Thread: Proper roadster pilot etiquette

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Everybody loves a roadster.
At least they do until they own one, but that's another story.


Yep, no denying it, there are roadster people and non-roadster people. I am the roadster type. I get rained on, big bugs hit me in the head at 70MPH, the top of my head was continually in a state of peeling from sunburn, I had to wear sunglasses even at night to keep the wind out of my eyes, and I have frozen when the temp dropped to 40 degrees while I was at a show and nightime came. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

I read in a magazine one time the advice "never build a top for your roadster because you will rarely take it off and then it is no longer a roadster." I have seen this so often........look at Brian, his RP looks so cool with the top on I bet it never comes off again. Not saying that is bad, just a fact.

When I moved to Cape Coral in 1985 I was building my roadster, and I was inspired by a local real estate agent, Phil Deems. Phil has a neat '27 roadster pickup that he built in 1958 or thereabouts, and he still owns it. It is turquise with white undercarriage, wide whites, chevy 283 with two 4 barrels, etc. Really oldtimey, but real, not a recreation. Anyway, I would see Phil driving his rod to work in the mornings with his necktie flying in the breeze, surrounded by all of these econoboxes and other mundane daily commuters, and he just looked like a real hot rodder to me. I swore that when mine was done I would do exactly that, and I did , for 7 years. (except I don't EVER wear a necktie, except funerals and weddings )

What I love about a roadster is that it is just like riding a Harley, but with 4 wheels. You get all the sights,sounds, smells that surround you and have an unobstructed view of everything. My favorite time is to go out for late night drives when it is cool, and just loaf along listening to the pipes and watching the chrome on the engine glisten under the street lights. D***, I've got to get the T done, I want to do all that again. I can't wait either for my Son to get his '29 done. He has no idea what a world this car is going to open up for him when he starts driving it around.


Don

All so true.
We got tired of getting burned all to heck and gone when running Central California's highways on 100 degree days.
You can get a pretty good sunburn up in the mountains as well.
We usually took the 32 up into Sequoia National Park several times a year.
We lived pretty close to it and it was fun to play tourist for the day.

Like you say, the top seldom comes off and it's a Godsend here in Sunny Arizona with it's many days in excess of 100 degrees.

Running in about 109 degrees is my personal best on the high end of the thermometer.
16 degrees last winter on a couple of short trips.

My 32 has a heater, it's black, up under the dash and virtually invisible.
Few have noticed it.
It helps even without a top.
The passenger does especially well.

Even so, an old quilt over your legs, T-shirt, sweatshirt and well insulated jacket with hood and a ball cap will do it.
Thermal gloves are a necessity on really cold days as well.

The pic in one of the other posts has the rear window unsnapped, folded up and snapped under the top.
It makes for excellent air flow and helps keep things cool in the summer.

In the winter, the back window is put down and snapped in place.

Lots of options with a top and running topless is only one of them.


Runnin' a California two laner late on a summer night when the orange blossoms are in bloom is a whole 'nother deal.

The view of the world through the windshield of a roadster is different from anything else you'll ever experience....