my stupid epic road trip idea..

looks like i'm going to San Antonio, TX to a family reunion of sorts in the beginning of June .. i'm thinking it would be fun to take my 86 Camaro since it will likely be the most fuel efficient car i own at that time- it's black with a black interior, has t-tops, and doesn't have AC or cruise control.. the internet tells me it's just over 1300 miles each way.. and it will be summer time..

this gives me 3 months to get the 305 together and in the car and make sure i feel safe driving it..

which brings me to the "grassroots" part of this.. i'm thinking that a black car without AC in June in southern Texas might not be a good idea- hell, a black car without AC in June in MN isn't a good idea. so i came up with the idea of adapting the "cool suit" idea to some seat covers for me and my travelling companion (she doesn't like the idea of no AC..).. put the cooler in the back somewhere, and fill it up with ice at every gas stop if needed. i see no flaw in this, and think i can cobble together something that will work for not too much money out of parts that i can get at Wal Mart if something breaks.

i might do a Krylon/Rustoleum respray in white (including the t tops) just to make it a little more not stupid to take that car..

so where is the logical flaw in my plan?

novaderrik wrote: so where is the logical flaw in my plan?

If you're going through that much effort you might as well go install AC, even if only for the weekend

You could just roll down the windows and drive REALLY fast!

mtn wrote:

novaderrik wrote: so where is the logical flaw in my plan?

If you're going through that much effort you might as well go install AC, even if only for the weekend

AC for a weekend? the car is a factory AC delete car- it has a factory heater core and a fan to blow air thru it, with a air diverter valve to set the temp... that's it.. it's not like i'd just need to hook up a belt and throw in some R134..

It's an 80's camaro... Just tell the jy you need to add a/c to keep your mullet cool. They'll probably give the stuff for free.

Is there a reason you don't want the a/c after?

AC is extra weight and complexity, and just gets in the way when trying to change spark plugs or track down a weird oil leak or something...

so no one has ever thought of the "cool seat" idea for a street driven car? i know a few Chumpcar teams have done it on the cheap, but i've never seen anyone that did it in a street car..

While I admire your cool seat idea, you'll still want real AC. Driving with the T-tops off and windows down the whole way will cause a good amount of fatigue. Don't forget about sunlight during the day. I know I would need to be chugging water and bathing in sunblock.

i also have the option of doing most of my traveling during the night- both of us work overnights, anyways, so it wouldn't be a drastic schedule change.. but that would mean missing out on checking out the countryside as it passes us by..

Rent a car for the big trip.
The mpg savings will help to make this not cost too much.
How many days will you be gone?

2600 miles round trip.
If gas is $4/gal.
At 25mpg you need $416 in gas
At 35mpg you need $297 in gas
"Savings" of $119
A rental will cost about $200 per week. Net cost of $81 for rental. A cheap price for AC comfort and reliability.

wow.. so no one can exist without AC any more?

No AC in MN during June is different that no AC in TX during June.

jrw1621 wrote: No AC in MN during June is different that no AC in TX during June.

so 95 degrees and 90% humidity feels different down there than it does up here? is it because the sun is higher up in the sky?

not trying to be a smartass- i honestly want to know...

Lived in Charleston SC for ten years without AC in my car, think high 90s and 100% humidity. It was doable but misserable alot of the time. The only downside I can see to the cool seat idea is whether the ice will last long enough. I know alot of the racers I talk to complain they aren't getting much more than and hour from their cool suits. I don't have one therefore don't know for sure. A cool suit might help but not sure how much of a difference a cool seat would make at those temps.

novaderrik wrote:

jrw1621 wrote: No AC in MN during June is different that no AC in TX during June.

so 95 degrees and 90% humidity feels different down there than it does up here? is it because the sun is higher up in the sky? not trying to be a smartass- i honestly want to know...

In June..in Texas...95 degrees and 90% humidity happens when the sun is on the other side of the Earth.

