Many years ago out of necessity (my only wheels) I drove a '67 BJ8 through
the winter of '74/'75. I'm talking a Southern Ontario winter, with lots of
snow, salt, dampness and cold. Even though the car had been "Ziebarted"
(remember them? they were a chain of stores who specialized in thorough rust
proofing) I shudder to think of what the salt did to the car. That is the
only part I truly regret.
Anyway the top and seals fit reasonably well and with a 190 degree
thermostat, the heater was pretty good. The tires were a set of the Goodyear
G800 redwalls (remember them? They were fitted to a lot of TR6's at the
time) About the only thing that was not up to the job for winter driving
were the "demister" vents. Just like the old Volkswagen beetles, you carried
a hand scraper for scraping the inside as well as the outside of the glass.
Traction and handling in slippery conditions was fantastic unless the snow
was so deep you were plowing. I recall that at highway speeds in sub feezing
temperatures, the heat inside gradually dissipated, but in town, things were
very comfortable.
It always took lots of choke to start from stone cold, but she always
started. The choke remained on in varying amounts until the engine was fully
heat saturated.
Ah, the memories!
I'm happy to say, the car was completely restored by a subsequent owner, and
is still alive and well today.
Rich Chrysler
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