Had to get McDonalds!
Coldest you have driven your convertible with the top down?
- Thread starter Dana67Dart
- Start date
-
jbc426
Well-Known Member
Oh my gawd, and what is that white stuff all over the ground?
grimreaper
Cross Member
When we sold our house I had to move my Valiant from my garage to the shop. It was 26 below and I didn't want to put the top up for fear of cracking something so I drove it the five miles with the top down. BRRRR
Jim Lusk
Well-Known Member
Maybe in the 60s. I remember January 1984 we had three cars (but the '66 Barracuda was in storage), a 1980 Omni 2dr and the GTS. Our son's crib wasn't going to fit the Hatchback (or it was full of my tools and parts for work) so we took the GTS to K-Mart. It wouldn't fit in the trunk or the back seat with the top up. So, the top went down. It was unseasonably warm that day, though. I think it was in the 70s..
A light dusting of snow. It will be gone in a few days
jbc426
Well-Known Member
I was just rib'in you guys who live in cold places.
The day I bought my first convertible, brand new off the showroom floor, 1984 1/2 20th Anniversary Mustang GT, 5.0 5 speed. It was -22F, January 16, 1985. I put the top down before I left the dealership and went for a drive, about 10 to 12 miles, heater on full blast, having a great time. Got lots of thumbs up from people, and plenty of waves, overall I think most probably thought I was nuts, but it was fun. I lived in a highrise apartment at the time, so eventually made my way home and parked the car in the heated underground garage, waited an hour or so for it to warm up before putting the top back up.
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
I believe it's time for ANOTHER ANNOYING STORY from the old days
TOPLESS
In the ??mid 70's?? Our locals had a small off road club and I had my beater FJ-40. At the time it either had a Mopar 360 or 340 don't remember. For reasons that escape me, we decided to do the following, this was either Thanksgiving day or one day of Thanksgiving weekend one year. That particular year we had no snow. We decided to go up and over the local ski hill, "Schweitzer Mountain" This is 6400ft so it's no molehill. There is a NE drainage accessible (then) by some sketchy "loggin roads" and we were going to go up and over the N end down the "main face" and out the gate for which we had obtained a KEY. Now if some of you "city folk" or flatlanders are unfamiliar, "around here" the usual thing on various mountaintop locked gates is to have a chain, with various authorized padlocks linked together. This sounds simple and easy AND IT IS FROUT WITH PROBLEMS It seems that people just can't seem to operate a simple "chain of padlocks.
One guy, "Al" along, had a "high hood" CJ-3 with a 289/ truck 4 speed. Set up well for woods off road. He bragged that he had a "brand new rear driveshaft" (the old splines were worn out)
So off we go. And we get deeper and deeper, cross a creek a few times, and pretty soon it's about as hard to go forward as it is going back. Al got the CJ-3 down in a creek. BEAR IN MIND you always have to have "pride" (that's ego) and operate ONLY in 2WD until you are FORCED to grab the 4x4 lever. So Al is screwin and thrashin around in the creek bottom (rocky) in 2wd.
AL BROKE the weld on the brand new driveshaft!!!! In the creek!!! So we pulled him out. NOW OF COURSE, after removing the shaft, you have a "front wheel drive" Jeep
So off we go. We had to "jerk" All over some rough areas. At one point Al ends up up in front and for reasons that escape me, is PUSHING A LOG out of the way with the front tire of the Jeep And broke one of the front axle "Rzeppa" joint. For those not familiar, this is a ball type steering joint similar to modern front wheel drive cars, but "back then" his were old and worn out. BROKE
SO NOW we have a NO wheel drive Jeep. So now the rest of us had to rope tow the damn thing up and over the top of Schweitzer Mountain. There were times there were TWO rigs towing Al up some grade
And we get up there, and somehow manage to get down to the gate AND THE PADLOCK for which we have the key is either not there or "out of the chain"!!!!
Finally here comes someone down from the lodge. Turns out they were the last people on the mountain and were just leaving. If they had left an hour earlier, we'd all still be parked up there right now LOL
What is the punchline? "Al" had decided to "be a man" and run the CJ-3 topless on this trip. So not only had he driven some 16 miles to the backside of the mountain topless, but likely some ?30? miles before we got him "roped" home!!
A shot of the hill too large to post. Most the condo's etc were not there back then
https://img1.onthesnow.com/image/xl/13/1302.jpg
The original lodge, opened in ?63? That year our ham club held "feld day" up there in the new barely finished lodge
TOPLESS
In the ??mid 70's?? Our locals had a small off road club and I had my beater FJ-40. At the time it either had a Mopar 360 or 340 don't remember. For reasons that escape me, we decided to do the following, this was either Thanksgiving day or one day of Thanksgiving weekend one year. That particular year we had no snow. We decided to go up and over the local ski hill, "Schweitzer Mountain" This is 6400ft so it's no molehill. There is a NE drainage accessible (then) by some sketchy "loggin roads" and we were going to go up and over the N end down the "main face" and out the gate for which we had obtained a KEY. Now if some of you "city folk" or flatlanders are unfamiliar, "around here" the usual thing on various mountaintop locked gates is to have a chain, with various authorized padlocks linked together. This sounds simple and easy AND IT IS FROUT WITH PROBLEMS It seems that people just can't seem to operate a simple "chain of padlocks.
One guy, "Al" along, had a "high hood" CJ-3 with a 289/ truck 4 speed. Set up well for woods off road. He bragged that he had a "brand new rear driveshaft" (the old splines were worn out)
So off we go. And we get deeper and deeper, cross a creek a few times, and pretty soon it's about as hard to go forward as it is going back. Al got the CJ-3 down in a creek. BEAR IN MIND you always have to have "pride" (that's ego) and operate ONLY in 2WD until you are FORCED to grab the 4x4 lever. So Al is screwin and thrashin around in the creek bottom (rocky) in 2wd.
AL BROKE the weld on the brand new driveshaft!!!! In the creek!!! So we pulled him out. NOW OF COURSE, after removing the shaft, you have a "front wheel drive" Jeep
So off we go. We had to "jerk" All over some rough areas. At one point Al ends up up in front and for reasons that escape me, is PUSHING A LOG out of the way with the front tire of the Jeep And broke one of the front axle "Rzeppa" joint. For those not familiar, this is a ball type steering joint similar to modern front wheel drive cars, but "back then" his were old and worn out. BROKE
SO NOW we have a NO wheel drive Jeep. So now the rest of us had to rope tow the damn thing up and over the top of Schweitzer Mountain. There were times there were TWO rigs towing Al up some grade
And we get up there, and somehow manage to get down to the gate AND THE PADLOCK for which we have the key is either not there or "out of the chain"!!!!
Finally here comes someone down from the lodge. Turns out they were the last people on the mountain and were just leaving. If they had left an hour earlier, we'd all still be parked up there right now LOL
What is the punchline? "Al" had decided to "be a man" and run the CJ-3 topless on this trip. So not only had he driven some 16 miles to the backside of the mountain topless, but likely some ?30? miles before we got him "roped" home!!
A shot of the hill too large to post. Most the condo's etc were not there back then
https://img1.onthesnow.com/image/xl/13/1302.jpg
The original lodge, opened in ?63? That year our ham club held "feld day" up there in the new barely finished lodge
Last edited:
-
