My FIL who lives with us likes to tell us stories of his youth. 1933-34 he was running a portable feed mill mounted on a 29 Chev truck that always started, but on very cold mornings there in central Iowa, he would take the engine oil and warm it on the cookstove so that he could even begin to hand crank the 4 cyl Waukeshau on the feed grinder. Once he got it started, he would then drive over to the windmill and put water in the radiator.
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Goose
Well-known Member
How old is your FIL? I was born in 1934 and I'm 74, so your FIL would have to be in his early 90's, maybe?
I remember my father draining the radiator on our Model A Ford when it was below freezing because we had no anti-freeze. Then when he wanted to use it again, he would heat a 5 gallon bucket of water on the kitchen stove and pour it in the radiator of the Model A.
That would warm the engine enough to start easily, plus the temp would be up enough so the radiator wouldn't freeze. Now when I go to work in the morning in sub-zero weather, I simply back the car out of the garage and take off down the road without a second thought.
I remember my father draining the radiator on our Model A Ford when it was below freezing because we had no anti-freeze. Then when he wanted to use it again, he would heat a 5 gallon bucket of water on the kitchen stove and pour it in the radiator of the Model A.
That would warm the engine enough to start easily, plus the temp would be up enough so the radiator wouldn't freeze. Now when I go to work in the morning in sub-zero weather, I simply back the car out of the garage and take off down the road without a second thought.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Makes you wonder what these older fella's that lived through all this weather and economic times that were worse than we can imagine, and do it with far less conveiniance and technogy think of the woes we complain about. They probably think we are all a bunch of pansies.
When I was a kid, there was an old fella who lived across the road and south of us about 200 yards. Dick hadn't done much that looked like work in several years. He had an old Model A Ford car that he would fire up every morning and head for the local community about 2 miles away where he would loaf the morning away at the store, or more likely the general repair garage. Every morning, about 8:00, we'd hear the old Ford fire up and rattle away. In the winter time, when it was too cold for it to start easily, he would take a scoop shovel full of kindling, add some coals from the big Globe coal stove they had in the house, and push the shovel under the engine to warm it up! Then he'd go back in the house to wait a few minutes for it to get up to starting temperature.
One morning, Dad glanced out the kitchen window and said "There's smoke coming from Dick's car!" Sure enough, within seconds, we saw Dick pushing the car off the scoop shovel and throwing some water under the hood! With the fire out, he started it, and went about his usual routine.
One morning, Dad glanced out the kitchen window and said "There's smoke coming from Dick's car!" Sure enough, within seconds, we saw Dick pushing the car off the scoop shovel and throwing some water under the hood! With the fire out, he started it, and went about his usual routine.
my Grandpa Pickens came to Geneseo Il from West Virginia when he was 21.
the first day here he and brother walked the train tracks to railroad station the station master said what's wrong with you boys? it's 31 below zero.
Grandpa said we knew it was cold but not that cold.
i think we made a record low here today - 27. we might get to 0 later today. Oh my gosh Al is right global warming!
the first day here he and brother walked the train tracks to railroad station the station master said what's wrong with you boys? it's 31 below zero.
Grandpa said we knew it was cold but not that cold.
i think we made a record low here today - 27. we might get to 0 later today. Oh my gosh Al is right global warming!
moonlite 37
Member
I had a great uncle who would drop a little lump of carbide in a can lid with a few drops of water and place near the air intake then turn the crank and it always started.
When I was a kid, my old neighbor was trying to show his wife how to drive their Plymouth. She finally got it going after killing the motor a couple times when she let out the clutch too fast. Then she got it in 2nd gear, then 3rd. She got it stopped at the first stop sign. Then her husband told her to put the shift lever back into first gear...she looked at him and said "I already did that.". Another time she tried to back up, she hit the gas and the car shot in reverse and ended up in their garden. One old guy rode the clutch so bad in town that the motor would be roaring and he would only be doing about 20 mph...when we heard him coming we always said "Here comes the moose". For us kids in the late 1940s that was high comedy!
Our old German neighbor talked broken English; he told a mechanic "Don"t monkey mit the carbarator, you give me throuble for 3 veeks".
Our old German neighbor talked broken English; he told a mechanic "Don"t monkey mit the carbarator, you give me throuble for 3 veeks".
One more: True story.
In early 1950s it was a very bitter winter spell. I want into our local auto "garage" and saw a car wheel & tire and it looked like someone took a big bandsaw and sheared off a healthy slice of the whole works. It was sheared off way thru the steel rim. I asked how that happened. Garage mechanic told me "Oh, that old stubborn German was visiting his neighbor last night, and he went to go home and the front tire was froze solid and would not turn. He said "I vanted to go home and I vent home". He skidded that wheel for over a mile of gravel road.
