[antivenom]

Dude...go buy some tinfoil...wrap your car...and make a matching hat....

[varon]

Get a pedal-powered kiddy car. Not much room but start every time ;-)

[AppyPappy]

Anything British, An EMP attack has a 50% chance of making the car run better.

[TomServo]

Can anyone here recommend a particular model of auto that should theoretically be able to survive an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack?

Yeah, but they're called bicycles.

[OBAFGKM]

A Model A should survive nicely.

[Constitution Day]

Let's see if this thread can survive such an explosion first.
Just for experimentation purposes, you know.

[MichaelP]

EMP shielding is little more than a faraday cage. That is metal cladding to direct the charge around what is to be protected. Therefore, a car should be fairly well protected already...

Mike

[Tony in Hawaii]

Well, cars still had point-type ignition systems in the early 1970s. Those should be OK, and the Chrysler electronic ignitions from about 1973-80 (except Lean Burn) have easily replaceable control boxes.

[justshutupandtakeit]

One of those pedal cars like I had when a little boy would do fine.

Why worry about a car? Where are you going to get the petrol, mate? The pumps have chips too. You would have the only working car in the country but nowhere to drive it since the streets would be blocked by abandoned cars and trucks and no place to get gas.

[KSCITYBOY]

Yes it's the 1996 Pontiac Bonneville - It is impervious to the electro magnetic pulse created by detonation of a nuclear device. I happen to have one in my garage I'll sell you. Remember not just any 1996 Bonneville will do it must (I repeat) MUST have a spun rod bearing to stand up to EMP.

[Poohbah]

Also, does anyone know of body shops that can "harden" a car against EMP? I assume this would involve removing all of the computer chips from the car and replacing them with "hardened" chips if those exist.

Actually, it would involve placing a Faraday cage inside your engine compartment.

Radiation-hardened chips have a miniscule production rate, as they are very expensive to make and are only economically useful in areas where it is KNOWN they will be exposed to high radiation flux.

Does anyone know of any outfits that sell "hardened against EMP" appliances available to a retail consumer?

Ones that really sell these things, or ones that SAY they're hardened against EMP?

I suppose I could just take the "hard" path and wait for an EMP attack and hope that it only effects a limited area of the United States (perferrably not near where I live). Then I would have to wait for remaining private industry to crank up and sell products shielded against EMP.

Actually, any EMP powerful enough to reliably kill your car is likely to be strong enough to bake your brains as well...

[Eaglefixer]

Any car with points and no computer box will be EMP resistent. Most of the about pre 1975 cars were such cars. about 1976 they started to include different levels of solid state components in the ignition systems.

My 1971 Mustang Mach 1 is such a car and is stinkingly fast.

[July 4th]

Build a box for your car made of foot-thick lead on all sides, and cover it in another foot of concrete. Park your car inside. Voila!

Seriously...where do you think you're going to get gas if there's an EMP attack? And you had better bulletproof the car too, since if yours is the only one running after the attack, someone else is going to want it. Don't waste your time.

[Captainpaintball]

I think you are acting a litte too hasty at this juncture, BUT...this information should be discussed with the same seriousness as any other topic on this forum.

I doubt the average mechanic even knows what an EMP is, so the chances of one being able to fix it is slim and none. I'll ask some mechanics today, though, when I go to work!

If this a joke post, let me remind you...China has nukes and the delivery sysyem to send them over here! (Thank you klinton!) And in the news today, Russia is planning to resume "nook-yoo-lar" (as bush pronounces it) testing soon. Put North Korea, Iraq, and Iran in the picture, and your question gains more validity.

[untenured]

You're the resident authority on cars. Can you help him out?

[RightWhale]

Get a diesel.

[lavaroise]

First of all, you need simple engines, such as the diesel engine, because it can run autonomously without an electrical spark system. It is a purely mechanical combustion system. There is still the problem of some electronicaly controled injectors in some modern turbo diesel engines. Still, I am sure one can get out there a good diesel engine with no electrical sustenance system. Of course the best would be a hand cranked diesel engine for starting, but I believe there are ways to protect your electrical starter or the special cylinder heaters some diesel engines need for start up, though some diesel engines are designed to start from cold too.

The best way to protect an electrical system is to disconect the battery and any circuit in the car, such as fuses and alternator. Then you can protect the car under a Faraday's cage such as the one used to protect your skin from microwaves when you look at the melting cheese through the microwave window. Of course grounding and additional surge protection is a plus. Sometimes the effects of EMP on circuits is only temporary too.

I suggest you look into buying a surplus army jeep or humvee if it is in working condition. Those are most probably hardened. I am wondering if you can even buy one new. Those old diesel army trucks are great too.

Last but not least, you can read

The Reluctant Survivors: a family guide to the prevention and treatment of radiation sickness, by Wayne D. Lebaron (Salt Lake City: Dream Garden Press, 1984).

"This is an excellent book if you can get your hands on it. The section on EMP gives a number of simple, practical suggestions on protecting your appliances. Mainly, unplug them from the wall. (Anybody can do that.) And how about removing the battery from your car if you think a nuclear attack is imminent? Hey, it could work. "

Check it all out at: http://www.jrnyquist.com/survival_guide.htm

[Calvin Locke]

Life's a b!tch. D@mned if you do, & d@mned if you don't.

I, a pretender to Carnac, will ask the question to which the the answer is "You".

The question was, "Who will be the first person carjacked after an EMP attack?"

[lavaroise]

Keep in mind some Faraday's cages do not protect against EMP. YOu have to get the appropriate material or pin hole size apparently.

[Post Toasties]

Perhaps an early unleaded gas model (early-mid '70's) with carburetion, buy spares for all electronics (alternator, starter motor, lights, fuses, etc., bury or store them in a safe spot) & stock up on a quantity of gasoline & several cases of oil & fluids, etc.