Winter Storage TIPs?...

[LiL' NiCk]

Old Bastard Winter is soon approaching & I need to put the '52 chevy into storage. Hopefully I can get a few of questions answered as well as keep this post alive for others affected by 'ol man winter.

-If I through on a car cover, shouls I first lay down bed sheets to protect paint?

-I'm poor, What is an affordable & EFFECTIVE car cover. Does size need to be model specific.

-Fluid drainage- yes 0r no. I blieve it is better to leave in. I was told never drive that "once or twice" for condesation & moisture will grow when it sits the rest of winter.

-I need to get www in Spring, is it neccessary to "put on blocks"

-Any good storage space aroung milwaukee/ midwest?

[Rocky]

I fill the fuel tank all the way and throw in a can of "Stabil" to keep the gas fresh. Run the engine long enough to get the treated fuel into the carb before shutting off for the last time. I make sure the tires dont' leak and leave 'em inflated..no blocks.
Roll all the windows up all the way and I lay plastic bags on the carpet and springle moth balls on them to keep unwanted animals away. Mice hate the smell of Mothballs and it only takes about a day or two for the smell to go away in the spring. If you do like I did and spread mothballs on top of the engine, remember to remove them before running the engine. DOH! The smell of melting mothballs is deafening! Or something.
Can't advise you on car covers as my car was in a buddy's pole barn....none used but I'd love to have had one to protect from dust and squirrel/mouse/racoon tracks. I always take the battery out of the car and take it home....keep it inside the house or heated garage all winter.
And double check your antifreeze. I like mine to be good to -40 degrees. A quicky oil change before walking away and you're good 'till next April.

[Crankshaft Sid]

And be sure to remove the beers, especially the ones in glassbottles (own experiances)

[SwitchBlade327]

as far as car covers go, either buy one of them expensive ass ones, or you can do like I've done since I flaked the poncho's roof, and spread a nice soft blanket over it and then throw the big ass waterproof tarp on.

[four-thirteen]

I dump a quart of oil down the carb while it's running, and then kill it right away. This coats everything with oil, from the top end of the motor to the exhaust. That keeps the rust away until spring. It burns out of the motor in a 10 minutes in the spring time. Dave

[McGrath]

Blocking it up may not be so bad of an idea. I have Modern Radials on mine and the first time I drove it after setting all last Winter I could feel the flat spots in the tires for 2 or 3 miles. Didn't seem to hurt them, but I'm sure it didn't do them any good either.

I agree with Rocky on the Fuel Stabaliser. I didn't do it last fall and when I started driving it again, I could smell the old fuel for several days. Didn't run worth a shit 'til I got it all out either.

[four-thirteen]

I block my cars up when they sit. it only takes a minute, and it isn't worth the chance. I fill the tank up with no-ethanol gas. That stuff isn't as corrosive like the other stuff is. Dave

[Fat Hack]

I've done everything from doing all the preps already mentioned, to doing nothing and never had a problem. A buddy gave me an old Chevelle that had electrical issues as payment for some money he owed me. I didn't have a use for the car at the time, so I towed it to an outdoor storage lot where it sat for almost three years.

One day, I towed it home and re-wired the engine harness then stuck a charger on the battery. It fired up and smoked out the neighborhood, then settled down after about five minutes. I let it idle for twenty minutes and shut it down. Topped off the fluids and drove the shit out of it for about a year!

Other cars got stored with far more care and did fine. If a garage is available, I back 'em in and disconnect the battery. Sta-Bil in the tank and it's good to sit. Come spring, hook up the battery and go!

(It should be noted that I use Delco batteries most of the time. After I picked one up from a neighbor who had let it sit outside on his driveway for a year and a half uncovered and it worked...I was sold. I put 'em in everything when it comes time to buy a battery.)

So much for that old wives' tale about batteries and concrete!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[MercMan1951]

I have had both good and bad experiences with car storage, and have heard may opinions about it. I'm in Michigan, so keep in mind that in Jan-Feb, it can be a sustained 0 degrees, and dip into the -20 range at night. All my storage occurs outside, with the eception of the one story below.

I had one car, stored in a barn, and covered/locked/on blocks. Left 1/4 tank of gas. Mice got into the heater assembly, and built a nest. How, I have NO idea. This car was mint.
When I took the car out of storage, the heater smelled like mice piss, (not nice). Later in the day, it wouldn't run for shit. Water in the gas. Took an hour of someone choking the carb with their hand to get it all burn out, and then I got some fresh gas. A full tank would have prevented this.

Keep the tank full. STA-Bil won't hurt. That should be paramount. Remove the battery.I killed a couple this eay out of sheer laziness. Keep all fluids in check, and make sure your antifreeze is good to at least 40 below if you live around here. As far as up on blocks goes, I haven't had a problem. I do sometimes move my cars around in the winter, but my one car has sat the last several winters with little trouble. (Radials) It always starts and I drive on in the spring through the summer. I don't take any "special" precautions with it.

