Model T in heavy rain

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: Model T in heavy rain
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ake Osterdahl on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 02:12 am:

I drove wedding this weekend, it rained all the time, sometimes shines not the sun.
Lykligt married anyway.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ake Osterdahl on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 02:13 am:

Lykligt be "Happily married anyway"


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Martin Vowell, Sylmar, CA on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 05:47 am:

Looks like one of those days side curtains would be a nice accessory to have, :-).


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker in Sumter SC on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 05:58 am:

Ake,

I always like the looks of your 1915 touring. Congratulations to the bride and groom. For those of us who may have missed an earlier posting is Lykligt one of your children? Weddings are always special – thank you for making it even more special by providing the chauffeur and car.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 06:11 am:

Bad luck, we've had a great summer compared to what we're used to. I like your front license plate - painted? (ok, it's a $90 fine if some pissed off cop sees it, but it looks nice :-) )


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 06:12 am:

"Lyckligt" is "happily" in swedish


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Dufault on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 07:01 am:

Traditional saying:

"Rain also is symbolic of a new start. The water can cleanse the earth and help wash away past debris. A marriage is a new start for a couple. If it rains on your wedding day, consider yourself blessed with a clean slate."

Best wishes...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Patrick on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 07:30 am:

I HATE driving in the rain in my '26 coupe. In addition to the damage the rain can cause to the car, ie, the wooden spokes and to the body by flowing down the windows and collecting in the bottom of the doors, and to the carpet by leaking through the cowl vent, if you don't have a passenger to help you wipe off of the fogged up windshield, and to help operate the hand operated windshield wiper so the drivers hands are free to drive, you are SOL, for it can get quite deadly, especially in heavy traffic.

One of the worst and scariest experiences of my fife occurred one day about 20 years ago while in heavy rush hour traffic, in the city, when a sudden heavy thunderstorm hit. I was alone, so I had to operate the hand operated wiper and since I had no rag with me, I had to keep the windshield wiped off with my hand, which only made it worse and almost impossible to see. I dern near panicked and sincerely feared I might not survive the experience. When I did, I swore I would never drive in the rain or get caught in rush hour traffic again in my Model T and I haven't. Jim Patrick


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Patrick on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 07:34 am:

PS. In addition to the above factors, it got so cloudy and and dark out, headlights were needed to see, which only compounded the dangers of that experience. Jim Patrick


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 09:22 am:



It rained nine inches that day in June, 1998, enroute from Syracuse to Haverhill, north of Boston. Even with motocycle togs, it runs down your neck, and you get soaked eventually.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Wrenn on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 09:32 am:

Jim I echo your sentiments. From the wear on the car right down to the safety issue. If it's even a 40% chance for rain, I seldom take any of my cars to a show. Don't tour anywhere if there's any sign of a shower within two hours of me. Thank goodness for the radar on the smartphone! And, what ill effect would rain have on all the brass on the earlier cars? I'm hoping I never get caught in a "pop up" shower in either the '12 or the '15....does rain spot the crap out of the brass, and if so, is it hard to polish out? I suspect someday I'll get caught in a shower anyway. It was threatening last night, but I went out for over an hour in the '20 runabout anyway, at least there's no brass there to worry about.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike_black on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 09:53 am:

Jim,
When I first got my TT in the early 70's, it had been parked since 1957, but, it had remnants of a "defroster"--someone had mounted a wiper blade on the handle of the hand operated windshield wiper so as to wipe the inside of the windshield as well as the outside!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Patrick on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 10:00 am:

Great idea Mike. For anyone with a closed car, who knows what I mean by the foggy interior windshield and who doesn't mind driving in the rain, this would be a really valuable accessory that would free up one hand for driving. I could have used it back in 1980 when my traumatic drive in the storm occurred, but I haven't had need of my wiper ever since. :-). Jim Patrick


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gilbert V. I. Fitzhugh on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 10:02 am:

I drive a '13 T and other brass cars and often get caught in rain. By the end of any week-long HCCA tour, I'm almost assured of having tarnished brass. So what? It'll be shiny again the next time I polish it, and scuzzy again the next time it rains. C'est la vie!

