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i wish i had one of those steel bodied corvettes,but since i don't,i have driven mine as low as 26* and below freezing very often as i never winterize it.only damage was to my face and hands as i cannot drive her with the window closed.the old 350 loves the cold btw.
Hi s,
In Maryland, some winters we have as much ice as snow.
I remember during the first winter I had my car, 1971, realizing that if there wasn't TOO much ice build up on the car the headlight doors and wiper door were strong enough to break free of the ice when I turned them on.
Sometimes though, because of the amount of ice, I would have to bang on the doors with my fist to break them loose so they could open.
Some folks left them open all the time when the weather was like that.
Regards,
Alan
As a rookie who owned a convertible Camaro in the late '60s I would think the main problem would be when the owner tried to "pry" open doors/deck lid/hood after the car iced over.
My convertible top became a "hard top" when a 1/4" thick layer of ice covered the car.
I would think fiberglass damage would occur only if things were forced open "by hand" to break the layer of ice. I wouldn't think that below freezing temps would make the fiberglass "brittle".
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It's an often repeated myth. My 65 was my daily driver in the Boston area in the early 70's. If the roads are clear and dry I still drive in the winter. No cracks unless you loose control and hit something
I recall that Chevy did testing in really bad cold weather in late 70's early 80's two vettes, 'Alpha' & Beta'..Both did very well tho neither were convertibles.IF the roads are clear I enjoy the cold weather..The heater defroster works great and the 350 doesn't mind the cold.
IF it's really cold (like minot North Dakota in the dead of winter.).you'll hears creaks and squeeks on stuff due to the subzero temps..mostly suspension stuff..jim
Come clean - is anyone really still driving their C3 in the snow??
I drive my C3 in the winter quite often.
Back in the 70's the C3 I had then was my only car. I had 4 studded snow tires on it and drove it to work every day. The heater is pretty good and they actually have pretty decent traction unlike a C6 or C7..... They are really a lot of fun in the snow.
Back in the 70's the C3 I had then was my only car. I had 4 studded snow tires on it and drove it to work every day. The heater is pretty good and they actually have pretty decent traction unlike a C6 or C7..... They are really a lot of fun in the snow.
Great pics..nice car! the older ones do well..no having to deal with 500+ HP..No matter how good the brakes are..IF a car won't stay sunny side up..in rough weather.not good!Hope your winter up there is not too rough..Jim
Hey, thanks for the help. I won't drive it in inclement weather...I live in Nebraska...and my 4x4 chevy works well, but I might like to take it out if the streets are clear...but they use too much "stuff" of the streets around here.
Come clean - is anyone really still driving their C3 in the snow??
so this appears to answer the question. Some may drive in the "cold" with clear roads, but no one responded that they are still driving their C3 in physical, slippery wet snow (or road salt) anymore. Makes good sense.
I imagine the C3 could be a beast to drive in the snow with standard tire's. I had a Mazda RX7 one winter which has a similar, near 50/50 weight distribution as Zora tried to get close to with the C3. The RX7 had a tendency to spin around in circles like a spin-the-bottle if I wasn't careful, or wanted to play in a snowy parking lot. While much heavier and better able to lumber through snow in a straight line than RX7 it would seem like the C3 would have a similar spin-tendency because of its nearly balanced front to rear weight ratio.
Personally, I would cringe while waving at a passing C3 in the snow. All I would think about is road salt having now seen countless pics on this forum where frame or bird cage rust pretty much sentenced the vehicle to be parted out by hopeful owners.
Something about seeing those pictures of C3's in the snow gives me a warm and excited feeling, somehow makes those C3's seem more jewel like to me.
Grant..pretty cool that you do take the old gal out into the winter wonderland.I grew up in serious snow country..and for extended driving in snow. would pull over occasionally and knock the snow-ice from the rear inner fender wells both front and back.
IF one doesn't do that occasionally..steering is hampered..Last bad smow we drove in here in western Oregon.the traffic and thaw-freezing over a week created 9" ruts..manhole covers where there is below ground sewer and warmth,turned into terrible potholes..So many people just don't know how to drive in snow or ice..so the BIGGEST HAZARDS are other motorists on the road....but that's true enuf even in sunshiny dry weather.. SO many folks simply cannot drive well period..gotta watch 'em always..In Oregon they do not use any salt or calcium chloride on the roads..With the exception of higher elevations Oregon has very little snow removal equipment..period..jim
Cold weather does not present any damaging condition to the fiberglass (or SMC) materials. Howver, driving in snow or on ice can be a LOT of problems. Big, wide tires with low loading per square inch makes it difficult to get any traction in snow or on ice.
Also, if you park it in very cold weather and have your tires freeze to the pavement, you can actually break the tire bead from the wheel and create an instantly flat tire, if you try to turn the steering wheel before the car is actually moving forward!!
{don't ask me how I know this...}
Last edited by 7T1vette; Oct 25, 2016 at 03:56 PM.
