the country. Any VCCA member can join where ever they want and leave whenever they want. Maybe we can get a few of the V-8s out of their garages to pickup the parts that fall off our 4 bangers. Those V-8 folks seem to complain that there is nothing in the VCCA for them to do.

It can be the featured event for the beginning of our next 50 years.