Frozen tundra, frozen Honda, frozen sense of liberty.

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by andrew414, Dec 23, 2007.


  1. andrew414

    andrew414 Howdy.

    Last night it was 40F and raining.

    This morning was 9deg F and windy. My girlfriend had to go visit her father a few miles away. Her civic was completely frozen over.

    Though I live in a fairly urban area now, I grew up in the North woods of WI and the U.P. I know what to do. I grabbed a steel paint pail, popped some holes in the base for ventilation, filled it with charcoal and some field-expedient fuel. (combo of vegetable oil, carb cleaner, and a handful of birthday candles I will never use.)

    The girlfriend, up until this point is telling me how we should call a locksmith, pour some hot water on the door, look some more at Yahoo Answers, etc. She's really just ignoring what I'm doing. That is, of course, until she sees the mapp torch come out.

    I explain what I'm doing. So, she says to me, "They will arrest you for arson if you do that!!"

    She was probably right. I see an MPD squad car drive by where her car is parked on the street at least once every hour or so.

    I did it anyway. After the initial flame-up away from her car, the coals looked nice and frosted with gray and orange. I probably would have cooked some bratwurst over it if it wasn't morning. I grabbed the wire handle with my leatherman and set the tiny furnace down in the snow about 12" away from her car door.

    45 minutes of her hand wringing and looking out for police go by while I sit quietly reading and sipping coffee. The door is now dripping nicely. Zero ice, opens right up.

    I'm almost 100% sure that if a cop had driven by, or if one of my busybody neighbors had complained, the cop would have (heroically) wasted his tiny fire extinguisher on an attempt at putting out the burn can... Then taken me away and charged me with arson or some other public burning violation. ...Probably tazing me in the process.

    I know there is some law that says I cannot burn things on a public roadway, however I feel that that law is a bad law... Regardless of it's intent.

    Why did I still do it? I don't know if I can explain that one. I guess this is part how-to and part study in useful civil disobedience.

    She didn't thank me.

    Andrew

    :rolleyes:
     
  2. hartage

    hartage Monkey+++

    You might want to read the law carefully. You may be able to do what you did without violating the law. Usually no burning just means you can't burn things on bare ground. If there is something between it and the ground esp if it is completely contained in something you can. The difference between a pile of sticks burning on bare ground (illegal in some places) but coals in a grill off the ground is perfectly legal.

    There just has to be stipulations in the law to allow some sort of burning otherwise it would be illegal for an internal combustion engine to be on a roadway.
     
  3. Seawolf1090

    Seawolf1090 Retired Curmudgeonly IT Monkey Founding Member

    A hair drier and a long extension cord . . . ?



    Bad Monkey! taser1

    I had that happen to my Firebird in NorVa once - I learned to never leave the car covered with snow, while the weather got warm, then cold again. Had a 1/4" thick layer of ice melted/refroze all over it. I chipped the door open, then cranked it and let it warm up. I was late reporting aboard that morning, but I got there.
     
  4. AlterEgo

    AlterEgo Monkey+++

    Many, many moons ago when I was a yung'in we were living in CT. This happened to the family car on the day we were going to my Grandparents for Thanksgiving. Dad took a hose connected it to the hot water spigot in the basement, out the basement window and had mom turn on the water. Door was open in less than five minutes.

    But your idea andrew414 sounds just so much better. (risky)
     
  5. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Yeah, but a wonderful opportunity to try out ingenuity. [beer]
     
  6. monkeyman

    monkeyman Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    One of the things I love about the old beat up junkers I generaly drive, they are already so beat up ypu cant tell if you dent them so a few nice firm applications of the size 13 extra wide and the ice breaks and the door opens. lol
     
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