I have too many LBC extreme cold stories then I can ever hope to remember. I
went to college (1965-69) at St. Mike's in Winooski Vermont, a little
northeast of Burlington and a little south of Canada :-). I lived in central
Connecticut so it was about a 5 - 6 hour drive home seeing as the interstate
wasn't complete yet. My first car was a 61 AH Sprite with side curtains.
This was the first year after the bugeye and it had no outside door handle.
The idea was you'd slide open the curtain, reach inside and pull the door
pull cable to open the door. That worked fine in theory, unless it had
snowed or there was freezing rain in which case you'd pound on the side
cutain and hope it came unstuck. It wasn't uncommon to squeeze your arm in
between the top and the side curtain in order to get the door open cuz the
side curtains were froze solid. There were only two occasions that the car
didn't start. Once after an extended period of way below zero weather when I
didn't drive it, I swear the started froze solid and wouldn't even consider
spinning. The second time was after I broke my leg sking and the car sat in
the lot at Bolton Valley for a few weeks and it had to be towed to a garage
to thaw out. My second LBC was a 64 AH 3000 that was a great snow and ski
car. The car went through fuel pumps and mufflers but it always started and
made it through the snow. I used to put a heat lamp under the hood at night,
aimed at the carbs. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but when 10 to 30
below wasn't unheard of, I had to make sure it started so I could get to
class.
I guess in looking back 35 years it was pretty extreme weather compared to
what we take our LBCs out in today but back then it was the only car I had
and the only way to get around. I'm sure both cars rusted out from all the
salt Vermont poured on the roads back then.
Bob Danielson
1975 TR6
http://pages.cthome.net/BobD/
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