Subject: Re: [TR] winter driving/side curtains

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:14:39 -0600

Not all stories about side curtain TRs happen in winter or rain.  Many years
ago, I was driving my TR3 to a new assignment at Davis Monthan Air Force Base
in Tucson.  I stopped overnight in El Paso.  It was springtime...windy.  The
next morning, the inside of the car was covered with sand.  Sand every where!
And I thought I buttoned it up pretty good.

John

Sent from my iPad

On Jan 21, 2013, at 5:04 PM, Gary Nafziger <[email-masked]> wrote:

> AAhhhh I loved reading about experiences with triumph winter driving.
Isn't
> it something how experiences of discomfort or problem situations end up
being
> those that we remember and talk about for years!  We never tell stories
about
> trips in comfortable dry cars with good heat and wipers.lol
> thanks for the
> memories.
>
> gary n.
>
> ** [email-masked] **
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From: "Greg Lemon" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:55:52 -0600

Although my early days of driving were in a mid-sixties Sprite with roll up 
windows, the weather did not probably get in as bad as it did in a TR3, but 
I remember mornings with a good dusting of snow on the seats.  I also 
remember the marginal batteries and starters, when it got really cold you 
did have to go out and start it every couple of hours or it might be a lost 
cause.  The more fun aspects were the snow being the great equalizer, I 
remember one snow night pulling up beside a new red Porsche 911 in my old 
red Sprite.  The light turned green and we both slid around trying to get 
some traction and accelerate as best we could, he beat me to the next light, 
but I made it a good race.

Later when I was out of college and had a real job I had a TR4A that I still 
used as a daily driver, amazing what being able to afford a fresh battery, 
rebuilding the carbs, and having everything else in good order will do, that 
car would start on one or two tries, even after being out all night in 
sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temps.

Greg Lemon
68 TR250

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From: John Wise <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:29:08 -0500

I did my graduate work at Univ of Pittsburgh and at the time I had a 58 MGA.
The first year I drove an over an hour each way (we were living with my
in-laws to save money) driving up and down the Western Penn hills to to & from
the University.  I never got stuck (I had been a USAF pilot & used a lot of
energy management skills).  But I did carry "single loop" plastic chains just
in case.  I made a few mods to my side curtains to hold them relatively tight
to the windscreen at speed.  In addition I always wore my USAF Survival parka
and heavy gloves during the winter.  The "heater" kind of kept my toes from
from frostbite inside my USAF jump-boots and heavy socks.

The last three years we lived in Pittsburgh and my major challenge was getting
up the rather steep hill to our home on snowy nights.  The streets were brick
and worn rather smooth from decades of use.  Energy management was tough
because I have to a 90 degree turn on the steep hill - so I employed the
single loop chains many nights and continued to wear my survival parka.  :-)

Ah, those are the days.  :-)

John

John Wise
Ormond Beach, FL

1960 TR3A
http://wisegroupllc.org/_/TR3A.html

1977 Porsche 911S ('86 3.2 engine)
http://wisegroupllc.org/_/Porsche.html