Driving a classic car in the rain

Kern Dog · February 12, 2015, 04:58:29 PM

Who dares to do this?
Out here in California, we get rain at what we consider the "normal" times of the year : Winter and Spring. Yeah, there will be the occasional Summer and Fall .010 storm, but for the most part, we are dry. I'll freely admit that I have never had my Charger out in the rain. I can blame that on several things: It takes too long to clean road grime from the car, The idiots on the road could slide into me and finally...It isn't my only car to drive.
Years back I had 2 vehicles. A truck for work and a Camaro for everything else. I loved driving that car. It only had a stock 350 but it stopped and handled great. I drove it it all kinds of weather with absolutely no regard for its value. Now I have a car that can easily outperform the Camaro in every category and I hardly drive it. Its not that I'm too old or not interested in it. Life just gets too busy to do all you want to do.
I used to drive in the rain with the window down, stereo cranking and having a blast. What the heck happened?

Ponch ® · February 12, 2015, 06:04:23 PM

I don't drive mine if its raining, but only because the weatherstripping is shot and I'm paranoid about water seeping in and all that. Otherwise I wouldnt mind.

I got caught last weekend while I was clearing out my storage locker (yes, I was using it as moving truck...haha) and it started raining. First time in the 2 years I've had the car. Drove it home as soon as I was able to and spent a good 20 minutes making sure everything was dry. On the plus side, I found out that my wipers work.

ws23rt · February 12, 2015, 06:20:31 PM

What did happen?

There are lots of different folks that like the classic cars but you are pointing out two types in one person.

I'm one of those two in one types.

I drove these cars when they were new and I was poor. They were double duty---transport and cool.

Today I use my 09 SRT challenger the way I used my old hemi RR back in the day. I drive it in the rain but would never drive my C500 charger in the rain these days.

The driving of the old classics the way we did when they were new IMO would only happen with me if I had a clone car. I'm one at my age that feels the few originals left should be preserved as best we can for those that will be the next caretaker of history.

charge69 · February 12, 2015, 06:35:01 PM

My daily-drivers all see rain every time it rains here as they are all parked outside. Back in the "day" , the now-classics were daily drivers for most people and were driven whenever they needed to take people from point A to point B. Whether or not it was raining was a moot point!

That said, my restored classic will never intentionally see rain again!

ACUDANUT · February 12, 2015, 06:43:19 PM

If you choose to do this, your just asking for rust.

twodko · February 12, 2015, 08:02:15 PM

My '09 Ram is my daily driver but I never drive my Charger in the rain.

Drache · February 12, 2015, 08:36:56 PM

Depends on the amount of rain. I drive my Dart daily if possible. I have found though I have to watch the amount of rain. Light rain, no problem at all besides my car loving to go "rabid squirrel" if I'm not careful with the gas pedal. Also the biggest reason I don't drive it in the winter.

But in heavy rain? Nope.

See I have this air intake that sticks out of my hood. It's annoying. People love it at the shows but in reality it's more of a pain that it's worth.

Last year during a cruise a bunch of us knew it was going to rain but said "screw it" and went for our cruise anyways. The problem was, it started to rain, HARD! I mean windshield wipers couldn't keep up on high speed hard. My intake was sucking in so much water, I couldn't idle my car. I literally had to drop it to neutral and keep the engine revving or it would die any time I came to a light or stop sign.

Figured out later I used twice as much gas on the cruise as I normally do from having to keep the engine revving.

green69rt · February 12, 2015, 11:01:04 PM

I plan on a clone RT and will drive it in the rain if necessary. If I can see rain coming then no. I'm trying to do as much as I can to seal this car up or make it corrosion resistant. If I had a restored XS or XX car I think it would be really hard to drive it if there was a cloud in the sky.

Patronus · February 12, 2015, 11:10:03 PM

I never put the wipers back on

Windsor · February 12, 2015, 11:21:48 PM

I drive mine in the rain. Not so much now that one of the springs/retainer broke and I have to make a new set. Kind of hard for the wiper to work when the wind is bouncing it around.
Granted I did watch a Trans Am hydroplane the other day, ended up *** end into the guard rail.

Kern Dog · February 13, 2015, 02:46:06 AM

My car gets loose on dry pavement with these Nitto 555s. I can only imagine what it is like on wet pavement.

terrible one · February 13, 2015, 02:48:42 AM

Never intentionally, but I won't let storm clouds deter me. I like to see the wipers in action every once in a while after hunting down a wiper motor and restoring/ servicing the pivots and linkage.

