Hoodless in the Rain????

OK, super stupid question.....

I have my first model A, stock 4-banger. Naturally I've started messing with it. I removed the hood without even thinking about it. Drove it to my parents house today and my mom says, "what do you do when it rains?"

Me, "duh, good question!"

Advice from experienced hoodless bad ***es please?

Thanks,
Kensey

 

Roll up your window..

 

Ok, here's a question for you..

In a pouring rainstorm, while you are driving at 50 mph with the revs up, and the fan whipping...do you suppose the rain is getting on the motor?

 

I had wondered the same thing. But last summer, I got caught driving thru a heavy rain, hoodless, my 331 never missed out. So I guess no worries. But I wonder if I get caught parked in the rain, will it start? I'm sure I will find out...

 

Personally I like the look of FULL hoods, they make a Hot Rod look like a Dry Lakes race car. Wish someone could do a wind tunnel test to see how much slower any given car would go without a hood vs with one. Bob

 

its just like water injecting your engine!


Ive driven through many a rainstorm in my hoodless cars. when I park I cover the carbs, when its running its not a problem at all

 

I bet you sit where you are if its raining with the stock solid exposed plug wire.

 

Well, if a person had a *****in old school motor with cool stuff on it, running a full hood would be like asking Bette Page to put her shirt back on, or telling John Holmes to put pants on

 

I don't run a hood on my coupe and it's never been a problem either driving or sitting.

I've got Stellings and Hellings air cleaners on the tri-power, no fan, electronic ignition and my coil is mounted upside down on the firewall-which I've been told is a no-no.

 

Carry a shower cap for overnighters or a good car cover a quality filter for driving..., tell momma no worries a little water just disipates. I dont do down pours but drive mine all the time in showers no problems

 

lol

 

When I was going to college,my 28 steel car(the one in my avitar) was my daily driver.Most of the time it went hoodless,even in the winter. Many times I remember cleaning snow off of the motor in the morning.It never caused a problem.

 

Ever ride your motorcycle in the rain?

 

I too have to say running hoodless has had no ill effects in the rain. I ran hoodless with a well worn stock flathead to a well built fatty. Bet I have more rain miles then some have dry miles.

 

I drive hoodless quite a bit. Got caught in the rain a lot. No problems, just drive.

.bjb

 

Mine sat outside for two nights in the rain last year at a car show.
Now ill effects other than lots a rusted head bolts.

 

Just be careful when parked in the rain. With modern engines, you can have water pool on top of the air breather and leak into the carb thru the wingnut hole.
If you get enough in there, and it doesn't take all that much, you might hydraulic-lock a piston in the bore and bend a connecting rod!

But...the thing is...doesn't a stock Model a banger use an updraft carb?

 

Yes, up draft carb.

The spark plug wires are exposed on the connectors. Bad???

 

When they get wet they will miss fire.

 

I've driven my 27 through blinding rainstorms where the rain was like bullets and I couldn't see the cars in front of me, the motor never missed a beat. One time it was 5 hours coming home from Turkey Run at 70 mph all the way without a problem, except that I was drowned myself from having no top.

I would have thought the distributor getting as wet as it has been many times would have shut it down, but it never did.

Don

 

yep have done it alot

 

Just make sure you have a full can of WD-40 and a full roll of paper towels or those blue shop towels stashed in the car along with what ever tools you need to pop the distributor cap off. My truck has 120 louvers in the hood and that's just about as bad as no hood in hard rain.

 

Driving in the rain is no problem. The problem occurs when you park, go into McDonalds to eat because you.re cold and soaked to the skin, then come out and your hoodless car starts right up but your buddy's car with a top hood only requires popping the cap and a shot of WD40 to get rolling again. Condensation will get you every time.

 

There was just a post on another thread about water getting into the engine through the valve cover breathers and hydrolocking the engine. I have a well louvered hood on the '35...no problems driving it in Oregon's liquid sunshine.

 

Untrue.

OP, you'll be fine-just drive it.

 

I drove my T with a desoto hemi for 14 yrs without a hood. I covered the carbs with a bag when it was parked. I had trouble couple of times when I ran without the plug wire covers and the tubes would fill up with rain water and it would take five miles to steam the water out of the tubes and it would smooth right out.

 

I live on the edge of a rain forrest, and have to put up with plenty of rain. Only suffered a little water in dizzy. Apart from that, no problems. Its fun when others freak out wondering how you can still drive.