Featured Hot Rods Do you avoid the rain?

Just another Oregon Tuesday!

 

I drive everything I have in the rain, it makes no difference to me. If you're in the PNW and you like to drive your stuff, it's something you just have to get ok with. The fair-weather guys make me chuckle. Why are you worried about keeping it nice for the next guy? Enjoy your car, you aren't going to ruin it in your lifetime by letting some water hit it.

www.ironandsteele.com​

 

Bingo!

 

To me, there is a very big difference driving in the rain and leaving it out in the rain. My 64 Caddy stays in the garage so it doesn't rust. But driving it in the rain is no big deal
I drove my old coupe from Baltimore to Beaver Springs PA ( about 150 miles each way )in the rain for the showdown drags. no windows, no defrost, no heat.....it was a ****load of fun

 

Detroit Locker, drag radials and not enough vacuum to even think about using wipers. It’s a “fair” weather car pretty much.

 

Those are all good reasons to avoid the rain.

 

The rain doesn't avoid me so I don't avoid the rain. HRP

 

Also I'm curious, what does the cost of paint have to do with rain?

Rust repair I understand.

 

Yes. It is easy to do as it doesn’t rain much here.

 

With a 7" top chop, and a single 6" wiper blade, rain is a bit of concern, but when I'm out there in the rain I keep on going.

 

I don't leave the house in my hotrods if it's raining or supposed to rain. If I get caught in it that's just life, but I don't intentionally go out in the rain in my old hotrods.

 

I won’t intentionally leave in one of my old cars if it’s raining. But as others have said, if I get caught in it, that’s life. You just clean them up. Now when the Ranchero gets finished, it’s all patina, and my daily, so I won’t be so particular.

 

Somewhere, I have a cartoon I cut out of an old Rod&Custom. It shows a ******* roadster being driven in a torrential downpour. The driver is gritting his teeth and saying "I haven't had this much fun since my hernia operation". That kind of sums it all up for me.

 

I'd rather be in a downpour in a ******* roadster than be having the best day ever at work. It's all about perspective.

 

All our cars were originally driven in all type of weather when new then used and eventually a beater or junker.
I get the idea that after someone gets done building a car there can be some angst but...
I have a good friend who has five '32=34 hot rodded Ford coupes and roadsters he never drives. 3 miles of gravel to get to a tar road. Won't drive them for fear of rock chips. His cars...his choice.

 

Been known too....

 

I do with my woodie but whenever I get to really driving to and from events in her then I’ll probably get stuck in a shower here and there

 

I know people that have a rain vehicle and a sunshine vehicle.

 

My Plymouth coupe sits outside in the weather. It has functioning 2 speed windshield wipers and a great defroster that clears the windshield well. It can sit at home in the rain, or I can drive it in the rain, I don't see much difference between the two. The coupe has sat outside all of its life. After I built it in 2011 it has sat outside every year except for over one winter, it has not melted yet.

My 49 Dodge pickup gets parked the the garage most nights, but it too has functioning 2 speed wipers and a functioning heater/defroster. I'm not afraid of it being in the rain either.

 

Drove a '48 Plym 2 Dr. w/o wipers or hood for 15 years. No problems. Got caught in a heavy thunderstorm on I-10 in Ala. The Rain-X worked great. Modern cars were pulling over, I didn't even slow down.

 

I've gotten caught in the rain a few times in the '40 and just kept going, but I have found it gets pretty squirrely on wet pavement. Lots of torque and skinny bias ply tires.

The ******* roadster? Nope!

 

Subject-Getting caught in the rain, I went to the Louisville NSRA event around 2000 I had my fenderless HighBoy Roadster there, the top in my box trailer, this was Not a 6 hour drive car. So we all leave to go to a supper club on way back to motel. While eating , I hear the thunder and I see the lightening at the entrance and thought, ****ski, car is going to be wet. finish up dinner, leave, the sunset was beautiful. When I opened the door the water ran, 2 " of rain in car out on the ground. Wet ****, an understatement Back at the motel I got xtra towels tying to dry the seat, next day sat on towels and brought a change of clothes for a change after parking at showgrounds. Anybody that's been to Louisville knows what happened next , dried out pretty well, sitting in 100 degree Sunshine for 8 hours did wonders. At home it dripped out the frame for a few days. after market boxed 32 frame. Another time driving home from a local show, a pop up storm, it rained so hard I stopped under an overp***, engine ****ing water in air cleaner, running bad, no hood, side panels. I put 20K miles on this car in 8 years, it was trailered to all the Midwest big events many times and guess what comes out all those trailers at the motels, Roadsters, T- Buckets, the big dollar show cars. I'm a drive them guy, just not that car, 1-1/2 hour max, at 52 my Arthritis was already a problem for me

 

Hand operated wipers
Water splashing up through the floor
Water leaking around the gl***.
Making sure my foot is in the spot where the cowl vent doesn’t drip water
Rag defog

love it

 

Only in the days of the dirt cars. We didn’t race in the rain, unlike road racing, where we race unless you can’t see your hand in front of your face…

But street cars, yup!

 

It happens.

 

@highboy32 and I drove from Abilene KS to the Roundup in Austin TX in 2007. Rained the whole way. 9 hr trip took 13 hrs. Stock flatheads, 3 speeds and banjos. I had a hole in the driver's side cowl. I had to put my left foot over it when a semi would p*** me from the water spraying up from its tires.
When we drove thru Dallas, there were all these cars pulled over on the side of the interstate. Huh, thats weird. We get down south a ways and stop to get gas. Lots of people asking questions. Did we see any of the tornados around Dallas?....

 

The sun does much more damage to a car than water ever will

 

If it is raining I will use my daily driver. That being said, I have been caught in the rain many times. My wipers and defroster work and I have radial tires, so it is no big deal. Living on Long Island there is a lot of traffic at times and there are lots of people who should not drive in the rain that are on the road.

 

Unavoidable If You Want To Enjoy Driving Your Machine...

 

Yes I do