Plus its already rusty, it drains well!

fy469rtse · February 13, 2015, 03:07:03 AM

I just wouldn't be able to , it would be a night mare,
Way too much power to try and get it to wet roads , I'm sure I will get caught though, that will be a stressful drive
I've toned it down heaps and still would not be ideal,
Had to drive it in the dark after getting it stranded long story , took the next night to finish and the get it home, that was ok , but add water in a car I'm not used too,

myk · February 13, 2015, 04:34:41 AM

Same here. I won't INTENTIONALLY drive it in the rain but I do get caught in it from time to time. I spent thousands of dollars and months getting the rust cut out and new metal put in; I'll be damned if I'm going to go through that again...

Bandit72 · February 13, 2015, 06:43:55 AM

I treat them like I do my motorcycle...I won't intentionally set off in the rain but if I happen to get caught in a rain storm I don't sweat it...shit'll dry out

Ghoste · February 13, 2015, 08:29:12 AM

Thats pretty much where I'm at too.

TUFCAT · February 13, 2015, 08:36:04 AM

Plus it's all the cleaning ...... lot's of cleaning.

moparnation74 · February 13, 2015, 09:20:28 AM

Quote from: Bandit72 on February 13, 2015, 06:43:55 AM
I treat them like I do my motorcycle...I won't intentionally set off in the rain but if I happen to get caught in a rain storm I don't sweat it...shit'll dry out

I agree with that as well.
My only problem here in Texas is weather can change with the blink of an eye and then it downpours. One evening there was no rain in the forecast. We have clay soil here so in a heavy downpour water runs off and builds on roads. That happened when I was driving my 4spd X and I ran through streaming water and my drum brakes filled with water. If you lightly touched the peddle they would lock up. Thankfully, there was no traffic and I had a 4spd to downshift. Was a scary moment doesn't deter me from cruising. I had to drive for the conditions.

Dino · February 13, 2015, 09:56:11 AM

I drive it in the rain all the time. Would I take it out to the grocery store if it's torrential and I can just as well take the daily? Probably not no, the driver's side vent seal is no longer as effective as it once was but as mentioned, not always wise to take a car like this out when it's that wet because you may be stuck at a stop for a minute spinning out. Visibility also goes down quite a bit so accidents are more frequent. And then there's the branches coming down when it get's really nasty!

My car has seen several dozen Michigan showers though and so far so good. I tend to run it through the no touch car wash a lot which has an undercarriage spray. If I didn't do that then rust would progress no doubt. The existing bubbles have not changed over the last 4 years so I think all is well. A super greasy undercarriage also helps.

Troy · February 13, 2015, 12:30:36 PM

Eh, I don't hardly ever clean mine so rain doesn't really matter. When I go to Carlisle, Mopar Nationals, Monster Mopar, etc. I either drive or tow on an open trailer (if I have to). I get rained on almost every trip. The only time it really sucked was running into a torrential downpour at the Nats just as I was going up the ramp to the highway in the Challenger. I had no traction and started edging sideways so I pulled over. In about 2 minutes for the windows to completely fog up and I couldn't see out. Luckily it's bright yellow so at least other people could sort of see me. Had to sit there and wait it out.

I took my Barracuda to a family benefit in an actual rain storm but, normally, I don't intentionally take a car out in the rain. If it rains while I'm out then that's just how it goes. I don't understand the point of owning a car that only moves from it's spot in the garage on sunny days with temperatures in the 70s. I live in Ohio - we don't get too many of those days! A typically drive through November and get the cars back out again in early March. Last year I had the Challenger out the week before Christmas and the Mach 1 out last weekend.

Troy

twodko · February 13, 2015, 12:42:21 PM

What Tuffy said is a deterant for me too........BUT my Q5 will be on
the road this weekend!

It's important to burn all that gas the Pious owners have been saving for us.

Cooter · February 13, 2015, 12:43:21 PM

VERY few that put in the wrench time derusting one of these drives it in bad weather. The ones I usually see touting how they should be driven all the time crap are check writers on EBay.

lloyd3 · February 13, 2015, 01:21:04 PM

Since I live in a fairly dry climate, rain is almost a non-issue. I did drive the car up to Boulder one time for two reasons. My company had a manager's retreat there and I wanted to show it off to the folks that had been hearing about it for years. The second reason was that it was Boulder, the pinnacle of liberal thought here in Colorado. I wanted to see how the denizens responded to my non-Prious. On the drive home I got caught in the rain and once the initial shock wore off, I just enjoyed the drive. It leaked a little, but not bad, The clean-up afterwards did suck, however.

