Freakin' Wisconsin - Is Winter Over Yet?

Damn Kev its pumping. Xmas swell?

 

More pics in the HAMB SURFERS social group, now back to the snow talk, BBRRRRR!!

 

i'm becoming less and less of a fan of the winter time too.....


i've always been an oregonian-i actually grew up on mt. hood, and never thought twice about the fact that it was almost always cold and snowy-it was just about snowboarding, booze, guns, dirt bikes and 4x4's up there, because that was the only choice you had when you're a kid and stuck in the woods. that's where i developed my love of the outdoors, which i still hold to this day......BUT, the older i get, and now that i'm married and live in the city-and have more and more cars and harleys as i get older-the more i want WARM weather so i can enjoy my TOYS....
don't get me wrong, i live in the most beautiful part of the US as far as i'm concerned, but i do bum out on the fact that i can't drive my hot rods 12 months out of the year.....

oh, and that being said-about 6 years ago i thought i wanted to get the hell out of here and moved to san diego for about 4 months and HATED it-so i guess i'm never happy.....

 

John,
I used to live north of you in Wittenberg and can relate to the non-tropical type winters there in Wisconsin! Can't believe I used to work outside most of the time. I was very lucky when I lived there, my Dad had a heated garage and sold fuel, so we always had heat! I'd never would of probably been able to work on any of the stuff otherwise. Moved out to Nevada in 88 and like the winters here a lot better. I can do a 100 above better than -40 below.

Michael

 

Hang on, according to Al Gore it should be 80 in Canada any day now. global warming,my ass.
I hear whoever said it was 75 in their shop. I keep mine at 55 and turn it up to 65-70 when I go out to work. Too many days working outside in zero weather when I was younger to ever want to do that again.

Frank

 

My only "rule" that I standby now, is I need something between me and the concrete floor. Carpet prefered, but a sheet of cardboard is mandatory.

GOTTA keep the ground from sucking the warmth out of you.

 

Yeah, winter sucks big time. I hate having to decide if I should put on a coat or not. Plus, it is raining now too. I hate that also.

 

Anybody watch the Rose Parade/Bowl?
That's why our population grows every January.

 

shoot i have no garage i have to wait for all the snow to melt so i can finish what i started ....

 

So if you don't like the cold, you can move any time. The season change is awesome. It motivates us around here to get things done. I think that is why midwesterners have a good work ethic.

I just got back from another 100 miles on the snowmobile today. That beats any hot rod ride! I'll gladly park my car each year so I can do it. 150+ horsepower in 550 lbs. The rush is awesome. Nothing else like it. You can't beat your car like you can a sled.

 

Yeah, I hear ya! Winter sucks (except for being on the sled) but, somehow; it makes bringing the toys out in the spring that much better.
Good thing the Packers are playing better. Thankfully the internet (this site) is here to make those long winter days go by.

 

Just to put things in perspective I only heat 2/3 rds of my shop... we used to build our stock cars outside during the winter... I'm not quite that hardy anymore. I was glad when I got to rent a $10.00 per month farm garage with one light bulb and a dirt floor... we had to weld the roll cage uphill, both ways, in the snow... wait a minute that's a duiifferent story.

 

I left Chicago..and northern Il..SE wisc 35 years ago. I'm sure I could never do winter up there again. Just got back from 100 miles in my open roadster..72*..sun..

But there were plenty of Wisc...Ill...Minny plates on the road..

I used to brag about being tough to handle the sub zero..work in the garage crap..

Now..if it's below 60..I bundle up..put on the heat..

 

IMHO, The hobby seems to be a little more interesting up here in the Midwest. I am originally a Texas girl and we all drove around in the same cars year round because we could. Here in IL and WI, I have found there are a lot of secret winter projects and cars that come out of the garage completely different than how they went in the previous season. I do admit that it's hard to get out in the cold and do much, but the spring brings fresh excitement and motivates in a whole new way.

