Recommendations For Winter Prepping

Discussion in 'The Bench' started by Brett Slater, Nov 11, 2017.

  1. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    Car is gonna be garaged and most likely heated.

    Sta-bil will be going in and the battery is coming out. What else?
     
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  2. sriley531

    sriley531 Excommunicado

    One thing I always worry about, MICE. I don't have too bad a mouse problem in my pole barn, but I have seen a few. I've heard various things about repelling mice. Peppermint oil, Irish spring soap, and dryer sheets seem to be the most popular opinions. Personally, I put stabil in with a full tank (running for a bit to cycle it through the system), disconnect the battery and put it on a battery tender, and put a half dozen or so dryer sheets throughout the car. Haven't had any mice issues yet (knock on wood) and the cars sure smells nice in the spring!
     
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  3. bostoncat68

    bostoncat68 Platinum Level Contributor

    I dumped in a can of seafoam
     
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  4. yachtsmanbill

    yachtsmanbill Well-Known Member

    Hey Brett...
    Can you get ethanol free fuel where youre at? That seems to be the biggy with lay-ups. Stabil will probably help with that. I usually check the ant-freeze and park it. I even leave the battery connected unless I doing some under dash work etc. You may consider jack stands under the frame to let the suspension rest for a while and especially if youre running bias-ply tires. They'll get flat spots, but only on one side LOL.

    The issue, especially up here seems to be little rodents, altho I must confess, I haven't seen a mouse turd in 8 years. I still stash drier sheets inside the car and don't keep any kinda food (except for baits) in the shop to attract them. Frequent human activity seems to keep them at bay.

    One other thing (which I usually blow off doing!) is to get it hot and change the oil. The used oil is acidic and is hard on the bearings. I run mine periodically over the winter to keep that stuff in suspension and keep her "loose". Even with the boat with the twin 454s, I roll them over on the starters like once a month. I don't make an attempt for a start. Unless they get hot, youll have to deal with condensation.

    That's the last issue is sweat off the concrete floor. I park mine on some big cardboard chunks to stave off the sweat. My shop is cold unless I am out there and then she sweats pretty good. I just put a ceiling fan in the rafters to help move the warm air around. Keep the ol' gal company; she'll miss you otherwise! ws
     
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  5. Stage 2 iron

    Stage 2 iron 480 IRON HEAD STAGE 2

    You can also add mothballs inside the car in glass jars put a couple in the truck I even put the mothballs all around the top of the intake And lower radiator support on both sides an throw all over the floor around the garage .
     
  6. GSX 554

    GSX 554 Gold Level Contributor

    I can't stand the smell of Mothballs . Outside the vehicle on the floor on plates in the garage is OK . But never inside . You will never get rid of the smell . I hate when I go to a Car Show and you get near a car and you can smell them. I turn around and walk in the other direction.
     
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  7. Stage 2 iron

    Stage 2 iron 480 IRON HEAD STAGE 2

    Air fresheners will take care of that . If you don't want to put mothballs inside the car your best bet is to put the car up on jackstands it's easier to replace the shocks then it is to replace your stage one after its burned up also cover the exhaust pipes with lunch bags and rubber bands and if you put a cover on the car don't let it hang on the ground
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2017
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  8. yachtsmanbill

    yachtsmanbill Well-Known Member

    I like the lunch bag trick! I use 4 inch expandable rubber plumbers plugs on my boat to keep the birds out(!). That's system has the cooling water cooling the mufflers and a birds nest caused a back up that started one of the exhaust hoses on fire.

    RE: the jackstands. That's why I recommended on the frame to let the suspension hang free and relax. Tires OFF the floor of course! ws
     
  9. gstewart

    gstewart Well-Known Member

    I used calcium chloride as a desiccate in special containers to absorb moisture in the trunk, rear seat area, front seat area and under the hood. I do not have any nice in my neck of the woods. I fill the tank with alcohol free gasoline (91 octane Shell) & add sta-bil. I change oil & filter. Check anti-freeze. Battery is removed & placed on a "battery Tender".
     
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  10. STAGE III

    STAGE III Lost Experimental 455-4 Bolt Main Block.

    IMG_1008.JPG Here's how I store mine .Climate controlled you might say
     
  11. FLAME ORANGE GS

    FLAME ORANGE GS Founders Club Member

    i put my toys in "car-bags" they come out exactly like i put them in.
     
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  12. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    How much does one of those run you?
     
  13. Bluzilla

    Bluzilla a.k.a. "THE DOCTOR"

    I believe everything you can do to keep mice out is worth the time and money. At my shop as we speak is a '77 Corvette that was towed 200 miles to me from central Wisconsin to do a mice infestation clean-up. It's not glamorous work but the pay is good. The insurance companies know I do fire, mice, chemical spill restoration and sent this one my way. I can tell you that this job is paying out roughly $6000.00 to restore. I have found 5 nests and their waste trails throughout the interior as well as the engine compartment. Found their junk inside the air cleaner assembly as well. They love the firewall insulation and these guys managed to use the whole pad. I found 2 that had died in one of the Lock Pillar Posts. I had a '67 Chevelle in for a huge job (see the other bench) and it had nests in both bucket seat backs, the headliner, the heater case, the cowl fresh air channels, and frame rail. The '56 T-Bird job (see the other bench) had mice that managed to jump into the right tail pipe and work their way up through the muffler and up into the exhaust ports of the cylinder head where they left acorns, seeds, and jute padding. Had a Range Rover Discovery II come in from another ins. claim and it had 12 nests in it. There were 4 in the headliner, dash, rear A-/C evaporator, and seats. The owner claimed the vehicle sat for one off season. That job paid upward of $12,000. I had a '65 Skylark come in for fire damage this past spring and while I was repairing the heater wiring I found a dried up mouse just laying on top of the heater case, .... nothing to do with the fire job though. A '66 Corvette came in for various tasks and the owner had a new carpet set that was out of the box and stored in the rear behind the seats. When I finally got to the carpet installation I found he had mice chew 2 holes in his new uninstalled carpet, ..... he had me install it anyway? There has been a multitude of smaller mice jobs come through the shop and were no big deal, and clean up was affordable on those.
    I guess my point is that it is so common that you should keep your eye out for them when in storage and make sure to close all outside fresh air vents, windows and any holes larger than 1/4".
    One more tidbit, ....... mice can jump higher than most folks tend to believe!



    Larry
     

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    Last edited: Nov 11, 2017
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  14. Brett Slater

    Brett Slater Super Moderator Staff Member

    Little bastards!
     
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  15. HeavensDevil

    HeavensDevil Well-Known Member

    Im originally from new england and the best winter prep is too just move to a place you can drive year round :cool:
     
  16. FLAME ORANGE GS

    FLAME ORANGE GS Founders Club Member

    carbag.com , i think they run about $300. i have used mine for 6 years so far. they are the best way to store a car in my opinion.
     
  17. STAGE III

    STAGE III Lost Experimental 455-4 Bolt Main Block.

    Do you need help with those bags or is it a one man job?

     
  18. upstaged

    upstaged Well-Known Member

    Mice / rodents only do four things, eat, pee, destroy and reproduce. If you are storing indoors, any shelter cat will take care of business. We have one in the shop and three in the barns. The rodents do not have a chance to "survive" or wreak havoc as mentioned above. Regards, Upstaged in SW Michigan
     
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  19. Mark Demko

    Mark Demko Well-Known Member

    WOW, They leave no space uninhabited, what a frickin' mess!
     
  20. Doo Wop

    Doo Wop Where were you in '62?

    They're about $240. I have three, work just perfect.
     
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