Yes, it's more dangerous in traffic because the brakes are even less effective and people are even less apt to notice hand signals. But any time you take any early car out, you should be driving defensively. In the rain, you need even more defense and even less offense. For ultimate safety, sell the oldies, buy a Prius, and only drive on nice days.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jay - In Northern California on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 10:29 am:

I find Rain-x to be very helpful on the outside of the windshield. They also make an anti-fog product for the inside glass.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Willie K Cordes on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 10:32 am:

What can happen in a heavy rain and water getting into the coil box. It does not take much water to short the coil box and than you are not going anywhere. The early brass cars are more likely to get water in that coil box on the back side.
Polishing the brass is the least of my concerns when caught in a rain storm.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Patrick on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 11:05 am:

Gilbert. What purpose does it serve for you to brag on how you "often get caught in rain". ... "So what!", then encourage Model T owners who don't share your enthusiasm for it, to get rid of their T's and buy a Prius if they are so cautious and prefer to not drive their T's out in the rain.

Every post has a purpose and one purpose this post can serve is to remind folks how dangerous it can be to drive a T in the rain. It is dangerous enough to drive on beautiful days because of the many distractions of drivers these days, the speeds they drive and the limitations of the T in speed, stopping distance and tire traction on wet roads.

For most of us, getting rid of our T's is not an option and for you to suggest it in the way you did, as if it was a viable solution, sounds sarcastic and dismissive of a genuine concern for the safety of our members. Jim Patrick


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 11:06 am:

I wondered about rain shorting the coil when I mounted it here in 1997:



It has been trouble-free, and I don't think I've had it off since. The charger socket came much later.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 11:10 am:

Thanks for showing us your adventure, Ake.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 11:14 am:

First of all, congratulations to the happy couple and best wishes for every joy!

Secondly, there's no classier way to arrive at your wedding than in a chauffeured, brass touring car. Period.

And finally, like you, I got caught in the rain in my '15 Touring without side curtains. It was sheer misery. With the top up, we felt like we were dragging a parachute and our Rocky Mountain Brakes slimed right up and faded out to almost nothing—not that it mattered much for our tires' lack of traction on the greasy, half-flooded service road of I-495.



Then, there were the big tractor-trailers that passed us at about Warp-2, swamping us with solid walls of dirty water, and it felt like a giant hand was shoving us sideways. Of course, no wipers, so we had to drive with the windshield folded down. Good thing we had goggles aboard.

We arrived at home, waterlogged and exhausted—and very much appreciative of the grit and pluck of those turn-of-the-century folk for whom this kind of motorized travel was a significant improvement over that to which they had been accustomed. We poured two mugs of hot cocoa, curled up on the sofa, thumbed on the television and honest to goodness, Gene Kelly was singing and dancing across the screen with his stupid umbrella.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ake Osterdahl on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 11:48 am:

T lover
I ... went in 6hrs it rained in 3hours since komsolen.
"You have to enter the darkness to appreciate the sun, the couple were married and baptized.
When I got home to remove the seat cushions and wipe them dry.
On another occasion I brake quickly for a wolf, we have antilock brakes Model T was ahead of its time! .... Ake


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gilbert V. I. Fitzhugh on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 12:41 pm:

Jim, I'm lucky enough not to live in a city, or in a place where I have to put up with heavy traffic. If I did, I'd have a different hobby - or, perhaps, a more rain-and-traffic-accommodating branch of the same hobby, like a Miata. And I don't take an old car out frivolously in crappy weather.

But I do drive on week-long HCCA, Snappers and Model T tours. Those are generally designed for back roads, so rush-hour traffic isn't an issue. If there's a day that looks to be a washout, I go modern like everybody else. But rain happens. If you only go out when there's no threat of rain, you're going to be restricted to mostly local, one-day rides. and you'll miss a lot of the hobby.