As far as covers go, I found someone on e-bay that sells waterproof covers that prevent moisture from getting in. I think I paid about 100 bucks, and they don't damage the paint. The only thing to prevent with a decent cover is "wind whipping". If the cover thrashes around in the wind, it can wreck the paint. Make sure it's secured with bungees, etc. Otherwise, you should be good to go. (don't know about that dumping the oil down the carb post- in addition to going thru a couple sets of plugs come spring, I hate to think what else I am gumming up inside the motor...

[Fat Hack]

Ha Ha...speaking of mice...I gotta tell you about this one!!!

My friend up north had me drive his girlfriend's car about 12 miles from where it had been sitting outside in a field for about two years to his place. We jump started the car, and yanked it out of the mud with his daughter's van, then hit the road.

His daughter and him followed me in the van. I noticed them laughing and swerving behind me...then saw mice tumbling along the road from the car I was driving! Many were dead...but some of them hit the ground running!!! I sped up and swerved the car hard...watching mice fly all over the road as my friends in the van tried to miss them!

About halfway to where we were going, I thought to myself, "Gee, I'm sure glad that none of them ended up IN the car with me...wonder why?". This thing I thought was a heater hose kept sliding from under the seat and bumping my foot, and I finally reached down to grab it. I about flipped the car into a ditch when that "heater hose" moved in my hand! It was a big ass Ribbon Snake! (Like a Garter Snake sort of, but larger). Iput him over on the PASSENGER side floor and kept driving. He went under the seat again.

When I parked the car, I told my buddy..."Your girlfriend is in for a big surprise when she tries to drive this car!". After hearing about the snake, he laughed and said, "Might as well leave him in there...he's done good so far at keeping the mice out!".

Wonder if she ever found her little friend??? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Corn Fed]

Besides the full gas tank, stabil, & removed battery already mentioned, I take some tinfoil and cover the ends of the exhaust pipes to keep the mice out. I've done this ever since a friend's "A" sedan shot corn, straw and dead mice out the pipe when they started it in the spring. I also change the oil in the spring before I ever start 'em up. Just in case some condensation occured and got in the oil.

[MercMan1951]

Here here, Cornfed. I agree, but have never put the foil over the pipes. We don't have too big of a problem with mice in the outdoors on a concrete driveway here, but I shoulda done that with the car I stored in the barn-as a safty precaution. Oh yeah, CHANGE your OIL after storage!

FatHack- You have the most outrageous stories... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Petejoe]

Another good thing to do whether your storing it inside or out is drive it onto a large piece of plastic and wrap the plastic edges up on it.Be sure the top covers over the edge as not to trap rain. Much moisture comes from the ground and whether its on concrete or gravel. moisture will raise with the heat and trap into your engine compartment, panels and undercarriage.

[Smokin Joe]

I make sure I have a good ice scraper and a couple extra coats and blankets in the car. Change the oil and check the antifreeze. Also put a little extra weight in the trunk for traction. Keep the tank above 1/2 to cut down on condensation. Bottom line, it's a car, not a coin collection. If I can't drive it, I don't want it! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[InPrimer]

Use to "fog" the motor in my I/O boat, run motor w/o air cleaner and pour WD/40 in it, coats insides well and lots thinner that motor oil

[LiL' NiCk]

I like Petejoe's suggestion about driving over a large tarp,,How do ya attatch the the top so that it'll stay up? Tape? Rope? Bungie?

This storage thing is takes too much work. I miss my flamed jalopy I had last winter, I was able to hot-dog around every corner, and have donuts every time snow fell, and never had to worry about "taking care of it",,,But that's the price payed for bein able to cruise stylish old iron.

[Petejoe]

You could tape it to the top cover. But not too airtight.
If you make it air tight you will trap the moisture. A capsule of air without any flow will condense. Those expensive blow up air garages look like a good idea. They have a small fan which constantly circulates the air.

[Tuck]

I have a '66 caddy convert that i never blocked up and the brand new bias ply wheels cracked around the whitewalls where they were sitting on the ground.

I think bias are especially pron to damage from sitting in the same place for a long period of time.
I block everything during the winter... i have yet to block up the hex. It was in a shed with a dirt floor and 3 tires went flat. They leak through the valve stems when they sit for more than a couple months. (at least thats where I think they are leaking)

THE ROCKERS WERE ON THE GROUND, its too low. I wish I wouldve taken pics... but they always take air when they've droped to the rim, this has only happened a couple times. TIME TO REPLACE THE RIMS.

I have since moved it in the big shop and im gonna finish blocking it up this next weekend to save the tires from getting messed up. I dont care as much as I do about the brand new bias plys on the galaxie.

I keep a cat in the shop and it KILLS mice. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

take good care of that chevy...
tuck

[4t64rd]

Decorate it with Christmas lights so the neighbors don't complain. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

What's winter?

[greaseball]

I didn't read every post,
So maybe someone already said this...
But my buddy Chris
Has a 1950 ford,
He looked all over for a car cover...

Measured his car, and found out Wal-Mart had "universal" car covers....
For about $20

Hope that helps...?

[DrJ]

Just make daily road trips on I-10 throughout the winter. the car will love you! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif