Polar bear cobra driving
 

We all have list in our head (Bucket List) that we want to scratch events off. Well this weekend was one of those. Ya'll have experienced the cold weather recently!!! Well there was THE LUCKY's ROD RUN this weekend which is a run from Houston, Tx. into College Station/Bryan. About 90 miles. Show up about 9 and show car a few hours and go home. Well a few hardy souls from the Houston Cobra Club thought it would be a good thing to mark off the list. We did a practice run Sat. morning to Hooters for a HCC Club Monthly meeting. Dressed up in Ski clothes and gloves and drove 25 mins to Hooters, NOT BAD!! We decided it was a go for Sunday morning. Well Well Well, I have now decided when I die I do not want it to be by freezing!! Sat temp at 9 am was around 30 degrees, Sunday temp at 6 am was 18 degrees. Sat. sun was out, Sunday 6 am was DARK, DUH!! Meet with fellow cobra drivers at 6:45 am and setting in parking lot wasn't bad. Local Sheriff's deputy I know pulls up laughing. I tell him I have no front tag hoping he will tell me to go home, and he says to cold to get out and write a ticket for that. SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CLUE!!! Here is my sign! Stop at Starbucks and get 2 cups of coffee. Well have you ever tried to drink coffee thru three layers of wool face mask. No straw so forget that! Driving 55-70 mph with everyone dieing laughing as you go by, and do not even think of stopping at a traffic light, to many camera's and it wasn't for the car! Pass a field that is snow white from frost and starting to think at this time about who will cry uncle first! NOT ME. ( I HOPE ) 45 miles into ride starting to notice tips of fingers and toes are really hurting. Dang I wish I could have found those ski boots. We all notice that when the sun comes up it gets alittle better, we look funny driving on the wrong side of the road to stay in the sun. 60 miles into the run I am starting to try and remember the symtoms of frost bite. I think stuff starts to feel like it's burning. OH SHUCKS!!! Pass a sign that says 22 miles to destination. I start to watch the odometer turn each 1/10th of a mile to pass time. Starting to count down from 220. Thats how many 1/10ths it was and keep losing count. Is that a symtom? OH SHUCKS!!! Finally we see destination, Incredible, we made it. Pull up trying to look as cool as we can as we remove multiple layers of cold weather gear. One Cobra shows up with a top, Wussy!!! Overheard later by one of the cobra drivers from a spectator, "At least one of these guys has some since" Where's my sign? Go to clean out the car for the show and find the 2 cups of coffee, FROZEN SOLID!!! WHERE'S MY SIGN.
Trip home was a balmy 38 degrees, Mark this one off the list!!! My next project will have a top and windows. "I PROMISE"

Larry ( Polar Bear ) Boatner
Ex Cold Weather Cobra Driver

Braver than I am.:eek::D

Larry you should have just stopped by your local snowmobile shop and got the proper gear. Oh, I forgot, Texas isn't a big snowmobile state:LOL:
Living in Idaho driving in cold weather was scratched off of my list a long time ago. Took delivery of my ERA in February and drove it on a -2 day. Only drove for 15 minutes, no top, no side curtains and no brains.

Dick

You should come join the CACC New Years cruise in DC. This year it was about 15 degrees when we started, single digits with wind chill (white caps on the Potomac). If you wear the right stuff, I don't find its that bad when you are moving. Stopped is quite a bit different though. I don't have a heater, but the 427 throws off enough heat to help. :D

The Irish coffee was much appreciated after our hour long cruise though.

Snowmobile? In Texas that would be what they use to bring the illegal drugs across the border.:LOL:

I found that stopped it wasn't so bad since we had a bright sunshine day. Really the fingers and toes were the worst. Used hand warmers in the gloves and they kept the palms toasty, fingers not so. Funny thing is that I squeezed the hand warmers so hard one exploded. The junk in them is like silica, so fine. When I stopped I had this crap all over the car. This was the first time I cursed the Dynamat. I couldn't get a bit of heat from the motor thru the firewall.:LOL:

Larry

For me, it was the first time I was actually happy that I didn't get "fresh air venting" for the footbox and that the heat shielding on the CSX continuation cars is only slightly better than the original CSXs.

Doug,

Only mechanical related issue is that my car never got above 150 degrees water temp and that was idleing with no fan. Under road conditions mine would drop to 110-120 F water temp. This probably isn't good. I think by putting in the racing 170 degree thermostat with the bypass hole the water never slowed up enough to heat. We build these Texas cars to not get hot, didn't think about the winter issue. Well probably will NEVER have to worry about it again!!!:LOL:

Larry

I am driving mine more than I thought I would during the winter, which is great, but I have on my winter projects to probably change out the thermostat to 180 degree version (I have 160 now with weep holes as well) and put in an oil cooler thermostat too. Temp is fine just puttering around with fans off, but any kind of speed drops the temps too low to be good. Don't want to do that very long.

OK, lets get out and drive! In the 20's ear mufs, carhart jacket and driving gluves, heater runing on low on foot well. Realy not all that bad while moving, worst was while fueling. I routenly drive once a week or two, warm up the car before leaving and cover about 3/4 of the radiator and all of the oil cooler so to keep heat in the motor. No top or side curtains either usally run 50 to 100 miles. Here in Maryand winters are usally pretty chilly, the locals just look because they are used to seeing me, but hey I wanted one of these cars for about 45 years. Call me crazy, but miles of SMILES 65+ and counting.

WildBill

One of the Bears
 

When we stopped and walked around at 9am, it was still low 20's. Felt almost balmy (except for the fingers and toes) like Larry said. Found a local watering hole serving hot coffee in a heated environment. Got my lovely bride to take off her shoes and rubbed some life back into those popsicle toes. I also forgot how much fun it was to coax Mr. Johnson out of three layers of clothes, reminded of of George Costanza and the "Shrinkage" episode on Seinfeld. No sympathy from the wife as she quickly reminded us guys we didnt have to disrobe nearly as much as she did to relieve herself. She's a trooper. I think I'll set a reminder to not even think about getting out below 30 again.

First - Congrats on Getting 'er Done !

I do feel for y'all driving in that frigid cold.I'd far rather sweat to death than freeze to death.

I ride in cold weather and in the wind.Don't get cold though.
Y'all ought to check out heated gear,plugs right into a cigarette lighter socket.Gloves,jacket liner,pants liner and insoles will run about 15 amps on high.
I have a dual control thermstat.One controls the upper half,the other the lower half.Never get too hot or cool.
Stay warm and you don't wear 1/3 of the gear you do now.

Liners
http://gerbing.com/Products/liners.php

temperature controls
http://gerbing.com/Products/tempControls.html

heated insoles
http://gerbing.com/Products/insoles.html

Gloves
http://gerbing.com/Products/gloves.html

I'm with ya. Are you a member of CACC?