Desert heat- how did they do it?

[51Deluxe]

Recently my wife and I  drove from TN to LA, California on the interstate and Route 66 for some kicks (even stayed in the Wig Wams) . We took our daily driver, a 2013 Toyota Avalon. The desert temps that day were around 120 degrees, yet inside the car was as comfortable as ever and the coolant temp gauge stayed right in the middle as always. When I got out a couple of times to pump gas, I was nearly cooked and buffeted by 40mph winds.

I was born in '57 so didn't experience it, but have always read about people road tripping out Route 66 out west in the 40's and 50's. My 51 Kaiser wouldn't have made it 10 miles under those conditions. How did they do it? Only travel at night?

[Gordie]

Many of us in Los Angeles used to leave about six PM and got thru the hottest part of the desert by midnight.  The dessert is a dry heat but very hot and it was not wise to try to do it in the daytime.  I did it many times in 1930's and 1940's cars.  Even at night your car had to be in good condition and we always saw many cars pulled over at the side of the road cooling off or at worst some cars would get so hot that they would catch on fire. Even today in the desert you can see scorched spots on the side of the road where a car had caught on fire and burned.  In the old days air conditioning was not available and everyone suffered.  Aren't the new cars great?

[Terry T]

I drove my unrestored '51 HJ (SOLO) from Detroit, thru Chicago onto CA all along Rt. 66 for the KF Convention in San Diego.

If there were multiple sections to take, I always took the oldest, often gravel, busted concrete, or just plain dirt.

It took me 9 days.  12 hour day in AZ; 14 hours going across CA.
102 deg. in MO, 112 deg. Needles.

Car was fine, but I had overheating problems in MO.

I WOULD DO IT AGAIN!!!

[51Deluxe]

Interesting that you had issues in MO but not in Needles where it was hotter. I retrofitted my 51 with a flex fan to address a few seconds of stumbling that occurs on acceleration only when it's hot outside (not exactly your classic vapor lock symptoms) . The fan raised the temp where this occurs about 10 degrees (where it would have happened at 85, now takes 95). Anything over 95 and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be going anywhere. The gas tank was pulled , cleaned and coated, water pump and radiator replaced, carb and fuel pump replaced, and fuel lines insulated. Coolant temps only measure about 180 degrees at the hottest with a candy thermometer, so I don't think the car is actually overheating. I really don't want to install an electric pump other than as a last resort, as I figure the stock configuration could handle a lot when working correctly.

Terry- I think the key word in your post is SOLO. My wife braved our trip just fine in a modern car, but no way was it going to happen in the Kaiser! It's only a couple of hours from Springfield TN where I live to Jackson where a regional meet I plan to attend will be. She may go along for that (in cool September) , but I would say that's her limit.

[Terry T]

I learned my lesson in MO and drank much more water from then on.
I got dehydrated in MO!!
I was enjoying the ride, while getting lost off 66.

[Corsairdeluxe]

I went 1850 miles in a 51 J,6 cyl. no O.D, El Paso to east coast. I stopped in Odessa to rest and bought a fifth of Old Everclear to settle my nerves. Wound up resting for two days off that one fifth!

[Gordie]

When my Father was in the Navy he got transferred from Corpus Christie, Texas to Los Angeles in 1946 and the speed limit across the country was 35 miles per hour to help conserve tires.  I remember that it took us four days just to get out of Texas and it was very hot in that 1941 Dodge and he was also pulling a one wheel trailer.  Old memories are fun!

[dpledger]

I went from WI to Los Angeles in my '53K and back in mid summer of '64. I do recall a cooler full of ice and various beverages submerged in it by my side throughout. Across NE to Boulder, then down to Albuquerque and across to L.A. Came back through Vegas, UT, WY, and SD. Hot throughout, but nothing really happened. Only time temp went much above normal was in the Vulture Mountains in AZ, but no real problem.  Was a grad student at the time, with minimal cash, no credit card, no cel phone, and no one likely to come after me if there was a problem, so being hot was not the greatest concern. Looking back, I must conclude that we were made of sterner stuff in them thar days. Also realize that in all the travel across the country in the '53 it never stranded me anywhere. That's why it is just finishing a 7 year total rebuild, so that it is in the best shape it has ever been since I got it in '58. So there should be no problem taking it to CO in Sept? Well, maybe great silver bird instead this time. Even with credit cars and cel phones.

[Logan]

I drove the Dragon from central Texas to Southern Utah during July several years ago--it was hot!  I put on a spare fuel pump I had brought and took out the thermostat near Albuquerque--really nice guy saw me trying to work on it in the O'Reilley's parking lot, and brought me to his shop, equipped with two bays and plenty of tools, and a very nice '56 Chevy two-door hardtop.  That trip took 4 days, and we have done it before in the Taurus and Grand Marquis many times in two!  Electric fans help.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

People need to be reminded that the formula for what passes as gasoline today is a lot different from what it was 10 years ago; it evaporates at a significantly lower temperature today than it did back then and the evaporation point 10 years ago was a lot lower than it was in the 1950's.  This of course, raises the risk of vapor lock.

Everyone has "fixes" that worked for them.  Here's what I did:

1.  Dump the J8's...their higher spark creates more heat.  Go back to an AC44, 44R or Autolite A-5.  I still have several dozen of them from the period (red lettering, larger insulator, c.1949 packaging, etc).  Kaiser-Frazer recommended doing this kind of thing in 1951 for cars with vapor lock or "hard starting".  The Service Bulletin can be found in the 1951 Kaiser info on the KFOCI HANDBOOK CD. 

2.  An electric fuel pump in a discrete area of the rear axle hump with switch under the dash gives the car an original look and works well.  The slight additional pressure generated by the pump will force the air bubbles through the system and keep liquid flowing better than the vacuum booster or single stage pumps on the engines.

[51Deluxe]

I was surprised when first examining my Kaiser that it had Champion J-8's. I tinkered with mini bikes and lawn mowers as a kid and remember that as being the stock plug on most small engines. I looked into an alternative when I first got the car but was unable to find a "cooler" modern alternative. Any suggestions? Are those AC-44's available today?

[Fid]

I've always used AC-45 plugs. No problems.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

51 Deluxe,  I noted AC44 or 44R...this is the AC heat range matching the A-5 which is the plug K-F used in some 1951 Kaisers on the line, or were to be the replacement for A-7's if you had vapor lock issues.  The Service Bulletin from K-F on this is in KFOCI HANDBOOK in the 1951 Kaiser materials area.

[Fid]

I'm not sure where the AC-45 suggestion came from. Probably back in the '70s when they were more common. I never changed as they always worked fine.

[84RabbitGTI]

I beat my vapor lock problem by using only no-alcohol gas when possible, and by tightening all the fuel lines to eliminate leaks where air can get into the system.  I have driven during the hottest days (mid to upper 80's) here in the PNW and have not had any problems this year.  Even stuck in traffic and watching the temp gauge climb to near the top (that's a worry...), nary a stumble.  I say it's the gasoline, primarily.