Looks like the T-Bird is gonna have a taste of winter

Topic: Looks like the T-Bird is gonna have a taste of winter (Read 3472 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Looks like the T-Bird is gonna have a taste of winter

Reply #15 – December 20, 2004, 07:58:18 PM

We had one major storm in November (65 cm or 26"), but it has long melted away. It was major because it was wet and heavy and brought down a bunch of transmission towers, resulting in week-long power outages for hundreds of thousands of people - kinda like your ice storm of '98 but on a much smaller scale.

Right now the ground is 100% bare and the temp has been in the low double digits (or mid-high 50's in fahrenheit) until today, when it was only about 2 or 3 (about 34-36 F). According to the weather forecast it's supposed to be cold tomorrow, then warm up into the teens again on Wednesday and stay that way until Boxing Day. No white Christmas for us, which is fine by me in my 4X4-less state

Re: Looks like the T-Bird is gonna have a taste of winter

Reply #16 – December 20, 2004, 10:49:44 PM

good send your snow my way then plowing is my only income right now

Re: Looks like the T-Bird is gonna have a taste of winter

Reply #17 – December 21, 2004, 06:00:45 PM

Looks like you've already made up your mind, but if I had a car that was virtually unreplaceable(in its condition)it would never see the first snow flake. Any chance you could pull the rear drive shaft and just have front wheel drive(yea I saw the part anout the front D/S). If its just too far gone, get something financed and pay it off ASAP. Guess you can tell, I despise any amount of rust.

Re: Looks like the T-Bird is gonna have a taste of winter

Reply #18 – December 21, 2004, 07:22:11 PM

Tom: One thing that has made the decision easier was the knowledge that come spring the car is getting painted anyway (the paint is very hazy). The FWD option right now is an emergency-use-only thing - if the rear fails entirely I'll yank the rear driveshaft and limp it home on the front. It has a severe vibration at over 40MPH in 4WD because of that worn driveshaft and the worn axle joint, so it's not a long-term solution.

Financing is not an option either. After I bought my '91 new I made a vow that I'd never make another payment on a car and I'm not about to start now. I'm sure the 'Bird will survive a month or two of winter driving, especially considering that aside from that freak November storm there hasn't been any salt yet, and even with that storm the Jeep was still driveable so the T-Bird didn't get salted. It breaks my heart to drive it, but if the snow can hold off like it has been doing I may not have to drive it in salt at all (I've already got about $1500 saved, so I'm in a position that if a decent 4X4 comes along at a bargain I can buy it). I can guarantee that if I see so much as a rust stain the T-bird will be taken off the road immediately and the Jeep will be driven until its death.

Re: Looks like the T-Bird is gonna have a taste of winter

Reply #19 – December 21, 2004, 08:41:21 PM

Quote

I'd wash my car more regularly in the winter if it didn't freeze up the door seals and everything inside the doors. (Handles, windows) Garage? What's that?

In winter you should get your car washed the less as possible.....

Wetting all the abbrasive they use on the road will react faster with oxygen and will only accellerate the rusting... Also, any humidity that could enter any cracks will expand below 0C (32F) and amplify the problem (or make it appear)...

TRUST me on that! :mad: :mad:

Re: Looks like the T-Bird is gonna have a taste of winter

Reply #20 – December 21, 2004, 10:54:50 PM

Quote from: Sly1990

In winter you should get your car washed the less as possible.....

TRUST me on that!

Werd. If you're gonna get salt on a car 'tis better to keep it as dry as possible and the lower the temps the better. Unfortunately it doesn't get really cold here (did I really just say "unfortunately"?), so it's never cold enough to "inactivate" the salt. It's always slushy, which is the worst because it actually holds the salt against the car.