How cold would you drive?

[tahoe healey]

I woke to 15 degrees, dry roads and sunny. I was thinking of taking the old girl out for a drive (my wife too) as it should warm to mid 40's by late afternoon. Thought we'd drive around the lake, which is 72 miles, to stretch her legs and get her fluids running. Any down sides of driving in the teens and twenties?

 

[elrey]

Black ice.

 

[AUSMHLY]

I woke to 15 degrees, dry roads and sunny. I was thinking of taking the old girl out for a drive (my wife too) as it should warm to mid 40's by late afternoon. Thought we'd drive around the lake, which is 72 miles, to stretch her legs and get her fluids running. Any down sides of driving in the teens and twenties?

Stretch her legs and get her fluids running? You still talking about your wife?

Rich, I grew up in CT where my dad's daily drive was the Healey. He didn't pamper or take care of his car anywhere close to how we baby our cars. They salted the roads in winter (as they most likely do in Tahoe) and because of that, dad's car rusted so badly, that when it got time to trade it in, rust would fall from the rocker panels everytime the drivers or passenger doors were closed.

He drove it in the teens all winter long, and no problems, except for the body rusting away.

Just let the car warm up abit before you take her out for a spin.

Cheers,
Roger Jr.

 

[tahoe healey]

They are not suppose to use salt up here as it will eventually find its way into the lake and destroy the amazing clarity. No black ice at this time.
Thanks

 

[drambuie]

No problem! Cold weather will not hurt your healey a bit, In fact it will run better and deliver a bit more power as well. You will note your idle will run faster in cold weather as well, But no big deal! I run my 67 bj8 with a aluminum radiator in cold weather 32 to 10 degrees all day long! Healeys Love cold weather! My running temps on cold days are 135 to 145 degrees all day long! personaly, I worry when driving in Hot temps 90 and above..... heat really saps the horse power and is hard on everything! Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy cold weather driving, Your healey will enjoy it too! Michael, Illinois.

 

[TimK]

Will it start? 20w-50 oil gets pretty thick...

If it starts, go for it. I put mine up for the winter (Nov-April).

 

[BJ7archaeologist]

Back in eastern Iowa I used to drive my 1957 100-6 to college and also to play ice hockey back in the late 1970s, all winter long. It was usually 10-30 degrees F but the coldest was 10-15 below zero F. The top was torn and tattered and was held together by a bunch of duct tape which would inevitably give way under such severe temps and fly back off the car. Several times I had to reach out over the front of the windshield and scrape the ice off just to see where i was going.
My brother had a 63 BJ7 in central Iowa when he was going to college in the late 60s. We lived on a hill and he always parked way up on the hill because his starter motor was bad and he had to roll down the hill and pop start the car. If there was snow he would have to shovel a couple tracks in the snow for the tires to catch on the pavement when the clutch was popped On really cold mornings he said that his head would touch the canvass top as the seat foam was frozen. Once his ass and the exhaust would heat it up he would sink down to a normal riding height.
Randy

 

[bighealeysource]

Don't want to gloat but had the Healey out yesterday and today as it was 72 and sunny both days !!! Even had the windscreen folded ! Of course me gloating about this gets paid back during hurricane season down here in coastal South Carolina.

 

[John Turney]

Don't want to gloat but had the Healey out yesterday and today as it was 72 and sunny both days !!! Even had the windscreen folded ! Of course me gloating about this gets paid back during hurricane season down here in coastal South Carolina.

I think you just made the hurricane season worse this year.

 

[tahoe healey]

Change of venue. No trip around the lake. Was 22 this morning. Decided to go the the El Dorado foot hill wine country. Six wineries (out of 40 to 50) and no crowds due to Superball. Warmed to 50 down there, back home for kick off. She ran beautifully on the back winding roads. Or maybe it was just the wine.

 

[dougsmarkIII]

Back in1967-1980 Austin Healeys were my everyday drivers. First a 65 BJ8, later a 67 BJ8. This is in the Denver CO metro area. Sometimes I would take the battery inside when the temps got below 0 degrees F.

Winter time temps here can get 24º below 0 F. I had a 22-mile one way to work, never missed work because my Healeys would not start. This was over a 10-12 year period. Used several tricks, 100 W light bulb under the hood, heated dip sticks etc. One time I used a Coleman two-burner stove under the pan for a while. Always made it home also. Never used 20W-50 oil, I had always used 10W-40 in my cars.

The Healeys with Mitchelin X tires were great in the snow and ice, It would go around cars that couldn't get up slick hills.

After 8-years of use and abuse, and some rust, restored the 67 BJ8. later in 1980 traded it in for a 1974 Mercedes 450 SL convertible. Got $8,000 trade in towards the $16,000 Mercedes.

Doug

 

[RonR]

I organize a monthly top down/no side curtain lunch drive for any roadster car in our metro area. It was 22 degrees when we left the house in the Healey for our February drive which took about 30 minutes to get to the restaurant.

40 years ago when the Healey was the only car I owned, I kept the top up and the side curtains on in the winter.

 

[Jim_Newman]

New Year's Day 1961.
I was home for the holidays in Peterborough, Ontario with my BN2 daily driver parked in the parent's driveway.
The top was up, the side screens in place and the temperature was <span style="font-weight: bold">-30F</span>.
I was asked to move my car so my Dad could get his car out of the garage to go someplace.
Dressed like I was about to go skiing, I approached the frozen Healey and opened the flap on the side screen to get the driver door open. The plastic flap shattered into a dozen or so pieces - but I did get in the car.
Turned key on, click click click sounded unenthusiastic, pushed starter button and yes - she burst (well not exactly "burst") into life.
I then drove my Dad to wherever it was he needed to go because his car, in the (unheated) garage wouldn't start.
Ah memories of LBCs and family.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

We turned around.

 

[tahoe healey]

Bob, I've done that on several trips back from the Autumn Classic in mid October. But I've always started in warmer climate. Of course, no chains but Healeys handle very well in snow.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

So I've heard. Unfortunately, I was running on tread-bare Vredesteins--trying to get one last season out of them--and had no traction whatsoever.

 

[tahoe healey]

Brave man!