I was living in Kansas City, Missouri in 1952. My brother, Ben, had joined the Navy and came to visit me leaving his 1939 Pontiac in my care while he was going overseas. So for most of my high school senior year, I had his car to use.
After graduation, a couple of friends and I decided to take the Pontiac on a quick trip to Colorado. After 10 miles of 65 mph driving, the car overheated. I picked up a 5 gallon can and filled it with water. Every 10 miles we had the same problem and had to stop and fill up the radiator. After several of these, we got behind a large truck and couldn't get around him. We stopped on our 10 mile mark and the radiator was full. Hummmmmmm. So we drove 55 mph for 10 miles and checked it again. Still full. It was determined that we need to keep the speed at 55 or under and that is what we did all the way across Kansas and into Colorado and back. Apparently the motor had rust in the water passageways and when the engine was going at 65 mph, it couldn't circulate the water allowing the water to spill out. Then the engine would get hot from lack of water.
In the fall, I drove this car to Pasadena, California to attend Pasadena Nazarene College. Yes, I drove all 1,700 miles at 55 or under and had no water problems. It kept me from speeding!
1 comment:
Dick, I remember that car and since I didn't have one at PC I was envious of anyone who did. Good story!
Dave Cole
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