Case in point ; The New England Brass and Gas tour this year was in Rutland, VT. It's always a five-day hub tour for pre-'16 cars. On the last day, we were to drive to Fort Ticonderoga, on the NY side of Lake Champlain, and have a ferry ride across the lake on the way home. The news channels were falling all over each other predicting Armageddon - 4 inches of rain, followed by flash floods, followed by severe thunderstorms. Sound like fun? Not to me, nor to anyone else. Most guys went modern. But one of the tourists was a navy helicopter pilot, and he knew a thing or two about weather. He had all the apps, and he told us the system was moving north, and we'd miss most of the rain and all of the really ugly stuff. So he, and I, and a handful of others, took the antiques. We had about an hour of light to occasionally moderate rain in the morning. Since we were on back roads, or somewhat busier roads with wide shoulders, traffic wasn't a problem. By the time we got to the fort, the rain had stopped. We had an enjoyable tour of the fort, a neat ferry ride and a 50-plus-mile ride home on back roads (including some dirt) on a beautiful afternoon. The guys who had gone modern kicked themselves all day. And yes, our brass looked like hell, but our grins made up for it.

As for getting the spokes wet, I was on a 3-day Model T tour in West Virginia a couple of years ago where we had two creek fordings. Wooden spokes were meant to get wet!

Bottom line - they're not flower pots, they're cars. They got wet when they were new, and they can get wet now. By all means use your noodle about where and how you drive them. If it's predicting all-day nasty, go modern or stay home. And if, despite your best intentions, you get caught in a severe rainstorm that's more than your guardian angel is happy with, get off the road someplace and wait it out. A thunderstorm rarely lasts long. When it passes, continue. And shine the brass next week, after you're home.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Solak on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 12:46 pm:

I would highly recommend using Rain-X on your windshield glass. I coated mine the morning of a rain filled tour. I was in a hurry so I only did the top glass of the 1911 touring. The difference is amazing and I find that, at T speeds, there's no need for a wiper if you've got fresh Rain-X applied. If it does get too bad for Rain-X there's a good chance you'd be pulling over anyway, even if you had a wiper.

Rain will tarnish brass, but it will polish right out.

And yes, the scariest part of rain for me (assuming I'm not in heavy traffic which we try to avoid on our tours) is water getting in between the glass and firewall or between the two firewall pieces on a 1911, and trickling down the wall behind the coil unit. I usually stuff a towel in the gap between the top of the coil box and the firewall hope for the best.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 01:11 pm:

In the late '60s and early '70s I served on an old (old then) diesel/electric submarine. I was a Quartermaster, so I spent a lot of time on the periscope. Before we'd get underway, we'd rub the outer lens of the periscope with a cigar. The nicotine I guess (something in it anyway) caused the water to run off instead of beading up when we raised it. Made a really big difference in visibility.

Could work on a T windshield too, I guess.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Lodge - St Louis MO on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 01:47 pm:

I have been on a number of tours where rain has reared its ugly head. On the Show-Me Tour in 2010 down in Arkansas, the weather was okay when we started out, but an hour or so into the tour, the grandaddy of all thunderstorms blew in out of nowhere and we had to pull into a convenience store until it passed. I don't think the wipers in my modern car could have stayed ahead of that one...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By john kuehn on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 02:07 pm:

These pics are a reminder that in the Model T's heyday they really did get muddy and dirty!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 04:51 pm:

If you don't have Rain-X you can cut an onion in half and rub it on the windshield. It works just like Rain-X and the water sheets right off the windshield. Once on a tour we encountered a rogue storm and being unprepared we stopped at a a farm stand to put on the side curtains and the elderly gentleman running the stand suggested we purchase an onion and rub it on the windshield to make up for the fact that we had no wipers on our '10 T. He was dead on, we bought an onion and finished the rest of the tour without any problems.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By R. S. Cruickshank on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 05:41 pm:

Hey Val,
You forgot to mention that you drove the rest of the tour with TEARS in your eyes!!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 08:21 pm:

