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I could not imagine driving My 1957 Cadillac in Florida Last Week

Started by Bill Balkie 24172, May 10, 2019, 07:47:10 AM

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Bill Balkie 24172

Hello ,
    My Wife and I took a trip to Bradenton Florida last week . We reanted a car at the Tampa Airport and Drove aproximatly 50 miles to Bradenton . By the time i was just 10 miles into the trip the windshied was  be being bombarded  with insects . The wipers  and washers were no match for the bugs stuck to the windshield .  Once we drove into Bradenton the front grille was covered . Stopped at a Publix market to pick up some paper towels and windex . Found out  you need something much stronger then paper towels and Windex . I love florida and would love to live in the sunshine state . My question is How do you floridians with classic cars  deal with the  bugs being fried to the front of the car and Windshield ?

    Bill
Bill Balkie
1970 Coupe DeVille
2009 CTS

cadillac ken

I've been in Florida all my life.  The bugs are called love bugs.  They are truly a nuisance-- and if not removed immediately their guts will ruin a nice paint job.  Fortunately, they only occur twice a year and last only about 3 to 4 weeks.  Once in May or June and once in August or September.  They live only for about 3 to 4 days.  But they make it up in sheer numbers as each female can lay up to 350 eggs.

At first sight, I know it's time to park my classic cars (and motorcycles-- YUK) and wait it out. I guess I think of it as the bad snow storms the north gets that we don't get that prevent the northern guys from enjoying their rides.

Actually today, they are almost gone.  I took my car out today for a short ride to stretch it's legs and didn't get but one or two on the windshield.

lou-q

We live in the Keys, and don't have the love bugs. Good thing! Last week on the way home from Cedar Key we went on US 27 down the middle of the state and got nailed big time b the love bugs. Our truck looked like it had a beard.
Lou
Lou Quirch    CLC#26694
39-6127 coupe
67 DeVille convertible Venetian Blue
67 DeVille convertible Doeskin SOLD
67 Corvette Marina Blue Roadster
2015 Mustang GT 50th anniversary Black Convert
2020 Shelby GT500 Magnetic Metallic
67 DeVille convertible Donor car for parts
3 F250 Ford P/Us

76eldo

The best place to be is the Bay Area and San Francisco.  They have no bugs. 

I don't live there but have visited San Francisco and last June we drove the Pacific Coast Hwy from San Francisco down to Monterrey, Carmel, and the 17 mile road into Pebble Beach (not during the car show week).

I rented a black XTS and there was not one bug on the front of the car.

Interesting?

Brian
Brian Rachlin
Huntingdon Valley, Pa
I prefer email's not PM's rachlin@comcast.net

1960 62 Series Conv with Factory Tri Power
1970 DeVille Conv
1970 Eldo
1970 Caribu (?) "The Cadmino"
1973 Eldorado Conv Pace Car
1976 Eldorado Conv
1980 Eldorado H & E Conv
1993 Allante with Hardtop (X2)
2008 DTS
2012 CTS Coupe
2017 XT
1956 Thunderbird
1966 Olds Toronado

35-709

This has been a particularly bad lovebug season in Florida this Spring, at least here in Vero Beach just south of Ken.  Normally seen for 3 to 4 weeks in May, we started seeing them in numbers about the first week in April and they just now starting to let up.  They'll be back in September for another 3 to 4 weeks (or more).
In love bug season my "classic cars" get parked.  If necessary, you can be on the road early in the morning, late in the evening and during the night when they are not active.  The rest of the time my cars are in the garage.  For daily drivers there are many trips to the local car wash --- about $20 (no interior vacuum) plus an extra $3 for love bug removal since it takes longer and requires extra people.

One thing you can't do is use your windshield washers and wipers --- it just makes the windshield mess worse.   
1935 Cadillac Sedan resto-mod "Big Red"
1973 Cadillac Caribou - Sold - but still in the family
1950 Jaguar Mark V Saloon resto-mod - Sold
1942 Cadillac 6269 - Sold
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible - Sold
1950 Packard 2dr. Club Sedan
1935 Glenn Pray - Auburn Boattail Speedster, Gen. 2

cadillacmike68

Quote from: 76eldo on May 10, 2019, 09:34:10 AM
The best place to be is the Bay Area and San Francisco.  They have no bugs. 

I don't live there but have visited San Francisco and last June we drove the Pacific Coast Hwy from San Francisco down to Monterrey, Carmel, and the 17 mile road into Pebble Beach (not during the car show week).