In early 1950s it was a very bitter winter spell. I want into our local auto "garage" and saw a car wheel & tire and it looked like someone took a big bandsaw and sheared off a healthy slice of the whole works. It was sheared off way thru the steel rim. I asked how that happened. Garage mechanic told me "Oh, that old stubborn German was visiting his neighbor last night, and he went to go home and the front tire was froze solid and would not turn. He said "I vanted to go home and I vent home". He skidded that wheel for over a mile of gravel road.
Reminds me of my great uncle telling of the time he got into trouble in the 8th grade. Teacher had the parents come into school and the parents reassured the teacher he wouldn't be in any more trouble. He would spend the rest of the winter working in the woods at home. Well about three weeks later a friend stopped by to see how thigs were going. Uncle said he'd give anything to be back in school. Didn't matter what the temperature or the weather was, he was working in the woods 6 days a week. Old man changed teams of horses three times during the day, but he didn't change Sebert's. Sebert had to go all day long!
Glen D Anderson
Member
Most old timers around here all drained their oil and water(no antifreeze back then) at night into pails and brought them into the house, heated them up on the stove in the morning, and poured them back into the engine.................Some said they would leave the oil in the engine and pour a pail of hot water in the crankcase in the morning, leaving it sit for a bit so the water would settle to the bottom and to heat up the oil, then finally draining the water from the crankcase before starting the engine.............
Then of course the "fire technique" was employed regularly but not without the occasional accident..............
What the old timers would have given for the new winter oils, block heaters, and good batteries..........
Then of course the "fire technique" was employed regularly but not without the occasional accident..............
What the old timers would have given for the new winter oils, block heaters, and good batteries..........
He was born in 1915, graduated HS in 1933 now 94 and blind spends most of the day in his wheelchair and is being taken care of by his 90 year old wife. We moved them into our newly finished master bedroom and bath and we all work at getting along well. She couldn't(shouldn't) drive anymore as of last winter. Moved them from their farm in cent.IA and am still trying to cram their 60yrs of stuff in with our 40yrs of stuff!! Our house is set up with wide doors and such. I myself was born in 1935 and remember Dad leaving the 29 Chevy out by the road a 1/4 mile of driveway from the house. Horse blanket over the engine to keep the snow out from under the hood. So we are four old folks living in the country and none of us can remember what we had for lunch but the stories still fly. Leonard
i can relate to this just after my younger sister completed the drivers ed course in high school[ the first year they offered it] she came to ask me "what is 4th gear in the pickup for" i was momentarily speachless by such a question, so i asked her what do you think its for? she said she didnt know since the drivers ed car used for standard transmission training only had 3 gears, "and 1st gear was for going uphill,2nd was for going on flat road and 3rd was for going downhill" much aprehensive, i went to look at what they were using to train with,and had a good laugh seems somebody had donated a very USED 1956 chevy 4 dr sedan with 3 on the tree and inline 6 that smoked like a steam engine, she was promptly taught better my me and our dad, lol
Paul from MI
Well-known Member
I was about 16, had a few brutally cold days in Ohio. Dad really wanted to spread manure so we tried to start the old Allis B. It just wouldn't turn over on the starter, so I tried cranking while Dad hit the starter. Still no luck!! All this took a while in a very cold tractor shed. Finally I removed all of the spark plugs, got some gas squirted in the cylinders. Replaced the plugs and tried the same drill, me cranking & Dad on the starter. After quite a bit of cranking it popped off and started. Dad immediately pushed off the choke and killed it. Had to start the whole process all over again and even colder this time. I was not very happy with Dad that day.
Paul
Paul
Wasn't just the starting, but the driving. When I had first car 54 ford, worked downtown detroit, must have been zero or below. Push clutch down, fight shift into low. Release clutch, it don't come up. Pull clutch up, creep along. Shift to second with great exertion. Same thing clutch don't return. Pull it up and hope high don't repeat this performance. All the while windows won't roll down. Heater not doing anyhing. Try to keep doors closed with both hands. The locks are frozen again. Steering takes both hands and a lot of small hernias. Speedometer cable wont shut up. Along comes snow plow and covers you up. Stop and scrape and start all over again. Fords didn't take to cold weather at all.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Back in the fiftys we lived outside of town and near by they were doing a large construction job. Well it got super cold and there was a big snow storm. So it was decided they were to use the const. equip. to move the snow. Nothing would start because of the cold. Dad was in town and he told them he could get engines started. No one believed him. First thing he did was tell the cop to come with him to the drug store. He went into the drug store and told them he wanted either capsuls. The druggist said no. Dad told the cop to make the druggist let him have the either. Finally the druggist let him have the either. This was before you could get starting fluid easily in a spray can. The capsuls did the trick.
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