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Technical Keeping the windshield from fogging up

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HOTRODPRIMER, Oct 29, 2021.

  1. miker98038
    Joined: Jan 24, 2011
    Posts: 1,143

    miker98038
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    In the days before rear window defrosters I used those fans like shown above with reasonable success on rear windows. The key was to turn them on right when you started the car. The moving air stopped the fog from forming better than it took it off.
     
  2. junkyardjeff
    Joined: Jul 23, 2005
    Posts: 8,588

    junkyardjeff
    Member

    I use a fan on the steering column. 100_8762.JPG
     
    Budget36, AHotRod, bchctybob and 5 others like this.
  3. Lone Star Mopar
    Joined: Nov 2, 2005
    Posts: 3,811

    Lone Star Mopar
    Member

    PS: HRP sorry about your daughter, prayers for quick recovery.
     
    lothiandon1940, 210superair and Lil32 like this.
  4. deucemac
    Joined: Aug 31, 2008
    Posts: 1,483

    deucemac
    Member

    To go back a few generations, when I had that problem in my early Ford. An old (must have been ancient, at least 60, when I was 17) told me to get a bag of tobacco like people that rolled their own cigarettes used. Wipe in on the windshield to get the bag wet and the tobacco residue kept the windshield clear, even when it got pretty cold and you could see your breath. I kept a bag on the seat next to me and it did it's job quite well. Dry warm times it resided in my glove box.
     
    bchctybob, Truck64 and Lil32 like this.
  5. Truck64
    Joined: Oct 18, 2015
    Posts: 5,325

    Truck64
    Member
    from Ioway

    Ya got the fixin's fer a smoke, too, just in case. Purty handy right there.
     
    Blues4U likes this.
  6. alanp561
    Joined: Oct 1, 2017
    Posts: 4,609

    alanp561
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    You're just always thinking outside the box, aren't you? Good job:cool:
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  7. Danny, you drive your stuff a lot. Creature comfort removed from the discussion, shouldn't a clear windshield be about safety? Most of us know that at various times, the weather changes and causes vision problems. Vintage Air has been mentioned once in this thread. There's a multitude of remedies that have been suggested. They make work or at least for a while. Isn't your safety valuable enough to do a good solution and not a make shift answer? Best wishes for your daughter.
     
  8. Weedburner
    Joined: Nov 16, 2010
    Posts: 238

    Weedburner
    Member
    from Wa State

    I have a car that I moved the firewall/engine/dash/seats back. No heater or defroster. When I moved the dash back, i originally intended to make a trim panel to cover the area between the dash and windshield. Quickly discovered that without the trim panel sealing the gap, heat from the firewall rises to the inside of the windshield, easily keeping it fog free when returning home from the track late at night.

    Grant
     
    greasemonkey54 and bchctybob like this.
  9. .....In this case, thinking outside the bilge!:D
     
  10. Danny, so very sorry to hear about your daughter's accident. Thoughts and prayers sent your way for a complete and speedy recovery.
     
    Lil32 likes this.
  11. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 5,190

    bchctybob
    Member

    Danny, sure hope you’re daughter’s ok.
    In my closed cab ‘29 pu I had one of those little 12v fans blowing across the windshield. I made it clip on securely after having it fall in my lap a couple of times. Like Miker said above, it worked better keeping it clear than defogging it when it was already fogged up. I still had to lower the door windows, they fogged up just as bad the cab being so small.
    You probably need to bite the bullet and install a real heater/defroster of some kind.
     
  12. rusty bill
    Joined: Oct 7, 2010
    Posts: 242

    rusty bill
    Member

    Try a nice clean blackboard eraser on the fog.
     
  13. big john d
    Joined: Nov 24, 2011
    Posts: 366

    big john d
    Member
    from ma

    a lot of higher end rv class a campers still use those fans
     
  14. Lepus
    Joined: Nov 18, 2016
    Posts: 450

    Lepus
    Member

    I bought this at an auction years ago, but haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it seems like it should work for defogging at least. It needs suction cups for the 4 tabs at the sides and a cigarette lighter plug. 005.JPG 004.JPG 003.JPG
     
    lothiandon1940, Truck64 and PhilA like this.
  15. PhilA
    Joined: Sep 6, 2018
    Posts: 2,061

    PhilA
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    1. Hydro Tech

    The aircraft I worked around had a glass panel on the outside which had many fine, zig-zagged wires sandwiched between the panes. That was to prevent ice buildup, but the same principle applies.
     
