The 'Almost' EMP Proof Vehicle

Mild EMP is nothing, but if it’s like what happened to Hawaii years ago, where wires ‘smoked’ on the poles, then any generator or motor is going to be toast.

As for ‘asking what car was the last year that they did not have a computer on-board that ran the car, for most American cars, that would be the 1971-72 era, when GM went to HEI (High Energy Ignition) on many models (and abandoned contact points). What does this do for ‘EMP protection’? Nothing. EMP will weld your points together. EMP will fry your brushes in your starter. EMP will toast your alternator’s voltage regulation process and fry the full wave rectifier in it too. EMP will also toast all those back up parts you have put back, unless you have stored them in a faraday cage to prevent such events.

The real answer is a ‘primitive diesel’. Go find a 1930-1988 diesel vehicle that you like, that runs ok, and put back the parts you need to get it back up again. If you can rebuild an alternator and a starter, then great, put back brushes, rectifier and bridge for the alternator; as well as a new solenoid and brushes for your starter. A kid’s lunch box can easily hold a dozen sets of all these things. NOW, put the metal lunch box into another metal box, and insulate them from each other with a good wrapping of saran wrap.

Can’t rebuild your own stuff? buy the full assemblies, a few larger steel boxes, and do the same. Keep in mind, a faraday cage is grounded to earth-ground, so copper single-strand wire from cage to earth. The box doesn’t have to be solid steel. Most faraday cages are actually made from large-gauge woven wire, not plate steel, anyhow. It’s about allowing the charge flow AROUND the box contents, not through it.

Why diesel instead of gas engine? Because until 1988, no light-duty American diesels relied on computer controlled fueling or engine processing. Fuel was gear or chain driven, and the engine was a simple compression-diesel device. NO IGNITION, NO COMPUTER CONTROLS. You did have glow plugs, and you might want to put some replacements for them into your box too. Big deal.

Also, the first three years of the Dodge Cummins Diesel Ram Trucks were ‘simple diesels’, from 1989-1992. Beyond this, they integrated computer controls into them.

When in doubt, find an old military 2-1/2 or 5-ton truck. They are actually designed to survive lower EMP surges, and with parts to replace the starter and alternator, survive ANY EMP attack. They are also ‘simple diesels’.

Forget gas ANYTHING (generators, cars, etc.). America is one of only three nations that predominantly rely on gas ANYTHING. Everyone else runs on DIESEL.