I rented a black XTS and there was not one bug on the front of the car.

Interesting?
Brian

The coldest winter of my life was one summer in San Francisco...   ;)

Been there several times Family and business.  I'll take the bugs here and the rain... Although both can be a real PITA.
Regards,
"Cadillac" Mike

Big Fins

Since no one posted any pix of this disaster that happens twice every year, I will. This is on a 96 mile trip from Cape Canaveral down to the airport in Vero Beach. I had to stop in a rest area at about the halfway point to clean the grill off as the engine temperature rose 10o. Once that starts, you risk overheating a $20,000+ engine.

The stench is unimaginable when you start washing them off. I spent 2 hours with a pressure cleaner, brush and soap to clean this off, only for it to happen again the next day. You see, I know how to stop the mess, it's a matter of remembering to put the extra large can of PAM cooking spray in the truck. Make sure the entire front facing surfaces are coated and they wash right off with soap and water.

The Eldorado, it stays in the garage.
Current:
1976 Eldorado Convertible in Crystal Blue FireMist with white interior and top. (Misty Blue)
1969 Fleetwood Brougham in Chalice Gold FireMist with matching interior and top. (The Old Man) SOLD!

Past and much missed:
1977 Brougham de Elegance
1976 Eldorado Convertible
1972 Fleetwood Brougham
1971 Sedan de Ville
1970 de Ville Convertible
1969 Sedan de Ville
1959 Sedan deVille

gkhashem

Just imagine if they were an endangered species. No cars, no trucks would be allowed on the road.  :)

I better be careful before I give some of our environmental friends any ideas.
1959 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Sports Sedan
1960 Cadillac Coupe Deville (CLC Sr #72)
1964 Oldsmobile 98 Town Sedan (OCA 1st)
1970 GMC C1500
1977 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Coupe
1978 Cadillac Coupe Deville (CLC Sr Crown #959)*
1992 Oldsmobile 98 (OCA 1st)
1996 Oldsmobile 98
*CLC Past President's Preservation

Past Cadillacs
1959 Coupe Deville
1966 Coupe Deville (Sr #861)*
1991 Eldorado Biarritz (Sr #838)

35-709

 ;D  No worries there!  They definitely are not an endangered species!  They aren't native to Florida either. 
1935 Cadillac Sedan resto-mod "Big Red"
1973 Cadillac Caribou - Sold - but still in the family
1950 Jaguar Mark V Saloon resto-mod - Sold
1942 Cadillac 6269 - Sold
1968 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible - Sold
1950 Packard 2dr. Club Sedan
1935 Glenn Pray - Auburn Boattail Speedster, Gen. 2

Scot Minesinger

No bug issues in Northern, VA near DC, just a crazy amount of over-salting the roads anytime the forecast goes below 32'F - worse than when I grew up in Cleveland in the 1970's.  Now we are good, once it stops raining
Fairfax Station, VA  22039 (Washington DC Sub)
1970 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
1970 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1970 four door Convertible w/Cadillac Warranty

cadillac ken

Quote from: Big Fins on May 11, 2019, 06:09:23 AM
Since no one posted any pix of this disaster that happens twice every year, I will. This is on a 96 mile trip from Cape Canaveral down to the airport in Vero Beach. I had to stop in a rest area at about the halfway point to clean the grill off as the engine temperature rose 10o. Once that starts, you risk overheating a $20,000+ engine.

The stench is unimaginable when you start washing them off. I spent 2 hours with a pressure cleaner, brush and soap to clean this off, only for it to happen again the next day. You see, I know how to stop the mess, it's a matter of remembering to put the extra large can of PAM cooking spray in the truck. Make sure the entire front facing surfaces are coated and they wash right off with soap and water.

The Eldorado, it stays in the garage.

Ahh yes, I forgot to mention the stench of the damned things once squashed.  Also, I would advise most to be really careful of the PAM cooking spray thing as a preventative measure.  Once tried it on a black car.  The paint surface got so hot from the Florida sun that it made a mess of the baked on bugs and the vegetable oil in the PAM turned gummy and was almost impossible to remove.  Never did that again. I just bring a bucket and some car wash soap with me if I have to travel during love bug season.

I will share this method I tried.  Auto body paint stores sell a "Spray Mask" that is used to spray on nice cars residing in the body shop to keep overspray, dust, and bug droppings off of the painted surfaces and engine compartments of cars in progress.  It's a soapy gel like liquid.  It can be sprayed out of a spray bottle or a spray gun.  A couple of coats on the front of my car really worked great.  It's almost clear but is either pinkish or greenish depending on the brand but cannot really be seen once applied except for the the fact that it makes the paint look a little hazy.