TUFCAT · February 13, 2015, 03:50:46 PM

It all depends on the car, its current level of detail, and how much work the owner want to spend re-detailing it....IMO - Oh, and one more thing, how much was spent on the restoration!

The rust exposure is always something to think about when getting an old car wet...like where does the water drain into (i.e. the trunk). The windshield channels may leak and drip water into odd places that prone to rust also.

Sure they all got wet when they were new. They were designed as well as possible for the day to keep water from being trapped...expel water through drain holes. But when water gets into an area with blocked vent that should've been open, that's a recipie for rust.

After getting your old girl wet, some attempt should be made to completely dry it out. At a minimum, I recommend pulling it out of the garage and letting it sit in the sun for a while. The best thing is another drive the next day when not raining to get air and wind pushing over and under. A car should never be "put-away-wet" ....I think we all know the old saying there.

The other issue is windshield wipers....(and defrost system like Troy said) from my limited experience. They both sucked compared to modern cars.

tan top · February 13, 2015, 04:06:22 PM

mine has not been out in the rain , since I bought it !! second week of april 1989

, never wash it either

just blow it off with compressed air , then wipe a tac rag over the vinyl top first , then wipe the whole car down with a leather , rinced in clean warm water from a bucket ,

Drache · February 13, 2015, 04:15:33 PM

At last years Williams Lake car show it PISSED down rain. Many were worried the show would empty out. Only about 8 cars pulled out and left. The rest of us closed our hoods and waited it out.

Many of the car owner's said "Why leave? Where will we take our car, back to the motel to get rained on?"

Hell the Superbird didn't even close his hood. As he said, it's just a car.

HeavyFuel · February 13, 2015, 04:45:57 PM

Only if I absolutely have to.

TUFCAT · February 13, 2015, 07:28:22 PM

Quote from: tan top on February 13, 2015, 04:06:22 PM
mine has not been out in the rain , since I bought it !! second week of april 1989 , never wash it either just blow it off with compressed air , then wipe a tac rag over the vinyl top first , then wipe the whole car down with a leather , rinced in clean warm water from a bucket ,

I totally agree. There is never a reason to "wash" a classic car.

What T-Top has said.... compressed air is your very best friend with dust and dirt!

The key step to remove the vast amount of dust and dirt (abrasives) without any muss or fuss, and keeping the car bone dry is compressed air!

Unless of course the car's dirty from driving in the rain.....

At this point I wouldn't grab a some well-known brand detailing product and just wipe it down....however depending on the situation, but I'd still be very careful about the "volume of water" being used to wash any classic car.

I suggest doing the actual cleaning by rinsing and ringing a thick terry cloth towel in water with a high quality car wash soap. Apply light pressure to the cars finish starting from "a bit soggy" then working your way down to "medium soggy", gliding along the car and rinsing as needed. Once you get into a "damp ring" stage the dirt and abrasives have eventually been removed. Numerous rinse of the towels in a very large bucket of warm water is essential. The hotter the water the better, the better it is for removing grime.

Dry the car with a micro-fiber cloth, and use a detailer product similar to "final inspection" to remove any marks from wiping and add a "just waxed" shine.

Highbanked Hauler · February 13, 2015, 08:02:45 PM

I have been caught in the rain a few times with my 500 and we survived. The scariest thing is the poor lighting on the car and other people being able to see the car and also the wipers giving up which mine did during a test before I went out with it.

green69rt · February 13, 2015, 08:54:08 PM

I get the impression that there is a lot of concern about rust. Maybe other things but that is the big bug-a-boo. Driving in the rain slings water in all those places that we can't see. Those of us, who have restored a car that has rust in all the usual places, are a little more paranoid about the water thing. If it is a high value, unique car I can see the need to keep it away from water, the rest not so much. But we really have a big attachment to our cars so I really can't blame anyone for wanting to protect their baby.

TUFCAT · February 13, 2015, 10:34:54 PM

Quote from: green69rt on February 13, 2015, 08:54:08 PM
....."Driving in the rain slings water in all those places that we can't see. Those of us, who have restored a car that has rust in all the usual places, are a little more paranoid about the water thing. If it is a high value, unique car I can see the need to keep it away from water, the rest not so much. But we really have a big attachment to our cars so I really can't blame anyone for wanting to protect their baby".