 

Just moved to Wisconsin from Texas, what the heck was I thinking!

 

woke up to -17 here in iowa....dont even care to know the windchill at this point

 

Worst part is when it's too cold to wrench and the wifey says "NO!" to sharing some body warmth. Why did I give up sheep farming?

Seriously, it sucks when the sockets freeze to you fingers. When I lived alone, I would take parts off the car and work on them in the house. I had my engine in the living room, a carb in the sink, and a door on top of the washing machine. My darling moves in and it's all outdoors now, frozen into my tiny, unheated garage.

I'm not complaining, though. I wouldn't trade her for a Super-Duty 455. But maybe for a Ram-Air V motor......

 

When I was living in Milwaukee, before I moved up here, I put my Harley in the basement for a winter. Gave me a chance to really go over it, and didn't even have to crank up the heat to work on it.

The only bad part is, it took 4 of us to get it down and back out again.

 

Heat in the work shop is a must as winter in Wisconsin is the time to get shit done so you can enjoy the short summer months and not spend to many of those warm days in the garage. This last week has been pretty cold so off to the shop and hammered out a rolled pan for my model A pickup box. Next will be a lower door patch panel and then the door glass. Got to keep at it as it help pass the winter cold. Summer will be here soon.!

 

I hear ya, even though it's not that cold by me. That's why I booked a flight to AZ this month. Should be a weeks worth of nice warm and dry weather.

 

-36 This morning in Northern Minnesota. Do I win? Maybe some cookies or something for putting up with this shit?

Had the heat turned down in the shop so I have to wait a couple hours before I can get to work today.

 

yep, winter sucks here! but sunday morning there will be no church because im going to pick up my '28-'29 sport coupe body!! cold dont matter when it comes to building hot rods!

 

Gerg, youre in too much of a hurry. If I have a day to play, I turn the heat on when I take the dog out. I go back inside and fire up the coffee pot, then log on here for an hour, hour and a half. (If plowboy, Sibly or a handful of other insanely talented S.O.B.'s have posted project updates, I MAY NOT make it out for 3 hrs.) By the time I get out to the garage, TOASTY.
Oh yeah, one other thing...... you have GOT to have flannel lined jeans for the shop.

 

man its not over for me i woke up dismornng to a couple inches of powder now i gotta go shovel the shit ..have a nice day ..

 

It is ZERO right now .. thank god the garage is heated.

 

freakin babys! move to northeast mo!!!! it was 78 here yesterday so we all hadda big bbq and played nekked in the pool!!!!
*cough* " hey son, can you go check to see if someone bumped the knob on the stove?" if feelin a lil funny"............

 

So our heat bills may cost us a bit in the winter, but your A/C bills are probably more. And we go out in the cold like it is no big deal. I doubt any of you are out in your shops in AZ when it is 110 degrees out.

 

Man, I LOVE the winters! I've lived in Michigan most of my life, much of it in northern lower peninsula and some in da U.P.

I've been stationed in Texas and South Carolina while in the service. I keep coming back and will likely be here till they plant me - 'course if I croak in the winter they'll have to wait till the ground thaws in spring...

I think it was about -0 when I got up this a.m. but the fireplace is pumpin' out the heat and I have a heater in the garage if I decide to go out there. Life is good up north in the winter - you southerners got all the snowbirds, we got less traffic!

Oh and uh, did I mention we're leaving soon for a 2 week Hawaii vacation & island hopper cruise? Can't wait!

 

There's something about Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota that people in the SW just will never understand.

We have tree, squirrels, natural water source, etc..

But it's nice hang out in the winter and get projects done. We enjoy all the seasons, and never wait for a nice day to go outside and do something, we just go do it.

Also, it's so much easier to put on an extra layer to clothes, turn up the heat, or light a fire, than it is to try and cool down when it's 110+ degrees outside. You can only take off so many clothes!

 

The way I see it, I'll be in the best place when global warming kicks in. Then everyone will be complaining about the heat and I'll have perfect weather.