The beauty of it is that it's water soluble and comes right off with a wash.  Now of course it will disappear if it rains but it also takes the love bugs with it so in a sense that's a plus.  It's relatively cheap and is easy to use.  It's not a "bug tight" barrier but it certainly helps a great deal in the long haul.

cadillacmike68

Quote from: cadillac ken on May 14, 2019, 09:38:27 AM
Ahh yes, I forgot to mention the stench of the damned things once squashed.  Also, I would advise most to be really careful of the PAM cooking spray thing as a preventative measure.  Once tried it on a black car.  The paint surface got so hot from the Florida sun that it made a mess of the baked on bugs and the vegetable oil in the PAM turned gummy and was almost impossible to remove.  Never did that again. I just bring a bucket and some car wash soap with me if I have to travel during love bug season.

I will share this method I tried.  Auto body paint stores sell a "Spray Mask" that is used to spray on nice cars residing in the body shop to keep overspray, dust, and bug droppings off of the painted surfaces and engine compartments of cars in progress.  It's a soapy gel like liquid.  It can be sprayed out of a spray bottle or a spray gun.  A couple of coats on the front of my car really worked great.  It's almost clear but is either pinkish or greenish depending on the brand but cannot really be seen once applied except for the the fact that it makes the paint look a little hazy.

The beauty of it is that it's water soluble and comes right off with a wash.  Now of course it will disappear if it rains but it also takes the love bugs with it so in a sense that's a plus.  It's relatively cheap and is easy to use.  It's not a "bug tight" barrier but it certainly helps a great deal in the long haul.

Ken, do you have a brand name / product name for that stuff?

It won't help with the windshield -RainX DOES help- but our older cars with the large front hoods could surely use help.

By the way, they're almost gone now. Drove from Wesley Chapel to Old Town yesterday and less than a dozen of the buggers (pun intended) on the hood front  & windshield.  Even fewer on the return last night. Maybe I'll head there again tonight too. Boss lady and nephew are at a con at the convention center.

The 1968 had tons of the critters all over its front from the past few weeks. To clean them off I sprayed a lot of glass cleaner and rain-ex on the windshield, hood front and bumper, wiped them off pretty easily, then washed it. No harm to the paint. and much easier to clean off than using bug n tar remover which never wants to rinse off.
Regards,
"Cadillac" Mike

gross707

Griot’s Garage makes a spray on product that promises to create a clear mask that is easily washed away along with all those Kamikaze bugs.  I’m awaiting my bottle so cannot verify the claim.
Gerald Ross

jaxops

Wow-- great memories of driving home each year to Philadelphia from Jacksonville University in April....love bug season.  I used to put a screen over my grille so it wouldn't get stopped up by lovebugs.  It certainly helped but not for the windshield and bumper!  They used to sell those screens down there.  Perhaps they still do.
1970 Buick Electra Convertible
1956 Cadillac Series 75 Limousine
1949 Cadillac Series 75 Imperial Limousine
1979 Lincoln Continental
AACA, Cadillac-LaSalle Club #24591, ASWOA

cadillac ken

Quote from: cadillacmike68 on May 18, 2019, 01:20:29 PM


Ken, do you have a brand name / product name for that stuff?

It won't help with the windshield -RainX DOES help- but our older cars with the large front hoods could surely use help.

By the way, they're almost gone now. Drove from Wesley Chapel to Old Town yesterday and less than a dozen of the buggers (pun intended) on the hood front  & windshield.  Even fewer on the return last night. Maybe I'll head there again tonight too. Boss lady and nephew are at a con at the convention center.

good Idea on the rain X.  The stuff I mentioned is available in automotive paint and body stores only.  Usually just ask for Spray Mask and the guys there most times know what you are asking for.  Not too many brands of the stuff so far as I can tell.

The 1968 had tons of the critters all over its front from the past few weeks. To clean them off I sprayed a lot of glass cleaner and rain-ex on the windshield, hood front and bumper, wiped them off pretty easily, then washed it. No harm to the paint. and much easier to clean off than using bug n tar remover which never wants to rinse off.

cadillacmike68

Thanks, Ken. There are paint  & body supply stores here in Tampa, so I'll go there.
Regards,
"Cadillac" Mike