Thanks.... water getting trapped into unknown places (on a seldom driven and stored vehicle) is a major concern - IMO.

green69rt · February 14, 2015, 12:57:43 AM

Quote from: TUFCAT on February 13, 2015, 10:34:54 PM
Quote from: green69rt on February 13, 2015, 08:54:08 PM
....."Driving in the rain slings water in all those places that we can't see. Those of us, who have restored a car that has rust in all the usual places, are a little more paranoid about the water thing. If it is a high value, unique car I can see the need to keep it away from water, the rest not so much. But we really have a big attachment to our cars so I really can't blame anyone for wanting to protect their baby".

Thanks.... water getting trapped into unknown places (on a seldom driven and stored vehicle) is a major concern - IMO.

Yeah, what you can't see really worries us. I don't know how to solve the problem. In Texas, we just leave it outdoors in the sun and bake it out. I still wouldn't feel good!!

myk · February 14, 2015, 07:58:18 AM

Valuable or not, none of us wants to deal with rust elimination/reduction. My car's not valuable in the least bit, however I still won't take that struggle on again if I don't have to...

1974dodgecharger · February 15, 2015, 04:26:41 AM

driving in the rain in these cars is just plain STUPID!!!!!

DONT YOU KNOW THEY MELT

toocheaptosmoke · February 16, 2015, 12:52:14 PM

I try to avoid driving it if I know it's going to be a downpour, but it's been in the rain a few times. It will NEVER see road salt though... I spent quite a bit of time coating the underside with grease and spraying corrosion inhibitor inside all the panels and places I could get to. The car is store outside anyways so there will always be humidity, but like already said keep it driving to dry it out asap.

c00nhunterjoe · February 16, 2015, 10:49:23 PM

I have wipers, and they work.... but they suck, and so does the defroster.... no wait, it doesnt do crap. Lol. Ive been caught in rain plenty of times and its not fun. The wipers chatter and smear, even on new blades, i cant see, drag radials blow in it.....

we got totally drenched in pretty much a hurricane at ocean city 2 years ago. I found that i needed a raincoat INSIDE the car. It leaked from every crack, seam and crevice and i could have put goldfish on the floor with me. Yeah, it was that bad. Were we crazy for cruising in that weather? Probably. But i spent the money to go and the car was getting hammered anyway. Besides that, there were guys with 100k racecars out driving so i figured why the hell not. Lmao

DAY CLONA · February 17, 2015, 11:12:30 PM

Quote from: TUFCAT on February 13, 2015, 07:28:22 PM
Quote from: tan top on February 13, 2015, 04:06:22 PM
mine has not been out in the rain , since I bought it !! second week of april 1989 , never wash it either just blow it off with compressed air , then wipe a tac rag over the vinyl top first , then wipe the whole car down with a leather , rinced in clean warm water from a bucket ,

I totally agree. There is never a reason to "wash" a classic car.

What T-Top has said.... compressed air is your very best friend with dust and dirt!

The key step to remove the vast amount of dust and dirt (abrasives) without any muss or fuss, and keeping the car bone dry is compressed air!

Unless of course the car's dirty from driving in the rain.....

At this point I wouldn't grab a some well-known brand detailing product and just wipe it down....however depending on the situation, but I'd still be very careful about the "volume of water" being used to wash any classic car.

I suggest doing the actual cleaning by rinsing and ringing a thick terry cloth towel in water with a high quality car wash soap. Apply light pressure to the cars finish starting from "a bit soggy" then working your way down to "medium soggy", gliding along the car and rinsing as needed. Once you get into a "damp ring" stage the dirt and abrasives have eventually been removed. Numerous rinse of the towels in a very large bucket of warm water is essential. The hotter the water the better, the better it is for removing grime.

Dry the car with a micro-fiber cloth, and use a detailer product similar to "final inspection" to remove any marks from wiping and add a "just waxed" shine.

To me they're just machines

if they've been restored with quality paint products, proper techniques, every nook and cranny treated, everything else properly painted, plated, anodized,sealed, etc...you should have no concerns, I drive my cars in just about everything short of snow (OK a few times) my Tona' just like my other cars, gets abused, washed and sometimes put away wet, 11 years later it still looks resto fresh (with a through detail) at any show

Mike

race, wash,show, have fun....don't be a baby!

tan top · February 18, 2015, 06:25:02 AM

Quote from: DAY CLONA on February 17, 2015, 11:12:30 PM
Quote from: TUFCAT on February 13, 2015, 07:28:22 PM
Quote from: tan top on February 13, 2015, 04:06:22 PM
mine has not been out in the rain , since I bought it !! second week of april 1989 , never wash it either just blow it off with compressed air , then wipe a tac rag over the vinyl top first , then wipe the whole car down with a leather , rinced in clean warm water from a bucket ,

I totally agree. There is never a reason to "wash" a classic car.

