Starting my truck in cold weather

[Bobacuda]

So, my part of Texas has been freezing the past several days, which made me wonder, "Will my truck start?"  25 degrees (30 predicted high for the second day in a row) and it fired up.    Will wonders never cease?

 

May not seem like much to you folks that are used to freezing weather, but having any 6V flathead start in cold weather has not been a common occurrence without the aid of ether, a long slope or jumper cables.  I am familiar with my family's '41, 49 and 51 Plymouths, as well as our '51, 53 and 58 Dodge trucks.  All of them were cold natured and required outside forces and divine intervention to get them going when the temp got anywhere near freezing.  Once they started, all was well the rest of the day.  This same pattern held true for all of the flathead vehicles of any make that we serviced at the gas station I worked at as a kid.

 

BTW, I have always envied you folks that are able to run your 6V flatheads in the dead of winter.  Hopefully, this is a new trend for my truck.

[P15-D24]

Last time I checked it got down to the 20s and 30s back in the 1940s! 

Trick to it is good battery with the correct size battery cables!  Also the engine needs to be in good tune with a properly working distributor, carb and choke. 

They are low compression engines, they don't need to spin as fast as modern day engines to start.  

I never had much of a problem with my P15 when I lived in Indianapolis. 

[55 Fargo]

In more extreme weather like 0f this might help.

 

Bring the battery in the house to keep warm until starting.

Warm the oil pan with a magnetic heater.

But just near freezing shouldn't be too hard to start if ignition and battery, fuel system all in good shape...

Edited January 2, 2018 by 55 Fargo Spitfire

[55 Fargo]

51 minutes ago, Bobacuda said:

So, my part of Texas has been freezing the past several days, which made me wonder, "Will my truck start?"  25 degrees (30 predicted high for the second day in a row) and it fired up.    Will wonders never cease?

 

May not seem like much to you folks that are used to freezing weather, but having any 6V flathead start in cold weather has not been a common occurrence without the aid of ether, a long slope or jumper cables.  I am familiar with my family's '41, 49 and 51 Plymouths, as well as our '51, 53 and 58 Dodge trucks.  All of them were cold natured and required outside forces and divine intervention to get them going when the temp got anywhere near freezing.  Once they started, all was well the rest of the day.  This same pattern held true for all of the flathead vehicles of any make that we serviced at the gas station I worked at as a kid.

 

BTW, I have always envied you folks that are able to run your 6V flatheads in the dead of winter.  Hopefully, this is a new trend for my truck.

More of an issue at 0f not 32...

[rekbender]

1 hour ago, P15-D24 said:

Last time I checked it got down to the 20s and 30s back in the 1940s! 

Trick to it is good battery with the correct size battery cables!  Also the engine needs to be in good tune with a properly working distributor, carb and choke. 

They are low compression engines, they don't need to spin as fast as modern day engines to start. 

I never had much of a problem with my P15 when I lived in Indianapolis. 

 

In addition to following P15-D24's excellent advice, both my  P2 and P18 are kept on battery tenders. The P2 has a fuel pump with a priming lever, while the P18 has an electric priming pump. With the battery always fully charged and a float chamber full of today's fuel, both cars start almost immediately.

[Merle Coggins]

A couple of years ago, when I put my truck in the front yard with Christmas lights, it was a bit chilly (low teens) when I went to put it back in the garage after Christmas. I wondered how it would start, but it actually fired up quite well. My neighbor even made a comment on how well it started. He didn’t think it would. 

 

As stated above, a good battery, good cables and electrical system, and a good state of tune is a big plus when starting in cold weather. 

[plymouthcranbrook]

I can remember my Father struggling to start his old Plymouths in bitter cold like today in Illinois.  Took the battery in each night, ran light bulb out to the engine to try to keep the carb warm and often had to walk the 2 miles to work at 6 AM anyway. This was in the early to mid 60's. And the cars from the late forty's to early fifty's.  Although admittedly he wasn't one for much in the way of maintenance.

[Los_Control]

when I was a kid, had a 51 ford with a flathead v8, cold weather I had to leave the air cleaner off, close the choke, then take a grease rag and put over the top of the carb for extra choke.

This way it would start right up, without the rag it was real hit or miss if it would ever start.

Today I would maybe say the carb was wore out, who knows.

[greg g]

When I depended on winter rats to provide November to March transportation, used to use two drop lights with hundred watt bulbs in them.  One by the carb/intake manifold,and one by the battery covered by a old piece of carpet.  In the morning, if it had snowed during the night,there was a 12 to14 inch circle of no snow above the battery and carb. Evidence that two small under hood microclimates of above freezing temps were created. Most of that went away with the availability of $300.00 fuel injected cars.

Good thing because these days you need a prescription to buy a lightbulbs that gives off heat...