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Let it snow

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The last time I saw snow was at USAF survival school, and that cured me of ever wanting to see it again.
 
DocDup1 said:
The last time I saw snow was at USAF survival school, and that cured me of ever wanting to see it again.
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I was stationed at Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, MT for 7 years. It wasn't so much the snow that bothered me as the extreme cold! Having a heater plug installed in your car's cooling system was standard equipment.
 
When I was a school teacher in Wisconsin I couldn't afford an electric block heater ...

block heater.jpg
 
Basil said:
I was stationed at Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, MT for 7 years. It wasn't so much the snow that bothered me as the extreme cold! Having a heater plug installed in your car's cooling system was standard equipment.
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When I was a kid and we lived in the San Luis Valley in Colorado, my dad owned an old 1956 International 4x4 wagon that we used for cutting firewood, hunting, and the like. This old thing had started life as a small school bus for use in the winters by the local school district, Moffat, but had been sold off as many roads became paved and were generally better maintained by the county. Anyway, it was only used on occasion and it was not garaged nor did it have a block heater because of that. So, in the winter when my dad needed it and it was -15F or more out, he would build a small fire under the oil pan and warm the oil and the block up that way. Definitely not something you should try, but it is something I vividly remember.
 
waltesefalcon said:
So, in the winter when my dad needed it and it was -15F or more out, he would build a small fire under the oil pan and warm the oil and the block up that way. Definitely not something you should try, but it is something I vividly remember
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Wow, that’s what I call improvisation!
 
waltesefalcon said:
When I was a kid and we lived in the San Luis Valley in Colorado, my dad owned an old 1956 International 4x4 wagon that we used for cutting firewood, hunting, and the like. This old thing had started life as a small school bus for use in the winters by the local school district, Moffat, but had been sold off as many roads became paved and were generally better maintained by the county. Anyway, it was only used on occasion and it was not garaged nor did it have a block heater because of that. So, in the winter when my dad needed it and it was -15F or more out, he would build a small fire under the oil pan and warm the oil and the block up that way. Definitely not something you should try, but it is something I vividly remember.
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My father in law worked for Sears Roebuck back in the late 1930’s. He said the winters were so cold in Chicago that the lubricants in the engine and transmission would solidify. Sears had a truck on the employee parking lot to push the workers cars around the lot to loosen up the transmission and engine.
 
Gliderman8 said:
My father in law worked for Sears Roebuck back in the late 1930’s. He said the winters were so cold in Chicago that the lubricants in the engine and transmission would solidify. Sears had a truck on the employee parking lot to push the workers cars around the lot to loosen up the transmission and engine.
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I have been to Chicago in the middle of winter and I can believe that.
 
Gliderman8 said:
My father in law worked for Sears Roebuck back in the late 1930’s. He said the winters were so cold in Chicago that the lubricants in the engine and transmission would solidify. Sears had a truck on the employee parking lot to push the workers cars around the lot to loosen up the transmission and engine.
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I do recall an epicly bad storm of my yout. My father had a DKW at a time when front wheel drive was not yet common. He dug out the car and drove to work draggin his rear wheel which was frozen in place. He didn't notice because of the ice on the roads but it sure explained the strange looks he was getting.
 
JPSmit said:
I do recall an epicly bad storm of my yout. My father had a DKW at a time when front wheel drive was not yet common. He dug out the car and drove to work draggin his rear wheel which was frozen in place. He didn't notice because of the ice on the roads but it sure explained the strange looks he was getting.
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From what little I know of the DKW, I think it was a small car so I'm guessing that made things a little easier for your dad to drive under those conditions. That certainly must have been a sight to see!
 
Gliderman8 said:
From what little I know of the DKW, I think it was a small car so I'm guessing that made things a little easier for your dad to drive under those conditions. That certainly must have been a sight to see!
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Yes it was - about the size of a beetle. 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine. 4 speed in the tree. I tried to find it a few years ago (this isn't it) with no success. My father gave it away in 1985 when he retired and moved (the block was cracked so it had sat for about 5 years) I was just a year married and had no place/ tiem to work on it. Plus it was still just a used car in my eyes - I was a couple of years from realizing it was a classic.

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My father's was coral with a white top as per the photo but my father got a cheap paint job. It was supposed to be coral but came back CN Orange. (He worked for CN at the time so I do wonder where he got the work done :D)

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