Just wondering about winter storage, being from Canada it is inevitable, but it is my first time doing this. just wondering about what steps I really need to take to put the car away for around five months? Do I need to fog the engine, or do I just fill up the gas tank as much as possible, put the car up on jacks and hook up a battery conditioner. Oh and cover the exhaust pipes so mice can't get in. I should say I am storing the car in a barn that has a nice new concrete floor. I'd love to hear all your thoughts so I know I am doing this right.
Drive to the local gas station, fill up the gas tank and add Stabil fuel stabilizer, then drive home and change the oil and filter. Buy a car bag and back the car onto it, remove the battery and hook the battery up to a trickle charger in your garage, put desiccant bags into the interior of the car and some "Bounce" dryer sheets under the seats and on the floor, add some more "Bounce" dryer sheets under the car - in the truck and under the hood, put a car cover on the car and then zip the car bag over it. Un bag the car when the mag-chloride and salt get washed off the road by the spring rain storms and then drive the wheels off of it. Good luck to ya, hope this helps! Yeah... you guys in California don't get it... but those of us that actually get four seasons live by a different rule book!
Definitely do the dryer sheet thing... I forgot about that... I'll edit the above in case anybody refers to this in the future! As for bagging the car, try these folks: http://www.carbag.com/
We usually just turn the engine off until tomorrow! This type thread comes up every year about now. Common sense helps a lot. By the way next spring will that be a barn find?
Here in warm Canada,put a gas conditioner in a full tank,disconnect the battery till the next sunny day.I have a cover to put on if it's going to sit for a few weeks.
Not too sure about those dryer sheets. I've read posts where mice have used them for nesting material. Never had mice in any of my cars by using Decon pellets and mouse traps around my garages.
Peppermint essential oil in the 46 and never a single mouse. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Remove battery and store indoors - not on bare concrete floor. You are not going to use it while the car is in storage....
Fortunately,the Hambers living in the South don't face the long winter without our Hot Rods or Customs but I would think it does give you guys time to make any repairs or updates,,I have to make myself park a car to do any work needed. HRP
I usually cut up orange dial soap in a few dishes makes the car smell like a laundromat. Seems to keep the mice out. Other than that write a note to remember what needs attention. And sometimes a battery tender. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Downy dryer sheets is what camper owners around here swear by. We stored ours on site a few years. Loaded it up with those and not a trace of the dreaded meeces. I know some call bullshit on it, but it worked in our case.
I keep it simple. car cover to protect the paint and charge the battery throughout the winter months. maybe once a month i will start the cars and get them up to temp. been doing it that way for 20 years.
Use a gas conditioner /stabilizer in a full tank of gas (I use sta-bil ) run it long enough to get the newly conditioned gas into the carburetor .( take your last ride around the block ) It will help with easier start up next spring . I've been doing it this way for over 25 years and always fires right up .
Awesome Input thanks everyone. I'm sure this is asked every year, but it definitely helped a newbie! I read somewhere not to start the car over the winter to let it sit, so some things seem like everybody is on board and some things are maybe personal preference.
I have always fired up my hotrods during winter storage..bring it up to operating temperature, other wise do like you should do as you would with a marine engine,,, My boat I drain the carbs, purge the fuel lines, drain bottom end and change the oil as it will not run till spring. Only a good cat or live traps work on mice,,they can adapt to dryer sheets and moth balls..My brothers rustang in southern ontario is a testament to those old wives tales.
Put the car up on jack stands and surround the stands with mice glue traps. You have a good chance ,with the concrete floor, to keep the lousy varmints at bay. Hopefully there are no platforms near by that they can leap off, they do weird things in search of warm nesting areas.
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