Hot Rods How do you deal with this summer heat when driving your hot rod

I drove the '50 Coupe to work today and on the way home the temperature had topped out at 101, I felt like a baked potato sitting in 5 o'clock traffic, I only live about 12 miles away but traffic made it rake a good 30 minute commute.

A bottle of cold water rolled around on the back of the neck helped but I was wringing wet by the time I pulled in the driveway.

What do you do to try and stay somewhat comfortable driving when the weather is this hot? HRP

 

We booked it home from the 111 deg hamb drags a couple years ago in the 46 and the wind was so hot we rolled the windows up lol.

That summer I got a really good handle on “tuning” the vent windows and smoking windows/ back vents was just fine for the three hour drive home.

However sitting in traffic? Pretty miserable. Been thinking about a small fan on the dash. If the air was moving it would be way more tolerable

 

I stopped going out in the heat unless I start out on a cool morning.



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Slow traffic is always going to make a hot day all the hotter. If I have the option I'll pull off and sit the heavy stuff out.

 

My wife carries a small squirt bottle full of cool water. Squirt the exposed skin and with the air flow through the cowl vent it's like a swamp cooler. When it's that hot doesn't matter if you wet some of the wrong areas LOL. Her 33 coupe gets pretty hot inside.

 

I remember going to the Nationals in Memphis in my pals 32 Plymouth PB coupe and we kept towels in the ice chest and every time we stopped for gas we would soak the towels in the ice water and wrap them around our neck and shoulders, it helped.

He swore he would never go to another nationals until he had air conditioning in the car, he never went to another one in that car but 3 years later we went in his Toyota SR5 powered/5 speed Anglia w/t air conditioning and I gotta admit it was a comfortable trip. HRP

 

Pretty sure I remember that year and that is when I met you. It was definitely HOT that day and my drive back to the OKC area was LONG!

 

Anybody ever heard of air conditioning, you know park your butt on a ten pound bag of ice.

 

It's been so hot this year, I'm planning on installing AC in our Willys this winter!
My plan to make it through the summer has been to only take the HotRod out in the evening... Much more pleasant!!! Hahaha

 

I'm sure thinking the new to me truck in the driveway will be sporting AC, it will be a 1st for me. Its harder to endure the heat as I get older.

I must be a lot bigger wimp then you are though, when the temps get near 95, I stay where its cooler. Stop and go traffic is also something I don't deal with, unless I really have no other choice, which would be very little.
I'm retired, I don't leave the AC at home if its hot outside, there really isn't anyplace I have to go. Gene

 

Birthday suit.

 

Cowl vent. It keeps the brass ones cool.

 

The Heat-Index here in Florida has been 105+ for a while now.... just miserable.
Just install A/C

 

I try to drive it when it's cool out or short distances. Waiting for fall and winter!

 

Vintage Air has a solution to your problem.

 

In 2012 comming back from hrpt my son was driving my newly purchased used Texas truck( windows up and a/c on ) and me in the 39 arm out the window its hotter than hell, he called me on the cell and said dad it getting cold in here what do I do. Haha

 

no easy answers without A/C - extra tough for the roadster boys - was always fun when we went down to Southern California to visit the In-Laws in the Palm Springs area - air temps at least 110 degrees and there would be near bald gray hair guys driving their fancy O/T convertibles with the top down acting cool trying to impress the young chicks

 

I DON'T BUILD ANYTHING WITHOUT AIR ANYMORE, Cause I'm Old

 

Only go out at night ?

 

Jeez guys, put a towel on the vinyl seats and roll down the windows.

 

When it gets over 40C (100F), I wind the window down. When I am stopped in traffic, I just think of the cold suds I will be downing when I get home.

 

Turning my a/c.

 

Yes, towel on the seat and windows down. Still, in the middle of summer I only drive at night. It gets pretty warm where I live.

It helps to have a cool towel.

 

I believe so!

I was hunting around for my dad and found him laying down on the front seat fanning himself lol time to go!

 

110 here today.. don't dare to adventure out anymore with out AC this time of year... 115 tomorrow is what is forecasted..

I will be in Mi by the time it hits that temp and looking for the hot rods.

 

My Roadster, no A/C, I put A/C in my 32 Coupe, only used it a handful of times per summer, used the defrost feature more, here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin not that many hot hot days, plenty of COLD days. When I installed the new crate SBC in Merc, set it up the A/C, never got around installing under dash unit and lines, maybe this fall, we've had our hot days already. EVERY vehicle I've owned since 1970 has had A/C, A MUST IMO, currently have 3 OT hobby cars with A/C. Buy a A/C kit, not hard to install or expensive and Magic no more sweating your butt off. Your thread reminds of the Summer Too Hot and Winter Too Cold posts, it's not complicated, Insulation, Heat and A/C are your friend. I do know it's traditional HAMB to be Old School and you are Old School, so Buck up, drink lots of water and look for one of those window swamp cooler units that you put ice cubes in it, my Dad had one in the 50's, we thought it worked pretty good.

 

I just drive without pants!

 

I live on the west coast of Canada. Today it got up to 75 deg. and I had to roll down the window to keep cool.

 

Pussies.....thats when its the best, we get 100 degree days here, the only part I dislike is sitting back on the roadster seat after being in the sun.

 

Both cars have ac but if I'm by myself I seldom turn it on and it gets HOT here. Windows down and vents open. If wife goes along then AC is on.