Storage My winter storage proceedure was: 1) Drive into garage. 2) Shut off engine. 3) Get out. 4) Cry all the way into the house. :ball:
Winter Storage. I clean and wash interior, exterior and undercarrage. Car cover. Flush the Radiator. Store Dry. Antifreeze is corrosive .1/2 tank of fuel & stayble Remove battery. Nylon Stocking over Tailpipes and use the silicagel packs.
(stored outdoors) put stabil in before filling tank completely at gas station then drive 2 miles home. allow engine and drive train get to full operating temp. If i know i'm going to be doing some kind of work on it in the garage. I'll put in 5w-30 in on the final oil change to lightly coat the inner workings. I also generally take the car out early in the year when it's still cool so running a bit with the 5w-30 isnt too bad for the oil pressure. when I move the car it is generally 0 or lower and I'll put a 1000w quartz light under the car to warm up the oil for about 10 minutes. (I don't have a magnetic pan heater) I also picked up a trickle charger that automatically charges the battery when the voltage drops and turns off when charged. that stays in and connected all winter.
This is what I have done for many years, make sure car is clean, park in garage, cover,disconnect battery, and place decon under car. I do this in the garage that is out back of the house. I keep my 51 Special, 78 turbo Regal, 87 Grand National and this year Duane's X-Camino in that garage. My GS is kept up front in the garage on the house. That car I clean, wax, change oil, (what ever gas is in it stays), remove battery and put it on a tender, cover inside with sheets, cover outside with car cover, put up on the roll master and shove it in the corner. I have not had any of them not start come spring. Paul
Only one person has mentioned the problems with concrete floors. A lot of people don't realize it, but concrete is the worst surface to store a car over. The moisture and lye will build up under the car and corrode the underside like crazy. I've seen cars that were in long term storage and the wheel wells were rotted out at the very tops, not to mention all of the lines, floor pans and trunk. When I lived in NY, I looked at a pair of 53 Chevys, and the good car was in the garage and the parts car was outside. They were there for about 10 years. The good car was ruined. The parts car had an excellent under body. If your floor is not sealed with a high end coating. Put a couple layers of heavy plastic down (I don't think tarps work well). If possible, every so often use a fan to circulate the air underneath the car. Always put an oil down the carb, I was taught 1/2 motor oil and 1/2 ATF. I always did dribbled it in for a good minute that way the exhaust system gets oiled also. Then I would continue until it stalled out. This procedure oils all the metal parts above the pistons. My understanding is to keep the fuel tank full, this will prevent the tank from corroding on the inside (no place for moisture). I believe that starting the engine while in short term (6 months) storage, is not necessary and can do more bad than good. If you do put the car on jack stands, oil the exposed shock struts. You don't have to get the wheels off the ground but I think taking the weight off the tires and susspension is good. I also oil the rotors best I can without getting on the brake pads. Dave
Storage?!!!! You guys are lucky!!! My storage procedure for my first winter will be: 1. Empty fuel tank 2. Disconnect everything from the motor and trans 3. Take off Hood 4. Remove motor and trans 5. Mount motor on stand and trans on a cart 6. Beg fianc for some $$ to replace some parts 7. Order set of headers, camshaft, rockers, gaskets, any other misc that I find as I go 8. Remove front suspension and replace ball joints, and bushings 9. Put suspension back together and hopefully not have new springs rip my face off 10. Do some more begging for some stuff that I had not thought about. 11. Replace U Joints 12. Disassemble motor 13. Replace parts that I bought 14. Reassemble motor and clean and paint it 15. Clean and inspect transmission 16. put everything back together 17. Repair everything that I didn't put back together properly 18. Break in cam/lifters and check for leaks 19. Take out for first drive, if everything is okay 20. Check this thread for storage suggestions and put back into storage, as it will probably be next year about this same time before I get it finished.
To keep my chrome pipe on my bike from rusting over winter I put a thick coating of wax on them and leave it there. Leaving wax on chrome wont hurt it like paint.
RE: Winter Storage Jack up the Ashtray. R&R the Vehicle underneath. In the Spring, Replace Ashtray. Tom Gallagher
Well just to add to this since everyone has a different thing to do, here is what I have done for the past 18 years on my 71 Stage 1. Never had a problem yet related to storage. 1) Take car for last drive. Come home and change the oil and filter. Old oil has acids and moisture in it, if you let that sit it may cause corrosion or bearing issues. 2) Once new oil is in, I run engine (its already hot) and spray oil into it until it burns blue and then shut engine off. 3) Car cover goes on. I don't worry too much about the tires, I generally get about 5 or 6 years a set, which is fine with me. Its fairly amazing considering the abuse they get. The newer radials aren't as fussy as the older tires. I don't jack the car up either, I let it sit as is. If you use jackstands or whatever, make sure the suspension is not hanging, this causes issues with bumpers and the rear shocks which as the final travel limit on these cars. Gas ends up wherever it is. I have never had a problem with clogging (and I'm talking 18 years now since I rebuilt the carb!!!). I've sometimes disconnected or removed the battery, sometimes not. I usually roll the car back and forth once or twice a winter (by hand) to keep seals lubed, etc. In the spring I usually prime the engine just for good measure before firing it. Let it run at fast idle to clean off the oil, lets go driving!! later Tim