I got caught in heavy rain twice but had no problems. Nearly all classic car owners get surprised by rain at times. Better that than to have my T stuck in a museum setting or to never have owned it at all.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Lodge - St Louis MO on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 08:37 pm:

The advantage of an onion over Rain-X is that you can't slice Rain-X after a tour and put it on your hamburger.... :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Wednesday, August 28, 2013 - 09:42 pm:

R.S. no tears but we used the rest of the onion in our salad that night!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Thursday, August 29, 2013 - 01:01 am:

First, to Ake, my apologies for the thread drift. This really should have stayed with "congratulations to the fortunate couple" and "thank you for sharing this adventure"! Second, Hap, I thought it was a name at first, also.
However, discussion of driving in the rain is also important. I do try to avoid rain, most of the time. I have been caught in heavy rain on several occasions, am not afraid of it. Having been most of my life in Califunny, it still amazes me when I read national tour reports about rain in the summer months. It is rare here, even in the mountains.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Thursday, August 29, 2013 - 01:03 am:

Also, Ake, yes, your T is beautiful! I enjoy seeing pictures of it.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Patrick on Thursday, August 29, 2013 - 09:31 am:

According to the title, I see no thread drift, nor see any need to apologize for it. If anything, the contents of the thread have drifted toward the subject title and contain some very useful safety information for the T owner. Jim Patrick


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gene Carrothers Huntington Beach on Thursday, August 29, 2013 - 07:18 pm:

I don't think we've been on a tour where we didn't get rained on. Looks like the Eureka Springs tour might be dry. Kanab had rain every day with several cars having trouble shorting out.

After sitting for nearly an hour in some heavy at times rain the Torpedo started and was OK albeit a bit of sputtering till the plugs dried out. Other times the water never bothered anything. Maybe we're lucky.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Saturday, August 31, 2013 - 09:39 pm:

Kinda reminds me of the Canyonlands Tour recently. I probably would have gotten pretty wet trying to put the side curtains on anyway!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George Clipner-Los Angeles on Sunday, September 01, 2013 - 01:06 am:

Always a little rain on the Hillbilly Tours. 08.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Murray - Anacortes, WA on Monday, September 09, 2013 - 06:03 pm:

TT
Calgary Nat in 2005...the skies opened up !!

TT
Gulf Coast Nat in 2005...a deluge of bilical proportions at the lunch stop. Looked like dusk!!

TT
Whitefish Nat in 2010...many open and closed cars ducked for cover when the skies opened up.

Whaddya gonna do when yer already out on the tour and ya still have miles to go before you can slip the blackie or brassie or nicklie back into the covered trailer for the night ??? Ya may just have to wait, and drive after the storm passes. Dry the outside brakes periodically by applying slight pressure while underway. Keep in mind that when they do dry, they are very touchy, so be careful with the pedal pressure.

I have rubbed Bull Durham tobacco pouches on the inside glass when it begins to steam up, or rolled down the driver and pax door windows an inch or two to circulate some air in the Coupe to help keep a foggy windshield clear. I also drilled drain holes at the bottom of the doors to aid getting the water out...should it get in.

I added an electric windshield wiper to our 27 Coupe, but I agree with others that Rain-X works well to keep the whole windshield clear in wet conditions. There is an anti-fog product for the inside of windows that I used for my motorcycle, or ski goggles, called Cat Crap. (Dunno the connection, but it works.)

I always carry a hand towel ready to sop up the dribbles that migrate into the car that might affect electrical components, or use it to slow down the source of unwanted water wash downs inside. Speedster drivers should always be prepared with a rainsuit and gloves. Not bad advice for open cars as well.

Ake...give our best to the Happy Couple !! No matter the weather, your T is a great looking car especially with a new bride and groom in it.

My 2cents-W


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Doolittle on Monday, September 09, 2013 - 06:52 pm:

After hurricane Katrina. Not really- Photoshopped- don't tell anyone.




Skinny tires love high water!


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