Hot Stuff - molten gum, burning shift knob, melted dash clock

[thirdman]

Now that we're in the full swing of summer, and daytime highs are hitting 105+, my Stinktiva gets unbearably hot when parked. I have AC and the darkest window tint allowed and use a good windshield sunscreen, but I do a lot of short-trip driving during the day, and even in a short while in a hot parking lot the interior gets blisteringly hot.

Yesterday I melted a pack of (luckily sugarless) gum on my dash, and it was not even in the sun. It ran all over everything and made a big mess. My shift knob is regularly too hot to touch. I ruined an LCD dash clock because the display "melted" and turned black, and stayed that way. By the time the AC gets things cooled down, I'll be at my next stop and it gets re-heated again.

ANYWHO... I am trying to brainstorm up some ideas to keep things from heating up while the car is parked, short of leaving the engine running and AC on.

1) Something insulating on the roof, maybe under headliner or ON the headliner. Is there any room for some thin, self-adhesive insulation under the headliner? Or a self-adhesive insulation that is not hideous and could go on top of the headliner?

2) Something heat reflective on the roof. There are lots of products out there that do this, but they are (obviously) all white or silver, and my Stinktiva is green. I'd rather not make it any rattier than it already is...

3) A fan that pumps outside air through the car while parked, hopefully keeping it as "cool" as the outside air. There are some small solar-powered ones that clamp in the side windows, but I just can't imagine that they'd move enough air to make a difference. I hate to cut holes in anything.... I though about re-wiring the blower in the dash to run either off the battery when driving or off a solar panel when parked. Or since my ignition key can be removed in any position, I could just leave it on "ACC" with the fan running and hope it doesn't kill my battery. I could supplement my battery with a roof-mounted solar panel charger, I suppose... dunno how practical solar anything really is. How much juice does the blower draw?

Thoughts, ideas, comments? Feel free to brain-storm and throw out crazy ideas... I am sick of burning myself and sweating like a pig even though I have AC...

(p.s. I have a very small budget, so I can't afford exotic solutions like hiring belly dancers to fan me with palm fronds, chrome plating the whole car, etc.)

[ejp2fast]

Thirdman, park.. in .. the.. shade.. that'd help.. how thick is your windshield visor? the THICKER the better, and get it as close to the windshield as possible..

Drive naked. This is much cooler than annoying clothes.

With the unemployment rate at a high, I am sure some belly dancers would work for a very reasonable price... down side is they may be 360lbs..

Trade your green stinktiva for your mom's WHITE L. good luck

[deathegg]

I live here in Riverside CA, where it can get pretty hot too, maybe not as hot as TX, but pretty toasty. Gets into the 100's quite a few times in the summer.

Not sure there's anything you can do, really. Even very expensive luxury cars get hot sitting in the sun.

My car is Blue with a white top, so I think that helps relect a bit of the sun away.
I also use a sunshade, and keep the windows cracked open, even if it's only 1/4", to let some of that hot air out.
I keep a white rag or towel in the car, and put it on my steering wheel to block the sun. Also do the same thing with the shifter knob. Park in the shade when you can, etc. Not sure if those fans that sit on the windows and suck out the hot air actually do anything. Keeping the windows open a bit would do the same thing I think.
Would not recommend just keeping the blower fan on; you'll just come out to find your battery dead IMO.

BTW, I can think of many other, much more fun uses for belly dancers other than using them to keep me cool in my car.

[ejp2fast]

hey- i may use the towel on the steering wheel idea... plus an extra towel in the car......

[Lil-Red]

give this a try..... i have used them in the past untill i got a house with a garage

http://www.tvproducts4less.com/auto-cool.html

[Fez]

I heard if you park facing west in the morning and east in the afternoon it will help.

[garylau]

Even in wisconsin it gets unbearable sometimes. I can remember having a chrome shift knob that was so hot some days it hurt to touch it. Must really suck for some of you in texas, california, etc.

Oh, yeah, and Lil-Red, funny signature!

[Fez]

If you're really desperate you could try this!!

[festivaWES]

I got an idea. Get a good spare battery from another car. Get a cheap 12 volt powered fan from ebay for a radiator. Go to a swap meet or a yard sale and hunt of a larger cooler.

Fill to cooler with ice cubes....(hopefully you have an automatic maker on your refrig. Cut the top out of the cooler and mount the fan, sealing it well. Hook up the fan to the battry putting in a relay and fuse...get a fan that draws low amps but still moves quite a bit. When the battery goes dead...trickle charge it or hook up some solar panel to recharge it!

Problem solved.

I had a guy actually do this in california. Got the car so car that condensation formed on the inside glass when he used in conjunction with his car's A/C!! His was set up nice and compact too, and the drain for the cooler ran out where the factory sunroof drain was.

[JPT]

Can you Imagine it? A chrome-plated Festiva?

Make a tight fitting shade for the hatch (paint it silver) and park with the hatch facing the sun. Leave the windows cracked.

[thirdman]

followup:
The rear window is tinted much darker than the sides... that's legal in TX.
I leave one of the rear vent windows open at all times.
lil-red: does it really move enough air to help?
festivaWES: I've seen coolers like that: http://www.kooleraire.com/ I admit I am tempted...
My wife refuses to take belly-dancing lessons.

[Fez]

followup:
......My wife refuses to take belly-dancing lessons.

No need for her to take lessons, just have her watch this music video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygctbqBijFk&feature=fvst

[chrisofna]

I always did the towel over the steering wheel and shift knob on my old MR2. Friggin black shift knob and steering wheel, still have a backwards shift pattern burned in my hand (not really, thatd be cool though).

[blkfordsedan]

Assuming your windows are already tinted, make sure you use the tint with the metalized layer to reflect heat. You can paint the roof white between the black rubber seam covers.
It kinda looks like a Mini that way. The best reflective stuff I've found is that bubblewrap stuff that has a shiney aluminum layer on both sides. It was designed as a supplement insulation barrier for garage doors and basement walls. Not only does it reflect but the bubble layer also has decent insulation properties. You can get it at home improvement stores. I use a piece as a sunshade in the windshield.

[deathegg]

Of course, if you really want to eliminate the hot interior, eliminate the roof! A few cuts with a Sawz-all should do it!