What T-Top has said.... compressed air is your very best friend with dust and dirt!

The key step to remove the vast amount of dust and dirt (abrasives) without any muss or fuss, and keeping the car bone dry is compressed air!

Unless of course the car's dirty from driving in the rain.....

At this point I wouldn't grab a some well-known brand detailing product and just wipe it down....however depending on the situation, but I'd still be very careful about the "volume of water" being used to wash any classic car.

I suggest doing the actual cleaning by rinsing and ringing a thick terry cloth towel in water with a high quality car wash soap. Apply light pressure to the cars finish starting from "a bit soggy" then working your way down to "medium soggy", gliding along the car and rinsing as needed. Once you get into a "damp ring" stage the dirt and abrasives have eventually been removed. Numerous rinse of the towels in a very large bucket of warm water is essential. The hotter the water the better, the better it is for removing grime.

Dry the car with a micro-fiber cloth, and use a detailer product similar to "final inspection" to remove any marks from wiping and add a "just waxed" shine.

To me they're just machines if they've been restored with quality paint products, proper techniques, every nook and cranny treated, everything else properly painted, plated, anodized,sealed, etc...you should have no concerns, I drive my cars in just about everything short of snow (OK a few times) my Tona' just like my other cars, gets abused, washed and sometimes put away wet, 11 years later it still looks resto fresh (with a through detail) at any show

Mike

race, wash,show, have fun....don't be a baby!

...

yeah I see what your saying , true using the proper products , I done that too on mine & then some !! even seam sealed the joins , where the frame rail is spot welded to the floor & trunk pan !! & any over lap join or similar I could find anywhere damp or moisture could get in !! , when it comes to my charger im seriously nutts

Ghoste · February 18, 2015, 06:26:23 AM

Just because I don't purposely take it out when it's raining, how do you know I'm not having fun with it? (it doesn't rain every day here)

Tengun · February 27, 2015, 06:48:29 PM

I keep mine out of the rain as much as possible. In the Seattle area, this real time phone app is great for determining what type of weather you are dealing with. My car is in the garage today!

68CoronetRT · February 27, 2015, 08:03:38 PM

Got caught in the rain ONCE and it was enough for me. Talk about sketchy, turn a corner and even touch the gas and here comes the back end.

When they were new I bet they would have been a blast to play in the rain. But I like my body panels just the way they are.

Cali drivers are some of the worst.

myk · February 28, 2015, 02:16:16 AM

California drivers SUCK...

bill440rt · February 28, 2015, 04:31:38 PM

I'm one of those Charger owners that HATES getting caught in the rain in these cars.

Driving purposely in the rain, definitely no. Getting caught in the rain? Yes, it's happened. Nope, don't like it. The mess, the cleanup, the accelerated corrosion (yes, it does happen), etc.

Lord Warlock · February 28, 2015, 09:27:04 PM

Rust isn't a concern for me, although I won't intentionally take the car out during a rainy day, if caught out in the rain with it, I'm not gonna freak out, that's why I got tires with tread on them so it can be driven in all weather types. Its also why I put new seals around the trunk or window weatherstripping, to make it as weather tight as it should be. Doesn't mean some won't get in, especially when I drive the charger with the driver window down regardless of weather conditions. Would have to be pouring to make me roll it up.

Some parts of the car frighten me still, the brakes for one in particular, even with totally new parts, I still have visions in my mind of losing control in a hard rain when I first got it in 78, did a 180 slide and went off the road backwards through his front yard narrowly missing two trees, one on each side of the charger. After that I learned to slow down when it rained.

Road Dog · March 02, 2015, 10:31:29 AM

Those drums can be pretty scarey in the heavy down pours. The water gets up in those drums sometimes creating unequal braking side to side or virtual loss of brakes. Especially those 10 inchers. I do like how little rain comes in the car with all the windows down cruising down the road.

lukedukem · March 02, 2015, 10:52:39 AM

when i got caught in the rain once, i hit my lights so others could see my car. but once i put my wipers on, i had smoke coming from the dash. i had burnt the connections on the amp gauge. luckily i was under an overpass and just pulled over and parked it till the rain stopped. it wasn't heavy rain. amazingly the car started and ran fine after that, i got home and took the dash out and it had soldered the wires to the post and it still allowed it to start. i have since upgraded with new wiring harnesses though out the car and did nachos upgrade. i still haven't driven it in the rain or tried all the lights and wipers on at once, little gun shy

Luke

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Driving a classic car in the rain