    Truck64 likes this.
  16. Truck64
    Joined: Oct 18, 2015
    Posts: 5,325

    Truck64
    Member
    from Ioway

    ^^ Yeah, and they probably cost as much as a car. Someday I'll tell the story when as a young crewchief I tried to polish out the sand pits and scratches out of one of the panels.
     
    PhilA likes this.
  17. Woogeroo
    Joined: Dec 29, 2005
    Posts: 1,226

    Woogeroo
    Member
    from USA

    I've used that anti-fog wipe on stuff with good results in the past. Driving my old truck to work at night, come out in the wee hours or in the morning and it would be fine... whereas before it would look like the inside of a greenhouse.
    The trick is, you have to remember to put it on every other month or so.

    some of the off road, 4x4 vendors have various sorts of heaters for their modified rigs, you might poke around in that world some as well.
     
  18. Truck64
    Joined: Oct 18, 2015
    Posts: 5,325

    Truck64
    Member
    from Ioway

    I wonder...

     
    XXL__ likes this.
  19. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 5,615

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    My Dad would wipe the inside of the windshield with a pouch full of Bull Duram than hang it on the heater knob. When it got nasty looking he would buy another for 5 cents......................
     
  20. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,291

    jnaki

    upload_2021-11-4_4-35-48.png
    Hello,

    For all of our old hot rods and daily drivers, we have used the no alcohol, Glass Plus window cleaner to get the whole inside clean. That was ok until the new product from Rain-X came out for Anti-Fog. As long as the inside was clean, no for or use of the A/C or front air flow in moist weather. In our old A/C cars, outside air opening, plus the A/C on the upper level position cleaned the windows easily.
    upload_2021-11-4_4-37-47.png
    In our 327 powered 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, the little front windows were cleaned and then the Rain X was applied. We could also blast the whole interior with the A/C and that cleared up the windows. But, the key was to thoroughly clean the inside of the front windows. We even tried hot water with this stuff call Amway LOC. It is a mild but powerful liquid soap that gets things super clean.

    Once the inside is thoroughly clean, it stayed that way for the next several road trips and daily excursions. When driving with the vents and windows open, and breathing, “stuff” just gets on the inside of the windows and the whole process had to be done again.

    We thought with the introduction of Rain-X on the inside and using hot water to clean the surfaces, it would work. It did, but the whole process did not last very long in the daily driving in all sorts of traffic and weather. Cleaning once is not a permanent thing.

    upload_2021-11-4_4-39-35.png early Rain-X
    When the new funny looking sponge with a chamois skin surface appeared on the market, one was used to better results. The sponge, looking thing wiped all of the interior glass cloudy stuff in one swipe. It was able to squeeze into the lower edges to get to the narrow space created by the sloping window and dash.

    Now, any liquid was not needed as it was a dry wipe and clean. It worked wonders. But, again, it lasted longer, but it was not a permanent thing. Perhaps a couple of weeks of driving around and mild weather made it last longer.

    Jnaki

    So, the results are good, the dry sponge thing worked the best and took less time out of our busy retirement schedule, so the windows are perfectly clean and clear… until the next month of driving.
    upload_2021-11-4_4-43-38.png
    You can try the latest version of Rain-X and the Anti-Fog solution, as it works. Get a hold of the latest "spongy" thing for waterless cleaning, too. But don’t get in a mild fit, if you have to do the application again in another few weeks or a month, depending on your weather/driving conditions.

    No heater or A/C ? Not a problem… you can get one of these small wraparound mini fans. We have a small desktop fan and a larger fan for when it gets hot. But, the small one pushes out enough air to keep cool. The ones with the battery power or usb charger port and those wrap around flexible legs can supply enough air circulation to help out, too. Plus, they do not block the front window vision. YRMV
    upload_2021-11-4_4-50-33.png


     

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