Yes, 95 could easily be the evening low.
I think a big concern is that a '86 Camaro w/t-tops is just one big glass bubble. The back window is more of a glass roof than it is a vertical glass window. That glass roof continues to the t-top and the front window. There will be no escape from the downpouring heat rays. You would want to have some really heavy tint .

I have a Miata w/o AC but on the hottest of days I tend to drive it with the top up and back window down. I do this so I at least can get some (even if slight) shade.

mguar wrote: In reply to novaderrik: Poor man's a/c. find your dry ice store. Buy a chest full of dry Ice. Take out the heater core. Plop in a big chunk of dry ice. Turn the heater controls to cool. Should last 4-8 hours.

I need to try that!

Damn you guys are Bob Costas, AC in a Pony car, hell no, I would just wind down the windows, dress for warm weather and drink cool drinks, but I'm from Australia where a hot day is 115+

Harden the berkeley up.

egnorant wrote:

novaderrik wrote:

jrw1621 wrote: No AC in MN during June is different that no AC in TX during June.

so 95 degrees and 90% humidity feels different down there than it does up here? is it because the sun is higher up in the sky? not trying to be a smartass- i honestly want to know...

In June..in Texas...95 degrees and 90% humidity happens when the sun is on the other side of the Earth.

That's the truth. I don't mind the heat of the day as long as the nights cool off.

The cool suite idea would work, but you would need a big cooler. We use a 24qt in the lemons car and get about 3 hours out of it. It's all cobbled together out of walmart stuff except for the dry breaks on the end of the hoses. It gets the job done, but we end up adding a bag of ice at every driver change. The human body puts out a lot of Btus.

aussiesmg wrote: Damn you guys are Bob Costas, AC in a Pony car, hell no, I would just wind down the windows, dress for warm weather and drink cool drinks, but I'm from Australia where a hot day is 115+ Harden the berkeley up.

Its a relative thing. If you grow up in an area with hotter summers you become better adjusted to it. I grew up down south so summer heat doesn't bother me but I hate the cold winters in Indiana.

OP: TX in June will be more like 100+ temps with 100% humidity unless its west TX where the air tends to be dryer. Being from the far north, I'd expect you to sweat the instant you got to Iowa. Imagine sitting in a sauna for 10 hours.

For me the deciding factor is your companion. Very few of the fairer sex will be happy with this situation. If this girl is your sister and you want to torture her, go for it. If it's a girlfriend save your relationship now and rent a car.

mguar wrote: In reply to novaderrik: Poor man's a/c. find your dry ice store. Buy a chest full of dry Ice. Take out the heater core. Plop in a big chunk of dry ice. Turn the heater controls to cool. Should last 4-8 hours.

Or: why not run that ice water through your heater core and have the stock fan blow the cold air? A couple makeshift hoses plumbed to a Rubbermaid Tupperware box? Maybe a small faucet fuel pump? Easy money :P You could cool your drinks and yourself at the same time!

When I moved to Texas from Washington, it was in an old Chevy truck without A/C. Even with the floor vents/windows open it was pretty rough.

icaneat50eggs wrote: For me the deciding factor is your companion. Very few of the fairer sex will be happy with this situation. If this girl is your sister and you want to torture her, go for it. If it's a girlfriend save your relationship now and rent a car.

In my experience, once someone on the trip decides this is not fun any more...it really is no fun for anyone any more.

With the rental you will not only get AC but you will get reliability and relative comfort even in the cheapest of cars. Many cars will have satellite radio or at the very least a aux jack to hook in ipod/mp3 player/phone. Also, no wear on the Camaro.

How many days will you be away?

Rent a car.

It will be much more enjoyable, and this is coming from someone who has no problem doing a 1000 miles a day in rattly old E30s.

No A/C, with T Tops (I drove a 300ZX with no AC and T-Tops in high school, miserable) will be very exhausting, very quickly. The sun + wind noise is a killer when trying to put away a lot of miles like that.

Not a good way to drive.

Also hot, tired, upset girlfriend does not lead to fun time at night once driving is done.

Also hot, tired, upset girlfriend does not lead to fun time at night once driving is done.