You think you have trouble starting your car on a cold morning?

Back in the 70’s a friend had a Moskvich , I think that’s how it was spelt, and being Russian the engineering was “agricultural” but extremely robust and practical. He showed me how the car coped with the Russian winters of -30 degrees C, under the bonnet on the side of the engine block was a hand wheel, this was a dump valve and when operated it dumped all the coolant from the engine block, so no problems with freezing and cracked blocks. In the morning all you did was fill the engine up with boiling water and off you go.

In the 60’s I was in the Middle East and the Indian Air Force used to stage their aircraft through our airfield when travelling to Russia to have major overhauls on their Russian built aircraft. One of their Antonov aircraft suffered an engine failure on approach to our airfield and was grounded while it underwent an engine change. Being nosey I went to observe what the engineering was like, I was surprised at how basic and heavy duty the engine appeared, they were regarded as a usually very reliable unit if on the heavy engineered side. Dave W

When my former head of department was sent to Korea for his national service the temperature during the day could reach 30 centigrade and at night fall to minus 15. The transport night workers would go round each vehicle and start it up, run for 30 mins, turn it off and restart after another 30 mins. He said that there were over 100 assorted vehicles in the compound. Frozen ground at night, quagmire at midday.

The funny thing was that the Koreans never had any trouble.

pete

One of my teacher friends had a car that failed the mot on numerous faults. He decided to buy a new car ( on the advice of his wife of course ) He could only afford a yellow Lada. His son thought it was cool but daughter stated that she would not be seen dead in it. Son got lift to school while daughter walked more than a mile.

It always started first time within 3 seconds, NEVER broke down, was traded in for another when it had done 50,000 miles. Second as good as the first.

p.s. Daughter still walked to school, wife became Mayor of the town and travelled by Lada. Daughter refused to get married in it saying she would rather live in sin.

pete

they don’t make em like that anymore.

"They don't make 'em like that any more"...

The Ladas, presumably...

Having put an MGB engine and overdrive gear box into a cambridge estate, one problem was that the engine had been to coin a phrase breathed on, and the flywheel was to light. On cold damp mornings it would fire but not run. Having worked for a company that made the modules for luminition I got hold of a few and another pack of lies got me the chopper arms. Once fitted along with a sports coil it made the ignition not only spectacular but lethal. It solved the starting problem and on a cold damp night if you lifted the bonnet you were greeted wit a fantastic light show. No need to gap the plugs - just break the side electrode off ! Oh the fun I had in that car !!!! Noel

Ref. the Korea tale. my father was in Korea and told of the cold weather.

Double tents, one inside the other with heating stoves and chimneys. the vehicles were parked at night on straw to stop the tires sticking to the ground..

Re Korea,

Yanks invent Velcro to save lives???

They used to get in sleeping bags, metal zips, breath and breath froze the zips. Chinese got in tents and pop,pop,pop - goodnight Vienna. They then told them to sleep with rifle down inside sleeping bags - do l need to explain.

Those near front line used to crawl under tanks to shelter from incoming fire. Ground frozen . At dawn tanks sink into mud????

My friend was on guard duty in front of barrier. Orders to shoot anyone going through. Up pulls jeep with 4 US Colonels demanding to pass. While on phone ( you don’t shoot people like that ) they moved barrier, went through into enemy territory and never heard of again. They had been given map reference and instead of shelling it they went there. True. Mind you the Coca Cola and ice cream was never more the 5 clicks behind them.

pete