Keeping warm in an open car with no heater?

I can just about remember in the '50s my father - who sold trucks - driving Albion chassis from Glasgow where they were built to Aberdeen for a special body to be fitted. Just a bare chassis - no cab or even windscreen. And no special clothing even in the winter - just layers topped with a greatcoat. Trilby hat and scarf round the face. Being forward control there would have been some heat from the engine and rad. But not a lot, I'd guess. I also remember him saying you ended the journey with few if any lights working due to the vibration - the springs would be solid with no weight on them. Don't think H&S would allow this these days. ;-)

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)
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Yeah, but going faster you see less rain, innit?

Oh while we're on the subject of weather, this is what happened to a car in our area when we had a hailstorm.

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That's the state that the hire car I had was in when it go caught in a hailstorm a few years ago. The hire company tried to screw me for £2300.

Reply to
Steve Firth

Heh, the A8 near Milan is /always/ stupidly foggy at that this of year and it's almost always pissing down on the A14 in winter.

I miss the drive to Ancona.

Reply to
Pete M

Heh, I did it in one go from Rotterdam to Ancona in a Rangie with a pretty overloaded trailer on the back - took 18 hours via Luxembourg and Switzerland. Bastards charged me for two Swiss motorway thingys; one for the Rangie, another for the trailer. That knackered up the "save money on tolls" plan.

Reply to
Pete M

Where we live it is still common to see Dennis Chassis being driven around with just a box of plywood for the driver to sit on. A metal roll bar type affair is used to attach a racing harness. Incidentally most of the drivers wear crash helmets as well. The last time I saw one I was being overtaken on the A3 so goodness knows how fast he was going. It is amusing to see the chassis flexing though....

Reply to
georgina Smith

I remember seeing such things (and bus chassis from leyland at bathgate)on their way to Alexander's coachworks as well, travelling along Falkirk high street wearing just a trilby! Badger.

Reply to
Badger

Steve Firth (%steve%@malloc.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Bloody. Hell...

Reply to
Adrian

It's the hailstones that *really* hurt.... :-)

Reply to
Stan Barr

Summer, was it?

Reply to
Willy Eckerslyke

In Coventry, obviously.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

As you can guess car ports, covered parking and garages are rather popular. Although none of that helps if you get caught in the open.

This is what the hail looks like:

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Or were you going "bloody hell" over the insurance excess in Italy?

Reply to
Steve Firth

We'll be doing it again soon, because i have to take a 250 litre thermal store with me and I have to bring back this year's olive oil harvest.

We're doing it more leisurely this time after a couple of close calls on the way in the past. So it will probably be a case of stopping near Colmar overnight on day one, or possibly in Switzerland depending on how well we do for time. Then another stop near Rimini at a B&B where we're friends with the owner.

Reply to
Steve Firth

Ouch they are buggers with that trick. Also with only accepting Euros for payment. I had the money in SFr last trip and they insisted on payment in Euro so they could overcharge.

Reply to
Steve Firth

Steve Firth (%steve%@malloc.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

That's not hail. That's a rockery.

Reply to
Adrian

Impressive isn't it? When we were out in the hire car it was the first time I had heard my wife say "f*ck". Actually what she said was more like:

"What's that bang? What's that? Oh f*ck, f*ck f*ck f*ck, get under that bridge, f*ck, f*ck we're going to die."

Reply to
Steve Firth

Bloody Hell. I assume that even pedestrians there walk about with crash helmets on at that time of year!

Z
Reply to
Zimmy

This should sort you out....

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steve

Reply to
R.P.McMurphy

A few years ago in New Mexico or Arizona, I was driving a mountain road when there was a sudden horrendous hailstorm. I pulled over to the side of the road while it passed, and I noticed that I'd stopped right in front of one of those 'danger, falling rocks' signs. Next thing I know, a beer-barrel sized rock comes barrelling down the hillside, and whangs into the side of the car.

At least it was a rental...

Reply to
Dean Dark

[...]
[...]

If you take a wooly hat, choose wisely.

A few years ago I drove my Healey up to Scotland and wore a ski hat. The vibration was worse than if I had flat-spotted all the tyres.

I had to stop at the first service area to borrow a pair of scissors so I could cut the bobble off.

Good luck! mp

Reply to
madpierre

"Pete M" wrote in message news:egk56h$hpo$ snipped-for-privacy@registered.motzarella.org...

Seeing as there's been a few useful replies, I'll just choose a random one to reply to! Thanks for all the advice guys, we're kitted out now and setting off Wednesday night for the 13:30 Ancona to Patras Ferry.

Pics of the beast we are travelling in here...

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I've been told it will cruise happily at 75-80mph , do around 40mpg and is "not too cold" in the cockpit once it's warmed up

Cheers all again

Mike P

Reply to
Mike P

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